There used to be a time when students, particularly university students were the check and balance of Nigeria. Talking, debating, questioning, inquisitive, challenging, fearless, brave and bold, clever and intelligent. Governments were afraid of them. They behaved like warriors, cerebral warriors. Even death itself feared the Nigerian university student. When it was Rag Day, with torn or mismatched clothes, comical, going places and 'ragging' the street, offices, people were relieved students could still take time out to have fun instead of being formidable all the time. Who wouldn't fear a sumo wrestler with a brain like Einstein.
I see now a different Nigerian student. The majority Weak. Intellectually impotent. Unaware of inadequacies. Wanting a certificate but not an education. Lacking self esteem and hanging on to half baked American accents and MTV inspired behaviour. Lacking direction, going through university but the university not going through them. On campus it's a supermarket.
Any university student reading this, be not angry with me rather convince me as to why I am wrong. I will be contented to be wrong.
Youth of Nigeria. You in your twenties and thirties. Let me share some facts with you. For the Nigerian youth political thug, hired killer, gang member, fraudster, drug dealer etc. Just consider this with an open mind.
The struggle for Nigeria's independence had people like Okotie-Eboh who was 27 years old, Enahoro who moved the first motion for independence was 27 years old. There were other men slightly older. Obafemi Awolowo was 37, Akintola 36, Ahmadu Bello 36, Balewa 34. Only Zik was was quite old at 42.
So when forty-something year old men in Nigeria are youth Leaders something is wrong. A youth leader should be a youth. But today the old stay so long in power that the youth become elders before they are even opportuned to act as leaders. Wheras the most creative years of a person is when he or she is young. Full of energy and ideas. Fearlessly believing everythig is possible. Ask Bill Gates, Steve Jobs or Marc Zukerberg.
To the youth of Nigeria especially those in our Universities, gangs are not the answer. Unkempt hair and low hanging trousers will not give you Leadership because many even wonder if you are ready and mature enough. Not old enough........m
ature enough.
I have read that in 1966, the first coup on Nigeria was led by Kaduna Nzeogwu he was 29 years old. When Murtala Mohammed struck later he was 28 years old. Let me mention other high power names in the moving, shaking and shaping of Nigeria. Gowon was brought in to power to rule Nigeria when he was 32 yeras old. The men who brought him in to power in that year of 1966 were Theophilus Danjuma at 28 years old, Ibrahim Babangida at 25 years old, Nanven Garba at 23 years old, Sani Abacha at 23 years old, Shehu Musa Yaradua at 23 years old. At this time Odumegwu Ojukwu was 33 years old, Olusegun Obasanjo was 29 years old, our current President Buhari was 24 years old.
I have also read that most of the military administrators who governed the States under the successive military regimes, were under 30 years of age.
So my point.........not that they should be coup plotters........but that the Nigerian youth should be less preoccupied with fantasy living, unable to string together logical reasoning, unable to engage in grammatical intercourse, lacking entrepreneurship hormones or leadership genes. It is lamentable and emotionally provoking. The youth are indeed the leaders of tomorrow. What kind of leadership they will exhibit is highly debatable and cannot be empirically quantified.
So whilst we all lament about the Nigeria of the past and of the present, these are gone now, we need to work out a rescue plan and consider more about what the future.
As usual I complain a lot. But what I complain about is usually well known and so obvious. It's usually so public as I have said in earlier submissions that even the blind can see it and the deaf can hear it.
So if you are in your 20s, 30s even 40s and you are somehow thinking you are still very young, too young to be a Leader in Nigeria......well these young men then, old men now, I mention earlier surely didn't think like you. They belived a country as big and as blessed as this was theirs for the taking and they took it. So wake up.
The only reason Nigeria continues to be operated by the older generation is that the younger men chose to be followers rather than people who take their destinies in their own hands. So we hear words and phrases like godfather, i am loyal, the chair, leader. All symptomatic of having given up the will to be your own person.
Dear Nigerian youth. If the country will not give you a future, create one for yourself. It is only a lazy man that opens his mouth with eyes closed waiting to be fed. Or who kills another to take that which he is ill equipped to acquire legitimately.
Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds -Robert Nesta Marley
If you dey follow follow make you open eye, open ear, open sense - Fela Anikulakpo Ransome-Kuti
Being a gang member is usually a one way ticket to nothingness. Rather with your hands build more and destroy less.
Equip yourself with relevant knowledge, leadership skills, plan for the future, look towards enterprise. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be rich, wealthy or powerful so long as the path to your goal is not littered with sorrow, tears and blood.
The state of the counttry creates anxiety and hopelessness and it wasn't you that caused it but it is you that has every reason to solve it.
So I am sitting on the edge of this bed thinking about the role and position of today's Nigerian youth in the dynamics and future of Nigeria. Will they be observers or actors. Will they even be in the auditorium?
Anyway just my two kobo contribution on the next bus stop for our youth.

Nice one...bless you.... It's a good thing that at this our generation, we still have right thinking people, somewhere...
Do you know most of the youths I come across, would greet and next is to ask if they can get anything....the annoying aspect is most don't want to work, but rely on some unrealistic dreams of get rich quick ideas...kai it's terrible.