‘Youths not voting in elections is endorsement of bad governance’

The chairman of Young Progressives Party (YPP) in Ondo State, Dotun Ojon, in this interview with ADEWALE MOMOH, spoke on why youths are losing interest in participation during elections. He also criticised President Bola Tinubu for economic policies that have killed the visions and dreams of many youths.

Reports from Edo State election indicated that many youths did not vote. What will make Ondo State different?
What the 2023 election did was to destroy the ray of political light that arose in the heart of our young men and women. They expected electronic transmission of vote but felt played and betrayed when the Presidential election did not take that pattern.

They began to lose hope in the power of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deliver democracy through election. So, that is what happened in Edo. However, we are doing everything possible to engage and inform them that their choosing to not partake in the election is an approval for bad governance to be entrenched.

What is your assessment of the Edo gubernatorial election?
I honestly do not think the outcome of the election represents wishes of the people. Let us look at it from two angles. First, All Progressives Congress (APC) at the federal level is facing major criticism as to how the economy is managed. Does it now mean that people have forgiven the party for all the hardship, to a point where they will reward it with more offices?

The APC government told us to tighten our belt while its officials live in opulence and wealth. I have said this before that any government whose agenda is to make money will continue to put its populace in perpetual poverty.

The government owns all the money; it gives it to the people and collects it back. Now, the way the government attempts to collect it will determine whether such a government is good or bad. Bad governments collect it through emphasis on taxation, without providing service. Good government collects it by providing service and getting the people to pay for it.

But what we have now is about how much the government can make more without providing any form of service. This puts a direct yoke on the people’s neck and I honestly doubt whether they will willingly reward the government with another extra position in all of these.

Secondly, PDP in the state has been struggling to keep its home together. That means both APC and PDP came into that election with a lot of baggage. So, when one of them wins, it just tells of the people’s helplessness at this time.

YPP claims to be a party for the youth, but we have not seen youths voting for your party. Why?
We are currently rising to that occasion. We have a huge number of youth today without political direction, and we are stepping in to provide that direction, hope, and leadership that will make everyone achieve success.

So, we are motivating them and calling them to action, which is a ballot revolution. We can only hope that all these efforts bring the desired result.

Are you aware that elections in the country are not for the fainthearted in terms of finances and structures?
Yes, for the structure, we have been able to set up wonderful structures across the state. But money for elections cannot be singlehandedly sponsored. We are just a group of young men and women who want a change. I will not lie; we still need help from people.

Do you think Ondo State people are ready to embrace a party like YPP in the coming election?
Yes. They are ready. I honestly think they are tired of the present way they are being governed. That’s why we are letting them know what we will do to make things better for them. And they are buying into our candidacy and programmes.

Don’t you think the current economic downturn has contributed to apathy among voters? How does your party intend to address this?
Sure, it has, and our party is trying to speak hope to them and encourage them to reject those who put us in this sorry state on Election Day. How do you explain the economic policy that takes away fuel subsidies and liberalises exchange rate at the same time? You will end up paying more for subsidies, and you will actually not see the foreign investment you seek.

The surest way to economic recovery and growth is the one that puts both power and control in your own hands. Depending on what other nations will do is taking your luck too far. And that’s why we are where we are now. The lives of your citizens are tied around petrol price, you have not separated it, but you are removing subsidies and liberalising your currency.

It has affected everything, and we are only hoping this constant engagement we are having will yield results.

What is your vision for Ondo State if your party wins the governorship election?
The vision is to have the people at the centre of government policies, programmes, and projects. To have them share directly from the prosperity purse of their state. To solve the problem of unemployment and underemployment and kick-starts an agricultural revolution in rice production, cassava production, palm oil production, and paper production. To harness all opportunities in our aqua-communities and work towards a modular refinery for our people.

Our focus is to disconnect communities with agricultural potential from the national grid and take advantage of alternative power sources to build the future. We are clear on our plans and resolute in their execution.

From your experience as a former governorship candidate of your party, what are the major socio-economic problems you have identified in the state, and what will your party do differently to resolve them if your candidate is elected?
The first problem is leadership, or call it leadership failure. Leadership is about providing the right direction and aiding the people to consistently walk on the path for communal prosperity. What we have in Ondo State today is a general economic lull, which is a product of general lack of economic direction. Ondo State, for instance, is the largest cocoa producing state in Nigeria, but we have not built our economy around this opportunity to translate the produce into communal prosperity.

If our party wins, we will localise the benefit of the produce by ensuring that we do not only export the produce but also add value to it for more impact.

We will do everything to harness the economic potential of the young people in the state.

Unfortunately, the state derives joy in collecting levies from Okada riders without asking why most of our young people are taking to it.

We are looking at kick-starting an economic revolution with a few of them by creating a youth focused micro credit agency that will be known as the Youth Development Bank, where people can get their economic ideas funded. By the time we do this, we should have injected both fulfilment and prosperity into the economic ecosystem of the state.

Then every area in the state has a unique agricultural advantage that has not been considered. In Akure North alone, we can get the rice that will consistently feed the state. In Ese Odo and Ilaje, we have a natural habitat for fishes that can feed the nation. So, we just need to formulate an economic policy that will give distinct direction to what we want to partner the people to do and spell out how we intend to have it done.

Do you see people in Ondo State having confidence in your candidate, John Akinmurele, and generally trusting youths with political power, considering many social vices identified in that age group?
Our candidate was the first student union president that left good money in the account of the state-owned university while leaving. He didn’t touch the student union money, running to several millions of naira. He had a credible service in the Department of State Security (DSS) for 13 years. He is a youth leader and blameless community leader.

We do know that the young minds are caught in vices, and we are here to show them the light out of the darkness of addiction. We know how to relate with them and our emergence will rekindle their hope for a better future.

How will you assess the administration of President Tinubu, and how his policies have been affecting Nigerian youths?
The administration of President Bola Tinubu does not understand what it means to run a modern government. It is all about taking from the people and reiterating that the future is bright without you giving anything. I am not blaming the president because the mind of a man is the template of his performance, and no one can outperform his mindset.

The economic mindset of the President is to have more money through taxation. He doesn’t seem to know about how to provide services that will give people the willingness to surrender their money into the hands of the government.

This has shattered the dreams of young men and women and put their visions in a sudden coffin. The president is holding onto a 19th century medication for a 21st century economic ailment. The best he will get at the end of the day will be a 20th century healing, which will be an outdated economic recovery.

Is your party and candidate not feeling intimidated by the achievements of Governor Aiyedatiwa and the solid structure of the PDP in the state?
I can only laugh when people talk about achievements. We were at the forefront of the fight to ensure Governor Aiyedatiwa became acting governor when his boss was sick. We were on TV, pushing press releases and all of that, but today, the man we all fought for has failed all of us.

You cannot mention Governor Aiyedatiwa with any tangible achievement in the state. And the structure you talk about is the one working against them. Majority of people are truly not decamping from APC, but they will work against the governor in full time.

They did not believe in his capacity, they did not believe in his person and programmes and just waiting for a time to teach him a political lesson.

And for PDP, you know they are almost extinct in the state. We are the rave of the moment and we will take advantage of this opportunity.