Distinguished Nigerian Youth,

I pen this letter to you out of a broken spirit but with the hope that, it will at the least cause you to spend some moments reflecting about the state of our country Nigeria in general.

For the folks who might find this letter too long or absolutely hogwash, never mind. It just might be hogwash.

I am certain that by now the dust of the recent snap elections called for by Theresa May has settled, that is if Nigerians paid any attention. As we reflect on the results and the turn-out of voters, it is important that we observe the growing trend this recent event has further established.

The unimaginable and shocking win of Leicester in the 2015/2016 Premier league was a random action that triggered a domino effect starting with the shock Brexit vote, Donald Trump defeating Hilary Clinton, Buhari defeating an incumbent president to emerge Nigeria’s new president, Emmanuel Macron, a new entrant winning French presidential election and now Theresa May receiving a surprising shock “defeat” in the snap polls. While I may not be able to scientifically prove for now the complex and non-homogeneous relationship that exists between the primary trigger and the subsequent events, I will highlight some important observations from these events.

It was Benjamin Disreali who famously said that “the youth[s] of a nation are the trustees of [its] posterity”. Never has this statement been of any significance until recently. The campaign elections of Hilary, Donald, Sanders etc. in the 2016 US elections relied heavily on the youths. Obama was propelled to his presidency on the wings of the innovation and creativity of the youths. The strategies and networking these youths brought on-board could not have been matched by traditional electioneering approaches. The youths in the different campaigns utilized social media (the natural “ipade” of youths) in galvanizing the electorate. Manifestos and campaigns were delivered online via posts and likes and retweets were the electorates way of aligning with ideas of candidates that made sense. The electorate could virtually predict a candidate’s whereabouts in real time. It was fantastic.

In fact, the recent snap elections in the UK has seen a record number of youths coming out to unsettle what was already concluded to be a done deal. In these campaigns, the youths were organized and had a voice. Irrespective of party affiliation, we could see the youths demanding from their leaders accountability and delivery on promised reforms (education, healthcare, taxes, infrastructure etc). Momentum (a labour idea), was formed and used to drive labour manifesto to the grassroots in the last UK elections. Youths were its main drivers. The case however cannot be said of Nigeria. While the youths utilized social media in creating awareness and ejecting the Jonathan led government, we inadvertently brought upon ourselves a “worser” calamity, the result of which we are yet to still quantify.

Per a recent NBS report for Q4 2016, 61.7% of Nigerian youths between the ages 15-24 are either unemployed or underemployed. This is in addition to 37.5% of persons between the ages 25-34 being either unemployed or underemployed. This might be the reason for the increased presence of youths on the social media scene from nairaland here to facebook, twitter etc. arguing on such mundane topics as jollof rice, snakes, MASSOB agitation, “Igbos”, “afonjas” etc., the cumulative effect of which has been woeful performances in UTME and WAEC. Idle hands they say are indeed the devil’s workshop.
Our inability as young people to utilize our unique advantage in demanding some form of accountability has allowed elected officials to perpetuate crass ignominy and ineptitude in the system leading to the appointment/further election of quacks and non-qualified entities into governance. In Nigeria of today, we now have a lawyer as Minister of power, housing and works, a mallam as substantive minister of education (while a professor is minister of state), a lawyer as minister of petroleum resources, a masters holder in French literature as minister of agriculture, a medical doctor who retired from public service in 1998 as minister of labour and productivity etc. These triangular pegs in hexagonal holes have only aided the uneducated president in compounding the woes of youths.

Due to the absence of a voice, elected officials are now so bold that they can virtually get away with murder. Policy summersaults are an everyday occurrence with far reaching consequences on the populace, yet there are no youths to call government to order. Universities (Lord have mercy) are now closed at the pleasure of the vice-chancellors with no repercussion! Students of Lautech have been at home for months, yet “constituted authority” has the temerity to demand respect from the youths he has so wantonly rubbished. Jobs requiring technocrats and highly skilled and intelligent youths are reserved solely for the children of the oppressors, yet the youths don’t have a voice. The youths are either hired today to protest for Saraki at the court or tomorrow to join Dino Melaye in protesting against “corruption” all for stipends. Sensibility and self-worth have been ditched by youths and freely sacrificed on the altar of handouts by different organisations – BMC, EMC etc.

As if Nigerian youths are not worthless enough, security agencies have joined in helping to decimate our ranks through extra-judicial killings for no just cause with everyone keeping mute. One is almost quick to ask if we are in a dictatorship.

The elite class in perpetuating their continued stranglehold on the Nigerian youth has enlisted the help of religion in preventing youths from thinking. David Cameron visited a popular Nigerian Pentecostal church prior to Brexit and was punished by the general masses. Theresa May also paid a visit and the results speak for themselves. The electorate in both cases created a clear delineation between religion and governance and made informed decisions. In Nigeria, the unthinkable is the case. Voting is done along religious lines with religious institutions instructing members on candidates to vote for. Religious houses become battle grounds during campaigns and the youths are always the foot soldiers for the yeoman job. The cult and persona surrounding the administrators of these religious houses has seen them committing unthinkable crimes without any consequence.

There is no doubt that poverty has further exacerbated the continued incarceration of the Nigerian youth to think. In the presence of the so called big men or elites, these folks practically lose themselves. Their ability to articulate their points and challenge these so called “honourables” diminishes. The “honourables” aware of the plight of these youths hand them peanuts to keep the youths continuously dependent on them. The youths in return are eternally grateful and remain loyal to their benefactors. The result – endless and unprofitable arguments on social media by these impoverished youths.

Repeatedly, I have been forced to wonder the value of education to Nigerian youths. It was from a film titled “accepted” that I got to know that “the true purpose of education is to stimulate the creativity of a person”. With the changing paradigm in skills transfer and the disruption in careers occasioned by technology, Nigerian youths must step up and harness the opportunities available to add value to themselves. Enough of the cry of dilapidated facilities when in essence we are prominent pioneers in the destruction of school facilities. Rather than polluting our minds with worthless sights and contents via the internet, productive and engaging activities with clear focus and value adding capabilities should be the goal of Nigerian youths when using the internet.

Nigerian youths can only begin to question the status quo when they have proven themselves worthy stewards of knowledge, for we can only be parents of the future if we are children of the past. A sound knowledge of our history, economics, finance, technology, governance, policy etc. and their inter-relationships must be a core component of our development process. I hang my head in shame when I see Nigerian youths crying for a referendum to push for Biafra, Oduduwa land etc. The 2014 confab report is over 800 pages long detailing and providing structure for every aspect of the country. It was written by the so called old men and women we want to challenge and its implementation is argued to be a permanent solution to the crisis rocking the country. What reports have been produced for these intended republics? If Biafra is granted autonomy today, how does she hope to manage in the short to medium term such aspects as education, healthcare, security, foreign relations, trade and commerce etc. It is ill conceived agitations like this that has brought upon Nigeria the current rudderless leadership. Quoting from Sowore, Sahara reporters founder during an interview last year, he said, “I was at President Muhammadu Buhari’s inauguration in May 2015. As we left the parade ground I was shocked at the level of unpreparedness of his government. I could tell you for sure that they all went back to bed hoping that someone else was in charge of Nigeria. The All Progressives Congress political party that is in power is the number 4th faction of the highly fragment People’s Democratic Party. In a nutshell the regime is highly disorganised and reeks of incompetence. Unfortunately, they still enjoy some goodwill from Nigerians [sic].” Pragmatism and sustainable thinking must therefore be core elements in our decision process as Nigerian youths.

Character is evidently lacking among most Nigerian youths. The media is awash daily with stories of Nigerian youths being involved in scams, advanced fee fraud, internet fraud, robberies, rape, examination malpractice, identity thefts etc. The prevalence of youths from the igbo extraction in trafficking drugs is becoming worrisome. Specific crimes seem to be synonymous with certain tribes around the country. The “omoluabi” culture in the South West that instilled in the westerners the culture of having a good name seems to be history now. The “get rich or die trying” mentality has eaten deep into our fabrics that no price is too big to pay for stardom or wealth. The change in our value system has degenerated to the extent that rascals and nonentities have become role models to the average Nigerian youth. Wonder terms from slay queens to pepper them gang to baby mamas now pervade our literary space. The downward spiral to self-implosion is quite alarming. Of course, the current exiting generation (good riddance to bad rubbish) has done us no good. Having spoilt the economy through coups and selfish policies, they have handed over the remains to their children and cronies to continue the despoliation. Obasanjo and Buhari who both ruled as military heads of state have returned to further cause chaos in the country with outdated and irrelevant folks like Babangida and Abdusallam still pulling strings from behind the scenes. Our contemporaries like Brazil, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Ghana, Kenya etc, have left us far behind in all aspects of developmental indices.

There is no doubt that drastic actions need to be taken. Not secession, but a mental re-orientation of the youths to begin to re-assert themselves in governance. We had better “shine our eyes”. We can’t be a power house with able bodied youths with the intelligence and brilliance displayed world over and have clowns and charlatans in elected offices. With over 80 million youths and the best we can produce as governors are folks like Fayose, Ambode, Okorocha, Ganduje, Ayade etc.? No, I think we can do better. The mistake has been done now, but we can begin to remedy it. Let’s no fold our hands and hang our heads in despair as they would expect us to. They might have cowed Sanusi, compromised El-Rufai and Ribadu, intimated Jim Obazee and pocketed the “so called industrialists”, they are however in for a shocker.

As I conclude, I am reminded of the story of the Pandora’s box. We might have all these woes flying around, but there is always hope to keep us going.

cc lalasticlala
Mynd44

Nicely written Sir. Mod please front page

While I commend you for taking the time to put together this piece. I must say, there is a gross misconception of facts.

One, there is nothing wrong with the Nigerian youths, but the country Nigeria herself. A society is made up of diverse people, and that include the youths. The inability of the country to manage this diversity is its failure and not the fault of the victims of the failed system.

Also, don't forget the youths, Andela Group, brought Mark Zuckerberg, and last year alone the Nigerian youths raised $46.5 million from investors down from $49.4 million raised in 2015. This is how paga, payporte, hotel.ng, tolet.ng, etc were born. All these were achieved in an economy ranked as 169 worse countries to do business.

Two, the change started from Nigeria, you and others should know that Nigerian youths unseated incumbent president via ballot box for the first time. Nearly every youth turn to a political analyst, screaming and taking the fight from social media to tv studios to discuss their choices and concerns. Thereafter, Brexit happened, Nigeria led Ecowas unseated Jammeh in Gambia and ensure democratically elected president was sworn-in. Today we have Donald Trump that won against all odds and Emmanuel Macron in France.

Three, in Nigeria the primary is decided by the elites that emerged two candidates, one bad and the other worse. Leaving, the people including the youths to choose the bad. While in France, Emmanuel Macron became Minister of Economy and Finance at the age of 36 in 2014, that was after working as an Inspector of Finances in the French Ministry of Economy for two years. The system prepared and instilled in him conviction and vision necessary to break societal norms that led him to found his own party and led the same party to victory at a minimal cost raised via donations. The question is do we have such system?

Again, education is not the problem. In every society, there is educated, ill-educated and outright illiterates. But never has this incapacitated leadership or do you know how many extraordinary Nigerians we have home and abroad? With a good leader, we can restructure the system. The youth need a party they will represent them, a true populist party for the people is the ANSWER.

Am with you on this campaign to eliminate ignorance, mediocrity and outright timidity among our fellow youths. Many have already settled for a life of sycophancy and mediocrity.

Beautiful write up.
Cc. Seun, lalasticlala