One of the worst disaster that can befall any country is having a youthful population turning themselves to cyber militants bombing each other over actions of leaders they are supposed to have retired. The muscle heads from the north and south flexing biceps at each other over quit notices have juniors determining destinies of their countries as political leaders, captains of industries. These classes of distinguished youths have no extra human qualities except focus, purpose and determination to make positive impact.
If the hailers and wailers who are largely youths know their worth and had channelled all their excellent political narratives to leadership potentials, perhaps President Mohammadu Buhari (PMB) wouldn’t have had to stress himself to come back on a life-saving mission of rescuing Nigeria ship from man-made storms. Interestingly, our “youths” cannot remember where they have missed it and have no idea of how to grab what they have lost.
For me, it is instructive to assert that the time for Nigerian youths to present themselves as worthy successors to steer the ship of a nation is upon us. Already 2019 is here and this might be the time for youths to make history again. Remember past leaders including the very elderly ruling us today were youths who led the country since independence. Today, our over grown youths are only good social media militants.
The youths must present themselves for leadership. They must be allowed to step in to do the real deal and not to set dates to kill each other while the elders sit and clap. Some analysts may opine that our youths have not shown maturity, hence cannot lead, an assertion that may not be totally true. The youths only have to emotionally and physically abandon the wrong direction of the old politicians presently dividing us with cleavage based agenda.
It is instructive to intimate that the youths are idle, occupied only as muscle heads to hail or wail at their political paymasters. Sadly, an idle mind is a fertile ground for mischief. The old politicians have nothing to lose. In fact the reality is that they are too old to miss anything including our corporate existence, except some who have stakes in sharing monies from our oil wells. The youths also have nothing to lose fighting each other, because they have no sense of responsibility since they are largely no where near leadership. Sadly, it’s the youths who will lose at the end.
We are more divided than we were during the Biafra war. Then it was only ethnic based agitation to secede. In present day Nigeria, people are alleging marginalization, double faced fight against corruption, incidence of terrorism, violent killings championed by herders, militancy, issue of Islamzation agenda has happened on us and has dominated public discuss with terrifying implications.
In 2019, the table will sure turn but before it flips against the youths, it’s a golden opportunity for them to be saddled for the task ahead. It is, however, heartwarming to know that Nigerians are no longer interested in political party platforms. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after so many wrong turns has been handed a lease of life on account of the supreme court decision to jettison Ali Modu Sheriff. It is, however, important to note that the coast is not yet clear. It is not even freedom for the All Progressive Congress (APC). In 2019, politicians may be voted based on the content of their character and not party affiliation.
Lessons from the 2015 election has revealed that sometimes bandwagon action could mean bandits in a wagon. We have always failed to make informed decisions instead we follow people without asking questions but for the sake of following. The youths have all it takes to rule Nigeria but they are so diminished by vision to see beyond bleating like sheep’s after elites with nothing but recycled ideas and renewed zeal on vendetta, corruption or other sadistic intentions.
Nigerian youths must realize that our old politicians are all united, regardless of their region, religion and political affiliation. They have managed to keep our youths divided, hence acrimony, mistrust, hate is in perpetuity among them. With the youths fighting, they will remain strong with pretentious antics of reconciling in the day and stoking flames of hate at night. We must realize that joblessness, poverty, are all designed to make youths handicapped and good enough as tacit servants for the filthy rich to control. Any word uttered blindly in support or against a leader is a sad sign of self-inflected slavery aimed at keeping the youths out of leadership.
The voters in the villages are now realizing the mistakes of the 2015 election where a horrible mix of the good, the bad and ugly were swept into government on account of bandwagon votes. Now the time for them to sieve through before voting is upon us. The real time for change is here. Party platform may no longer be important. The youths must present themselves now. It is shameful the way hate speech, fake news, regional assertions, religious agendas have reared heads to diminish our corporate integrity. Yes, the youthful hailers and Wailers can lead because every Nigerian youth belong to a clearly defined divide.