A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has urged youths to engage more in politics to achieve a new Nigeria.
Falana made the call during the 2021 Felabration Symposium in Lagos on Monday, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.
The theme for this year’s Felabration celebration is “Viva Nigeria”. It was picked from late Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s old music titled ‘Viva Africa’, which talked about the essence of staying united as Africans.
Felabration is an annual music festival, which was conceived in 1998 by Yeni Kuti, in memory and celebration of her father, Fela Anikulapo Kuti – a Nigerian musician and human rights activist known for pioneering the Afrobeat genre of music, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
Falana, who was late Fela’s lawyer, said that with more organisational capacity, Nigerian youths would contribute more to the growth and development of the country.
He said, “Nigerian youths need to get engaged politically. They have roles to play in the struggle for a new Nigeria.”
Falana, who recounted the achievements of late Fela, said the musician was able to correct some societal anomalies due to the fact that he talked, acted and sang about Nigeria’s problems.
He noted that the Anti-torture Act, which was enacted in 2017, was due to late Fela’s clamour that no Nigerian should be subjected to torture in a police station.
The Secretary-General, Lower Niger Congress, Tony Nnadi, urged the Federal Government to work and ensure the amendment of the 1999 constitution.
He stated that the content of the constitution worked against the progress of the nation as it gave more power and preference to some regions to the detriment of other regions.
Similarly, Seun Kuti – son of the late Fela Anikulapo Kuti – suggested that for the constitution to be amended, the youth must engage the people in power politically to ensure the constitution was changed to benefit the six geo-political zones.
He said, “Protest, rally and demonstrations will not change the constitution because the ordinary citizens do not have the power to do so.
Kuti called on Nigerian leaders to be empathetic for the less privileged and ensure that the rule of law played out.
He said the problem of terrorism in the country was due to the high level of poverty and unemployment.
Kuti urged the government to embrace policies that would enhance job creation in the country.
