MI Abaga: Nigerian youths must be involved in politics to make impact

MI Abaga, the rapper and record producer, says Nigerian youths must be involved in politics if they want to impact the nation.

The 40-year-old entertainer, who spoke on Thursday at The Convergence 3.0, an event organised by Yiaga, a civil society group, said youths have been able to use the internet to spread the country’s culture across the globe.

He, however, lamented that the youths are “completely disillusioned” about the country’s situation, adding that they “see no integrity in politics”. 

“We are missing out on utilising the resources we have, and even the people. Today we have a majority of young people that are completely disillusioned about our society,” he said.

“The youths see politics as something that has no integrity in it anymore. They are important because they are so resourceful, they use the internet to conquer the world, and they spread Nigerian culture around the world.

“Whatever your personal motivation is, part of the plan you should have is to be able to bring everybody into the room and have conversation on how to move Nigeria forward together.

“If done well, it won’t only be impactful on Nigeria but other regions in the world.”

MI, whose real name is Jude Abaga, also urged politicians to ensure that children born in their constituencies are given adequate access to education.

“Every child that is born in your constituency must get adequate education to get a chance in the wider world. You cannot hold back half of your population and expect the constituency to blossom,” he said.

Also speaking, Jumoke Oduwole, the senior special assistant to the president on industry, trade and Investment, said despite the fact that the youths are angry, politicians should be able to convince them to participate in 2023 election.

“A lot of Nigerian youths are angry but what are we going to do to make sure that young people show up in 2023 elections not just for your personal election or political party but the power of Nigerian youths to show up and be counted,” she said.