Are Nigerian youths mediocre or we are made to look like one?
Posted by J Duke Anago | 9 years ago | 3,845 times
Every day of our lives we depend on the work of the elected executives, legislators and the judiciary to keep the fulcrum of the Nation oiled so the pendulum will be sustained in good balance. We count on them to enforce laws that guarantee us equal employment opportunities and healthy working conditions. And so the ceaseless Nigerians yearning for the ideal life has always stumbled uneasily over a persistent Nigerian youths incredulity about the parties and leaders who hold the wisdom and ability to guide us to our destiny. We respect our institutions, no mater how poorly structured they are…well we have no option. However, what we all youth have been unable to carry out is to checkmate those political leaders by portraying the attitude of hawks circling overhead, eager to dive with claws extended onto any flaw or failure that we see from any politician. Rather we condone it and make excuses! This should henceforth be our prerogative since they have hoodwinked us with a constitution that does not give the youth any leeway to become a member of executive arms of government through election because the age group (21-39 years) are automatically disqualified as embedded in our kangaroo 1999 constitution whereas this same age group amount to approximately 70 per cent of Nigerian population. To put differently, only 30 per cent of our population are allowed to vie for an executive position and lead 70 per cent of the population.
It was Jesse Jackson in 1984 while delivering democratic national convention speech that said “No generation can choose the age or circumstance in which it is born, but through leadership it can choose to make the age in which it is born, an age of enlightenment, an age of jobs and peace and justice”. Can we the youth retrospectively ask our self some self-assessment questions about our role in political affairs of this country? Can we confidently tell ourselves that the present day Nigeria care for the youth the way first generation cared for the youth? Chief Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu of blessed memories was 33 years when he became the governor of the eastern region while Gen Gowon was 29 when he became the head of state. In the US, Saira Blair, an 18 years old girl won stat election. She is touted as the youngest ever state lawmaker in the history of America. She is 18 years old remember not 72 years. But in Nigeria as stated earlier, the Nigerian constitution has barred all demographics within 18-39 years from contesting for any gubernatorial or presidential election. No executive power of any sort can be vied for due to ones age and not the content of their brain or their capacity to deliver even when proven that you can. Nobody is discussing amending that constitution even the national assembly members who have come again to solicit for our votes.
Truly and indeed frankly, our feelings about ourselves as people are mixed and sometimes frustrating. We Nigerians have often been proud to the point of cocky arrogance even if we live in abject poverty. That was the reason we were adjudged as the happiest people on earth. I am certain we cannot be said to be the happiest people anymore because of the menace of Boko Haram and wanton corruption. Although I must admit not to neglect the fact that we have not previously been in a position to hide indeterminately from what we do wrong, our mistakes, our poor leadership qualities, corruption and decay in infrastructures. We have been outspoken! Where two or three youths are gathered, political discussion and regrets of the political instability back home must be the topic unless the venue of the gathering is in a club house. In any facebook group online, same discussions with heavy permutations are on going. Our failure as a nation torture us the youths and eat deeply at our conscience, and our sins itch under the showy garb of our achievements and prevent us from being content.
Politicians have damaged our future that we have no faith in it. Religion and tribalism have finally buried it. The politicians have used religion and tribalism to plant skepticism on the mind of the youth about every person or group who offers to lead us to promise land as long as they do not belong to their fragmentation. They even give us fertilizers to ensure that the skepticism continues to have chlorophyll on it. They have taken it to the next level by giving automatic ticket to President; Governors; Senators; Federal Reps and State house of Assembly members no matter how abysmal they have performed. These conflicting political forces work together to shape the political atmosphere in Nigeria and continue to hold down the character of the Nigerian youth by limiting their services to either radical political thugs, Facebook warriors/pundits, shallow bloggers who do not even care to verify stories or give credit to originating source of information, pimps for the male and the female their sexual predators because we bread youths that are more sexually active than those who are interested in national development. Our Nollywood industry is now the nest and harbinger for professional prostitute who carry themselves as movie goddess but in true sense, they are only looking for crumbs from the politicians for exchange for sex. They have turned our female Nollywood stars to super rich through sexual immorality. Or is it not alarming that some of our female Nollywood stars who may not even have done enough movies than their male counterpart not to even talk about the likes of Pete Edochie, Olu Jacobs, Laz Ekwueme and Patience Ozokwo showcasing wealth and lifestyle that only a bank MD whose bill are catered by Banking institution can afford.
And yet these forces that put down the youth have remained in a rough balance of emotional and physical power since independence and refused to allow the youth a chance. No wonder at 72 years, Senetor Chukwumerije still wants to go back to the red chambers. At what age will he then collect his pension? No wonder Gen. Buhari who I was told was the President of Nigeria still wants to be president of Nigeria in 2015. . How will I then explain the history to my little daughter who is a few days old that the man who was the president of the country when the father was not born is also the president of the country when she will be 6 months old? This is too heavy a dose for our youth to consume. I then ask Nigerian youth up north in Sokoto State, down south in Bayelsa State, in Lagos State, Enugu State, Abeokuta, Otukpo and Lokoja. When are we going to present the fact that we are dissatisfied with the present and rise in condemnation of this rape? If we continue to allow our grand fathers to continue to run the affairs of this country, we may end up receiving too heavy a dose of concentrated self-doubt and too many repetitive injuries to our confidence which will then result from having a healthy skepticism to a mire of cynicism and we start to question the ability of any youth to live up to the democratic ideals that we proclaim because we must have programmed our brain remotely that old age is panacea for quality leadership.
Is it a hopeless situation? No, I am not sure because there exists still some optimistic light at the end of the tunnel. This stems from the fact that even in our fractured state, all of us count and all of us fit somewhere and rejoice when we play the only unifying factor in Nigeria “football” and feel really hurt when Boko Haram strike and kill innocent students at Yobe State and still restrict the freedom of our innocent girls for more than 6 months now. We show that we can survive without each other during the time we practiced regional government with our cocoa in the West, our groundnut in the north and our palm oil in the east. However, we have not proven that we can win and progress without each other. We must come together whether you are for APC, PDP, APGA, LABOUR or for Gen BUHARI, President GEJ, Gov. KWANKWASO, Gov. ROCHAS. We must come together and tell our grandfathers to have faith on us the youth and retire. We must tell our returning national and state assembly members to remove age barrier in electing executive members. Since that cannot be done before the 2015 general election, we then keep faith on the political parties. The political parties, which are the only avenue one can emerge as an elected political office holder must rise against all odds and restore the dignity in our democracy before it is too late. Reject old candidates and encourage them to support young men and women in their political enclave. If we fail to do the right thing now, we may not have the opportunity to conduct another election after 2015.
Let all the political parties look toward the direction of the youths. The youths can bring innovative ideas, technical know-how and fresh air. The youth is the answer to Nigerian problems...and not any trusted and tested candidate. Governor Akpabio was not tested, but he did well. Governor Fashola was not trusted and tested; he set the pace. Fmr. Governor Peter Obi was not trusted and tested; He took Anambra state to an enviable height. The three are all from different political parties of PDP, APC and APGA respectively. As the election draws closer, let all respective party members support young and fresh mind so we can all join hands in making Nigeria a better place to live, work and die.
Long Live Nigeria.
J Duke Anago
A Researcher lives in Birmingham
Readers Comments
comment(s)
No comments yet. Be the first to post comment.
