Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has expressed concerns that young Nigerians were beginning to lose hope in the future of the country.
This was as a presidential hopeful, Peter Obi, has alleged that the current hardship in the country was affecting Nigerians mentally.
Atiku said he felt deeply sad over how young Nigerians were lamenting over hardship, fraudulent elections and bad governance.
Posting on his Facebook page, the former Vice President told the youths that the change they desired could not be attained by voter apathy, noting that 25 per cent to 30 per cent voter turnout in every election cycle was not encouraging.
He wrote: “I am extremely concerned at how young Nigerians are losing hope about the future of our country.
“Every time they come to have a conversation with me about bad governance, fraudulent elections, and resultant hardship being faced by citizens, I deeply feel sad about the situation.
“On Sunday evening, I received yet another group of youths from across the 19 Northern states, led by Alh. Adamu Bappa Gombe.
“They were worried about how their votes don’t count and how bad governance and policies impact negatively on their standard of living and private businesses.
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“I have continued to encourage them not to give up. I told them the change they desire can only come through the ballot. I reminded them that they have a responsibility to mobilize their fellow young people to keep participating in the process of leadership recruitment through elections.
“I reminded them that the change they desire cannot be attained by voter apathy and that 25% to 30% voter turnout in every election cycle is not encouraging. I challenged them to make a huge difference by influencing massive participation in 2027.
“On our part, we shall not relent until Nigeria is recovered from anti democratic forces,” he said.
On his part, Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, lamented what he described as troubling and deepening mental health crises in the country, saying poverty and unemployment had pushed many Nigerians into criminality.
He stated this in a tweet on his X handle while commemorating Mental Health Day celebrated every October 10.
“As the world celebrates Mental Health Day this weekend, it is troubling to note that a nation like Nigeria has deepening mental health crises which recent report from World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that about 40 million people are living with mental health conditions, and grossly fewer doctors to attend to mental health, as fewer than 300 psychiatrists are available in the country.
“This clearly shows Nigeria’s growing disinterest and neglect of the health sector. Mental health is more important than physical health.
“Nigerians are now feeling so overwhelmed by hardship that they are mentally affected. Poverty, unemployment, and the daily battle to survive have pushed many of our people, especially the youth, into hopelessness, criminality and an increasing rate of suicide,” he said.
He called on government to address poverty, unemployment and hunger, describing them as contributing factors to mental health problem.
