COMING GENERATION SCARES ME...REAL HARD!
While we have been busy talking about Nigeria of
today, I wonder if we have spared a thought about
how this country will be in the next TWENTY-FIVE
years. On October 1, 1979, when Alhaji Shehu Usman
Aliyu Shagari was sworn-in as president, Goodluck Jonathan was just a 22 year-old undergrad of
University of Port-Harcourt. Shagari was 54 years old.
Ayo Fayose was 19 years old. Bukola Saraki was 17.
Yemi Osinbajo was 22. The generation of the likes of
Shagari, Richard Akinjide, Adisa Akinloye, Sabo Barkin
Zuwo, Sam Mbakwe, Jim Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo, Ume Ezeoke, Christian Onoh, Akin Omoboriowo,
Olusola Saraki, Sunday Awoniyi, Garba Nadama, Awal
Ibrahim and so on has gone for good! Some of us in
our 40s, 50s and 60s now, where in school then,
either in the university or secondary school. We had
lofty dreams, both personal and societal. We were always motivated by nationalists and inventors who
had impacted positively on the cause of humanity. We
were voracious readers of novels and other books.
Nelkon for our Ordinary Level Physics, Lambert for
Chemistry, B.O ADELEKE and Goh Cheng Leong for our
Geography, Phebean Ogundipe for Practical English, William Shakespeare Chinua Achebe, Cyprian
Ekwensi, OLa Rotimi and Wole Soyinka for Literature
and others like that. We were always flaunting our
knowledge of current affairs. Inter-school quiz,
Literary and Debating competition were the in-thing.
Nowadays, students can hardly string a sentence together in English without errors.
Fast forward 35 years on and you are shocked and
disturbed. Have you ever spoken to or engaged a 20
year-old boy? Ask him what motivates him and he is
likely to mention music, hip hop to be precise. He has
hundreds of downloaded songs on his phone. He can sing all of them off hand. He knows all the singles of
Nice, Neato C, Timaya, Davido, Whiz Kid off hand. The
babes among them take pride in enticing men old
enough to be their father on social media with
buxomly physique. But s/he does not know anything
about history of nationalism in the country. Ideas about good society, responsible family and good
conduct do not motivate him. He just wants to make
money because his friend who does yahoo is rich and
rides a good car, her friend who has numerous
‘aristos’ drives an SUV! The things that interest
him/her are things that do not add value. S/he has google but never uses it for advancement of
knowledge but to download porn and other inanities.
Yet, in TWENTY years time, they are the ones that will
be contesting to become governors, senators, Reps
members and even president. They belong to a
generation that does not care about morality. They belong to a generation that is motivated only by
money and its acquisition. By 2035 to 2040, they will
be our senators, Reps, governors and so on. I wonder
if we have ever spared a thought for how this country
will look like under them. I told a man recently and
these are my words: IF A GUY WHO IS IN LAGOS COULD USE FALSE PRETENCE TO
OBTAIN $20,000 FROM SOMEONE IN UNITED STATES,
WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN IF SUCH A GUY
BECOMES A STATE GOVERNOR AND IS IN CHARGE OF AN
ALLOCATION HE DOES NOT EVEN HAVE TO OBTAIN
UNDER FALSE PRETENCE? WHICH HIS STATE IS STATUTORILY ENTITLED TO. How did we get into this
mess? How can we get out of this predicament? I am
worried, deeply worried. Are you?
Note: I don't know the Author of this write up, it was
forwarded to me and it's worth reading and sharing.

Cc: Lalasticlala,mydn44,Seun