Poor knowledge of history bane of youth in governance – Ex- Kwara gov

A former governor of Kwara State, Abdufatah Ahmed, has said Nigerian youths must retrace their steps and understand the history of the country if they are to properly position themselves for leadership roles in the country.

Ahmed, who was governor between 2011 and 2019, spoke at the National Merit House in Abuja at the 5th edition of the Democracy Youth Round Table.

He said youth can’t get anywhere in the position of governance being only social media interventionists, adding that they must take their destinies in their hands.

He said: “Nigeria has a trajectory of history because I have seen youths participating in the past in the country’s governance. When the convener visited me some time ago, I told him the problem of Nigerian youth is that they don’t even know Nigerian history.

“They don’t read the history; they don’t know where we were coming from, so they can’t access why we are here, and of course, they can’t project what we want to be.

“History is not the study of past events; history is the study of change. Change is the only thing permanent in life, so you must recognise change; you must understand the trajectory that change persists. That’s when you can position yourself appropriately to create a necessary position for the future,” he said.

The former governor, who was accompanied by a former minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, also lamented growing ethnic tensions in the country, noting that the youth must ensure government officials are held accountable.