Nigerian Youth Should Awaken To The Reality Of Our Time By Sam Ikoku
I wish I could say that we have begun our ascent to 2023 when we elect a new President and build on the past gains. Unfortunately, it feels like we have started our descent into a new round of sorrow, tears and blood.
I used to agree with the youth that the old politicians have ruined our beloved country. I used to agree that the military years left us retarded and isolated from the international community and that democracy was the solution.
Democracy came and, with it, an unbelievable descent into anarchy. I might be wrong, but looking back, only one administration had a semblance of coherence. It’s been a harvest of incompetence, a drop in the standard of living and quality of life of our people, and the resultant loss of prestige in the international community. The brain drain has accelerated, and our Youth – the energy of any nation – are committed to emigration even at the cost of their lives. It seems our leaders are trying to outdo themselves in pursuit of awards for mediocrity and theft. Corruption remains unchecked. Infrastructure, power, foreign exchange, and security are words that leave a bad taste in the mouth. No one seems to care.
But it should not be so.
That’s why I no longer blame the old guard but the youth who are growing up and yet allowing their destiny to be stolen. If you are a youth reading this, I blame YOU.
Enough of the lamentations about no money, no opportunities, no this, no that. You will not get it. The people you are looking to do not have any intention of doing more than taking care of themselves. If those who have been in power cannot even pretend to achieve anything toward the end of this Administration, how much longer must it take for you to wake up?
Apart from the one or two, have you noticed the kind of people coming out to declare their intention to run for the highest office of President?
Instead of making your voices heard regarding what you need to achieve your potential and return Nigeria to its glory days, you are already taking sides and fighting with each other, trying to sell your kettle as less black than the pot.
What do these people have to offer? What have they achieved in the past? Apart from angling to contest, what have we heard that has made sense regarding security, education, health, infrastructure, and so on? In about a year, we will elect someone to rule over us, and we do not yet know where they stand on these issues.
The old guard and leaders have fooled you again. In the last four years, the youth never developed a viable and vibrant alternative to the two major parties. The election laws are clear. Only those who are cleared by INEC can contest and be elected. So what has the old guard done? They have flooded the zone with shit. Heads you lose, tails you lose.
A few youth will take money from these politicians in the guise of helping them curry votes. They’ll make a bit of noise on social media and implement a strategy of abusing the opponent because there are no genuine issues to talk about, especially when defending a thief, felon, or miscreant opportuned to hold or have held lucrative office. These enabling youth think they’re smart because, to them, it’s about getting their “share”, but in the end, everyone loses.
So, what are YOU going to do about it?
I think there’s still time for other registered parties to field viable contestants. I think it’s time to discuss real issues to determine who can best lead this country. Let the youth agree that these viable people don’t need vast amounts of money. Stolen money freely spent can no longer buy our future. The youth of this country are fully capable of volunteering and crowdfunding a viable and proven leader.
Let’s rearrange the board. Let’s start a new game. Nigerian Youth, arise!! This is not a call to be unruly and break things. This is a call to reawakening and focus on what really matters. This is a call to take your destiny into your hands and elect leaders at local, state and federal government levels that have what it takes to make a difference and restore Nigeria to its rightful place in the international community. In the process, we will improve the standard of living and quality of life of all Nigerians.
Call your friends, sit together, THINK and ACT. We have a few months to salvage the rest of our lives, and it is an investment in time and energy worth making.
