We must do so by rejecting those who have failed us so woefully in the past. We will choose a New Nigeria. A major problem is that we cannot predict what our leaders will ACTUALLY do when in power, and we appear to have no way to force them to deliver once they are in office.

They make promises during their campaigns, but they fail to deliver on them. The problem is one of accountability. We need a way to hold leaders accountable when they are in office.

How? If we ask ourselves, what is the greatest fear that a politician really has? The answer is: removal from office. Our politicians hold on tenaciously to power, because the stakes are so high.

Any leader who knows that he or she can be removed from office will have no choice but to listen to the people and at least try to deliver good government. Therefore,

we can conclude that a major aspect of the leadership problem we have in Nigeria is because the leaders are not really afraid of being removed from office once they are voted in. They see the electorate as timid and docile.

Citizens have to use their constitutionally given and recognised powers to hold leaders accountable; whether it is by asking them to resign or by putting pressure on our elected representatives to proceed with impeachment processes against them.

These provisions are not there for decoration; they are tools to be used effectively in holding the feet of elected officials to the fire, all in the interest of good governance and a better life for the people.

I wish to state that Nigeria’s rebirth trajectory is clear: it is anchored and driven by Nigerian youths. Seizing the Moment to Shape the Future should be your mantra and mission.

Let me end these remarks by borrowing from The New York Times of July 12, 2015, advert placed by Josh Tetrick, the CEO and Founder of Hampton Creek, in the United States. Josh Tetrick’s letter was addressed to “Dear 23-year-old.”

The second paragraph was an eye opener for me as a parent, politician, policy maker and mentor. It said: