Chief Edward Onoja, former Kogi State Deputy Governor asserts that sustainable political freedom requires actively including youth in governance, starting at the grassroots/local government level. Speaking to the Leadership of Youths in Parliament Forum, he stressed this as vital for nurturing future leaders, citing his own path from student leader to mainstream politics.
Onoja declared sidelining youth inherently limits national growth. He detailed his pivotal role in Kogi State, where mobilizing the youth base was key to electoral victory. As Chief of Staff, he championed substantive youth inclusion and gender equality in government, making Kogi a model now studied by others. This success later positioned him as Deputy Governor.
Now at the national service, Onoja commended President Tinubu’s strategic placement of youth in critical sectors and commissions like the SEDC, calling it genuine inclusion. He urged support for Tinubu’s push for comprehensive Local Government reform and autonomy, directly linking decades of insecurity to youth exclusion at that level: “If we do not fix the base, the centre cannot hold.”
Finally, Onoja emphasized that advocating for youth inclusion must equally prioritize character, competence, and integrity. True Leadership, he concluded, transcends age; it is fundamentally about values.
