Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has urged the federal government to listen to the concerns of the youth, which has necessitated nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests.

Mr Obasanjo, who spoke while playing host to six members of the National Assembly on Friday in Abeokuta, said what the youth sought through their nationwide protests was legitimate.

He said there could be dire consequences if their demands were unmet as soon as possible.

Six legislators are co-sponsors of a bill seeking a single six-year term for presidency and rotation between the North and the South.

“As I have warned earlier, we should recognise that we are all sitting on a powder keg if we fail to begin doing the right thing. For instance, what the youths are demanding is very legitimate and should be listened to. Why should they be denied what rightfully belongs to them?

“You are what you are today because you’re a Nigerian; I’m what I am also because I’m a Nigerian. So why should they be Nigerians and be languishing in poverty?

“They make demands, and we’re not listening to them. Many of them are frustrated, desperate, angry and unemployed. What do we expect?” he queried.

Mr Obasanjo noted that for Nigeria to attain its highest status, all hands must be on deck, just as “our mentality should also change.”

He said the issue is not whether the country should adopt a single six-year term or maintain the status quo, adding, “If the mentality of the people in governance does not change, then Nigeria will remain where it is.

“We have to decarbonise our brain. If you give a person one single term of six years, he will do the same harm he could have done in two terms of four years.

“If you have a system you can trust; you have an INEC you can trust, then it will not matter the number of years,” Mr Obasanjo said.

Speaking earlier, Ikenga Ugochinyere, who led five other lawmakers, said that the country should move toward adopting a single six-year term for president.

Mr Ugochinyere said there should be a rotational mechanism for governance between the North and the South, just as state governments should rotate governance among the three senatorial districts.

He called for a rejig of the nation’s laws to accommodate these changes.

Other lawmakers who accompanied Mr Ugochinyere on the visit were Abdulmalik Danga (Kogi), Midala Malami (Borno), Matthew Nwogu (Imo), Peter Aniekwe (Anambra) and Kama Nkemkama (Eboyin).

(NAN)