AN OPEN LETTER TO H.E ATIKU ABUBAKAR


I decided to write to you because the issues I am about to raise are very salient. A generation is gradually passing away and if we do not act upon it, we may lose Nigeria. In 2015, when President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn in, the mood of the nation was that of joy, hope and believe that finally, Nigeria will be great again. Little did we know that the worse was about to happen. Three and half years down the line, Nigeria is worse off than it has ever been. People are killed on a daily basis in their homes, we are living in fear, there is no security, the land is filled with blood but that is not even the key issue, a friend once told me, “ is it not better to die, than to live in this kind of Nigeria”. Statements such as the above, shows that our youths have lost faith in this country.

Since 2015, over 14m young Nigerians have lost their jobs, added to the ones who were unemployed then and the ones who became graduates. Nigeria is on a time-bomb and when it explodes, we might not be able to salvage the situation. The poverty level is very high in the country now and it did not come as a surprise when we overtook India as the poverty headquarters of the world. Poverty has never been a virtue instead it corrupts the society. If we are to check history, we will see that in any society where poverty has been high, they tend to be decadence because people will do whatever it takes to break out of the poverty circle and Nigeria is now in that face. Since 2015, the rate of crime has increase, our young girls have gone into prostitution in their thousands, our young boys are engaged in what we call yahoo yahoo( Internet fraud) but in reality, our young boys use this internet fraud as a cover because majority of them are engaged in evil rituals just to make money and break out from the poverty circle. The consequence for this will be felt in years’ time to come and that is the reason we must act fast.

Two nights ago, I met twin sisters in a bar who are into prostitution, they openly told me that the situation of things in the country pushed them into prostitution, they told me how the money from the business have helped to settle their mother’s hospital bill among other things. I was shocked to know that both are graduates with a second class upper, the older twin told me of how she has written over 52 applications for a job but got none, in fact the one she was able to get, the company closed after two months due to government policies that affected them. In school, we were told to read so we can come out with good grades as this will help us to get a good job, the reverse is the case. When she decided to start a business, it failed because people took all her goods on credit. What good is it to go to school, pay huge amounts, spend 4 to 7 years, read your brains out , come out with good grades, only to graduate and spend another 4 years looking for a job when you can sit in front of your computer and make a foreigner send you money under a month. Today, musicians sing about how good it is to become a fraud star and be rich , how good it is to live in luxury, this will be our biggest ideological battle yet, this is the reality facing the child of the common man in Nigeria. If we do not tackle this problem in the next four years, we will be faced with a generation who will believe that no matter how we make money, as long we the make money, that is all that matters. When we get to this stage as a nation, we should know that we have lost a generation to decadence and it will take years to correct. No part of the nation is free from this, the north today is faced with the problem of high intake of drugs and prostitution, the south too, the poverty level in the country is high and we are gradually losing a generation of future leaders due to this.

Listen to Ameachi and Kayemo, they know that Buhari has failed but do you know why they are supporting him, they are doing so to survive, the situation of things in the country is bad and nobody wants to suffer, it is the same with most Buhari supporters. 98percent of youths supporting Buhari are N-POWER fellows, they are scared that if they do not support Buhari, they will lose the little food money they are getting. Poverty imprisons the mind, it makes you feel comfortable with your situation and that is the worse thing that can happen to a man. One thing I like about history is posterity, it will always judge men. Today, I can comfortably say that nobody wants to name their child Buhari but everyone wants to name their child Goodluck. Posterity will always judge us.

Your Excellency sir, you have it all, a happy family, you are wealthy, it now depends on how you want history to remember you. It is up to you to determine if history will place you on its right side as the man who got Nigeria working again. I know you will become the next president, please do all you can to get it right for my generation, it is not about you, it is about our survival as a nation. I slept at my polling unit on the 15th just to vote for you, I will do same on the 22nd night, do not allow this sacrifice and those of thousand others go to waste just like Buhari did, let this letter be a social contract between you and the children of the common man. As your supporters, we can only do our part by voting for you, the decision to work when you are elected rest with you. Sometimes, I wonder what Buhari is thinking, how can a man build such a reputation over the years as the man who will liberate Nigeria, only to destroy it, well as the saying goes, if you want to know the true character of a man, give him power.
It is up to you sir to decide where you want history to place you. History never forgets.

Congratulations in Advance for your victory.

Yours Sincerely
Odoh Michael Chidebere
A Concerned and Bitter Nigerian Youth.