NGCI decries party politics without ideology, pledges new direction

The Next Generation Civic Initiatives (NGCI) has decried the lack of ideology among Nigeria’s political parties, and pledged to advocate for a party system with clear ideology instead of a ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ approach.

Chairman of the group, Olayemi Atakan made the remarks at the National Youth Conference on Civic Leadership , Electoral Participation and Democratic Governance in Abuja on Tuesday.

The event was organised by the National Institute of Legislative and Democratic Studies ( NILDS) in partnership with NGCI. 

He said, “It is deeply troubling that 27 years into the Fourth Republic, Nigeria with over 21 registered political

parties still has no clear ideology for Nigerians to identify with.

“Our party system has become a case of “jack of all trades, master of none. We are committed to advocating for a political system built on clear ideology, where the people can align and stand for something. That is a gap the young can close, but only by first deciding what we actually believe.”

The Chairman of the group lamented that Nigeria did not suffer from a shortage of young people but from a failure to take steps, which the group would put an end to by educating and enlightening youths on the need to be involved in nation building.”

He said, “We have grown far too comfortable telling young Nigerians that they are the leaders of tomorrow. That must stop today, because tomorrow is not a plan. Tomorrow is a postponement.

“Nigeria does not suffer from a shortage of young people: The United Nations projects our population will

reach roughly 400 million by 2050, and most of that growth is young people. What that ambition runs into

is a shortage of political organisation, institutional access, civic literacy, ideological clarity, economic

opportunity, and representation.

” Professor Jerry Ugokwe, who lectures right here at NILDS, has taught that for a country to be truly

democratic, its electorate must have both economic sustenance and real education. Dr. Mohammed Wakil,

another NILDS lecturer, has argued that Nigeria’s political crisis stems from a lack of distinct ideology.

“Our democracy suffers from a basic trust deficit between citizens and government, and that deficit shows

up in two places: massive voter apathy, and the steady pull of ‘Japa’, as more of us look for our future somewhere else. But this fight is ours. “