The outgoing speaker of the Ninth House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has talked about the youths in Nigeria and their views about the country.

The newly appointed Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu maintained that many youths had lost faith in Nigeria.

Gbajabiamila made the comments on Wednesday, June 7, during the valedictory session of the ninth House of Representatives he presided over for four years.

The new chief of staff said the country is losing some of its “best and brightest” brains to other countries, calling for swift action to be taken to avert its “painful consequences”.

Gbajabiamila stressed that despite the “considerable investments we have made to improve our public infrastructure and the numerous reforms we have enacted to change how we administer the government”, the country still faces many “significant challenges”.

The lawmaker noted that such challenges have caused many young Nigerians to “wonder if the promise of democracy will ever become a reality in their lifetime.”

According to him:

“Too many of our young people have lost faith entirely and are choosing in droves to seek their fortunes and their futures in other lands,” Gbajabiamila said.

Gbajabiamila further said the government must ensure that the economy is “healthy, vigorous, growing“ and that all Nigerians will have equal opportunities to succeed through their labour, hard work and ingenuity.

He also tasked the government to protect its citizens from marauders, insurgents, petty criminals and assorted villains who are out to harm them.

Gbajabiamila also said urged the government on the need to “restore faith in young people so that so many of them will no longer feel like the only way to achieve their best aspirations is to chase their fortunes in far away, often hostile lands”.

After the valedictory session, the house was adjourned.

The 10th national assembly will be inaugurated on June 13.