Soyinka calls Nigerian youths a ‘gaseous generation’

Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka, has called on the Nigerian youth to start preparing themselves for leadership positions well ahead of the 2023 elections.

He made these comments on Sunday while speaking at the wreath laying ceremony to commemorate the 21st anniversary of the death of MKO Abiola.

The ceremony which was organised by Women Arise for Change Initiative (WACI) was held at the late politician’s graveside in Ikeja, Lagos.

Soyinka while speaking on youths, said: “Sometimes I refer to this generation of youths in which one places so much hope, as a ‘Gaseous’ generation because they are so full of gas.”

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“But when it comes to action, you are astonished because they keep calling out names like where is Wole Soyinka? Where is Joe Okei-Odumakin? Where is Femi Falana?

“They keep churning out the same names, same expectations, they do not organise themselves for action.

“This is what we had hoped to happen in the last elections when we called the public to jettison the two major political parties and for the youths to recognise that they actually have a powerful bloc vote and they should exercise it in a progressive way.

“Well, it didn’t work the first time, it’s a new concept to them, so, nobody should place so much expectations.

“But one hopes that in advance, 2023, the youths should begin to organise themselves, they must not wait till the last minute.

“They should begin right now in manifesting their expectations and the possibility of the realisation of their expectations of taking up leadership positions.”

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