joshua
By Joshua and Yemisi Oshaloto
Before now one would think politics is a reserved for the old folks, thuggery for the rugged youths, and errands for the passive youths.
The narratives started changing in Kogi State right from the time of former Governor Idris Wada and his deputy Arc Yomi Awoniyi.
Those days few youths were seen holding positions of responsibility in the art of governance, a departure from the old practice when the involvement of young men and women in political appointments was very limited.
Then, I had thought to myself that Kogi was not being serious because the folks i saw on TV from other states were older adults.
The exit of the Wada/Awoniyi era and the advent of Governor Yahaya Bello, saw the number of youth participation in government grow to an unprecedented propportion. A conglomerate of youthful appointees serving Kogi State Government and people.
This development was soon to serve as an eye opener. The reasons are not far-fetched. From the governor to his deputy, the chief of staff and the cabinet, Kogi State became a model for youth engagement with renewed vigour in the art of governance. A critical example is the Chief of Staff, Pharmacist Abdulkareem Asuku Jamiu, who, having seen the maturity on display in his handling of his office, I predicted in one of my write ups an upward surge in the number of youths in Kogi State corridors of power who by every minute are seen mastering the art of governance.
Trained and practiced as a Pharmacist, Asuku who is in his mid-thirties was appointed Director General (Protocol), Kogi State Government House by Governor Yahaya Bello, an office he held from 2016 to 2019 when he was elevated to the position of Chief of Staff to the Governor.
He’s probably the youngest chief of staff in the history of Kogi State Government, but just like Arsenal Football Club of London’s French legend, Thierry Henry, a youth prodigy from Monaco who came and changed the whole game at the Highbury in the late 1990s and early 2000s, without mincing words, Pharm Asuku is Kogi’s game changer, going forward from the first term of Governor Yahaya Bello.
First a humanitarian, brimmed with cultured humility and one who prefers a low profile, Asuku may not have been a politician for a long time but it took him little or no time to master his job beyond the not too complimentary address as a politician.
In leaps and bounds, carrying on his day-to-day duty with charisma blended with an understanding of the job description without rocking the boats or assuming a larger than life posture in a system where there can be only one Boss-His Excellency, Governor Yahaya Bello, Asuku has grown to become a light we all were expecting at the end of the tunnel. Today, he is not just a chief of staff but an eye opener; not just an eye opener but a game changer. Eye opener because he came and proved doubters of his ability wrong and so doing became a game changer through opening doors for more youths to be engaged in governance.
Fresh from the November 2019 fierce battle for the governorship, Asuku’s daring move for a rapprochement, first of all getting his boss to approve the move, going round to make friends for the administration, especially from amongst the opposition leaders, was like holding the tiger by the tail.
The Fluid Nature of Youthfulness
In Europe and America, they would tell you that youth ends at 30, middle aged from the ages of 35–45. Then old adult from the ages of 50–60.
But in Africa, Nigeria as a case study, the socio-economic climate has pretty much extended the youth age to 40-45, and above. Many people simply cannot earn enough money to start up truly flourishing businesses of their own or assume the position of CEO of a large company or become a primary school headmaster/headmistress until they’re probably 40 years old and above. In the US, they would say 30 is too old to not have a car. How many Nigerians at 30 years old could afford to buy a car these days?
In a country where we have older adults within the range of 60-70-75 years old running the affairs of Governent and political associations, at all levels, many of whom are recycled from the second and the third republics, those below those age brackets have little space to accommodate them let alone hold forth at the top, except for a few cases.
What I try to point out here is the fluid nature of youthfulness mixed with maturity being introduced to leadership and governance in Kogi State by Governor Yahaya Bello. For the record, Kogi now has Senior Special Assistants to the Governor on Security in charge of the 21 Local Government Areas, Special Advisers and Commissioners whose average age are 30-35 and 40-45 years old.
The meaning is that being youthful and being young are two different things. The youthfulness I try to espouse here include being 40-45 even 50 years old and “staying young at heart”.
Quoting the words of Paula DeMichele, M.A English, Trinity University, Texas, USA “if we are speaking of youth as staying young at heart- curious about the world and willing to investigate new things and change our ideas – that depends on the individual person”.
Speaking of being youthful physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Speaking of being youthful in terms of lots of energy, in terms of wisdom. We will thank GYB for showing us the way by giving the likes of Pharmacist Asuku Abdulkareem Jamiu the opportunities to prove themselves.
