THE YOUTH AND THE COUNTRY: BETTING HOUSES

What has become of Nigerian Youths? What has become of our pride and honour and drives? What has become of our future? Is there really any future for the youths of this country? What has become of our attempt and try to be better Nigerians? What happens to education? What happens to hard work and hope? What happens to dreams and vision? What has become of our own drives? What has become of Nigerian Youths? These questions keep me awake every night. What shall we do to redeem our youths from this madness of spending their whole day in betting houses all over the country? What step has the commissioners for Youths development in Nigeria done to remedy these situations? Are they just sitting down watching the youths perish in their own misery?
Betting houses are becoming too many in the street of Nigeria and the Nigerian youths are perishing each day in there. Every street in Nigeria has at least one or two of these shops in it. I know there are taxes and revenues coming from this angle but what will happen tomorrow if the vital part of who we are is destroyed?. Are we going to have youths that know nothing of their country or uneducated youths littered here and there in the street of Nigeria? Even those that are educated don’t have a job to show for those years they spent and the money spent in the tertiary institutions. Perhaps that is the main reason why they find comfort in the betting houses in the street just to live up to their responsibilities; from Baba Ijebu to Bet9ja, 360Bet, Betking, Naijabet and the list goes on and on in the street of our beloved country. This is now the new trend!
The most interesting part of this is that most celebrities are ambassadors to these bet merchandises. Those people that the youths look up to as role models and cheerleaders, it will interest you to know that they encourage the youths to engage in these activities through their multi-million naira advertisement showing on television stations. If these people could falsely endorse and advise the youths on the importance of betting and spending the whole of their 24 hours in these places, then, we don’t have role models

out there. You know the youths are the future of Nigeria and leaving them to perish is a disaster in our own part. A man whose house is on fire does not go chasing the rodents. Perhaps, more consideration should be tailored towards the youths to educate them on how to live for tomorrow. They can be educated on how to be successful without following the easiest ways or all these shortcuts.

The last time I visited one of these Bet9ja shops around my area, I was ashamed and astounded on the crowd of youths I saw there. I was afraid because if we allow things to go like this in the next twenty to thirty years, we will end up having Youths that we don’t really know, we will end up having no control over our youths, We'll end up selling the future of our country to ignorant, uneducated and unwise people that we made to be so. Some youths out there know nothing about this country than European league and how to generate odds and the teams that are winning. They know nothing about politics, the economy, their rights, their future and what they stand for. There are many unemployed youths out there and this is one of the causes of this nightmare that has befallen our humble country.

Some of them out there are not ready to work rather they want quick money and short cuts to make it big in life. This has in many ways introduced many things to the young minds. The Logo Benz saga, the use of female pants for money ritual and the deadly of them all; drug trafficking and fraud; and these have really created another name and another face to our beloved country.

Some of these youths are best seen every morning on the newspaper stand to argue about the previous match between Barcelona and Chelsea and later, you’ll see them in the bet houses picking some odds and faithfully clamouring for the unseen money. Some minds are cut when one match spoilt the whole game. I have stayed with a friend who spent two thousand

naira to play a game which he later loses. Another day, I accompanied him to book another game. That particular day he spent up-to eight thousand naira and he didn’t win. Before then, he was complaining of hunger to me. He told me how hungry he was and I was surprised when he said I should accompany him to play a game someone predicted and sent to him. I had no option than to follow him. Do you know why, mostly, some of those things I don’t do, I follow people that does it to learn how it is been done. But there is no how you could lure me into it. I’ll always stand afar observing and watching what is going on. I am not saying it bad to play, but play these games but play with your right senses; Don't spend the whole day there.
However, it is very bad to see a full-grown man spends his everyday life in a betting house, arguing and constituting nuisance in the street. It is very bad to watch them argue about what they shouldn’t argue about, it is so bad to see them fight each over who is richest between C. Ronaldo and Messi when they have their own problems to talk about. It is so bad to watch them live a fake life while their real identity is out there wasting; hidden, untapped. I know things are hard here but shortcuts to success are not always the right way. I know the economy is not favourable to me and you but we have to work it out. We will only build Nigeria by ourselves.

Your youthful age is the right time to plan for tomorrow and you can’t do that in the Betting House. Why don’t you sit down one day and plan your life? Why don’t you think about tomorrow? Are you going to provide for your family through betting? Are you going to live up to that dream you’ve in your eyes with betting and picking odds? I guess it is not possible. Meanwhile considering the fact you win some money sometimes from this does not guarantee you a successful life.

We see nothing wrong with a fresh graduate who spend his whole day in the game center or bet house predicting and picking odds which will later

become his misery. Some parents appreciate the fact they are there. I’ve heard a woman once told a fellow woman that she preferred her son staying in the Bet house than him stealing. But there is no day that passes by without you seeing her fight her son for taking her money. Each time I watch these young ones argue or fight over the richest between Messi and Ronaldo, I become ashamed of them. These guys hardly think about their lives and destiny. Each time I watch them fight over who is the world best between Messi and Ronaldo, I become disturbed. We cannot deny the fact that they have provided employment to many Nigerians out there but our youths should be productive to them instead of killing their productiveness in the Betting Houses.
One of my friends once mocked me for always typing nothing he knows about. In his own stupidity, he had called me one day and said he wanted to come over to my place and teach me how to do ‘Yahoo ‘. He said since I know how to handle the system that I will make a good yahoo boy. Some of them said poetry won’t take me anywhere that I should come and join them but the choice is mine to join or to cut them off. The most interesting part of what I do is that I pass message across to people when I discover what I don’t think is very right to the society.

I think the youth should not let betting define them. They should defined themselves and their future. We should not allow sixty to seventy percent of our youths to be wasted in the betting houses. If this happens, who is going to be the next thinker of our generation? Who is going to be the next Wole, Achebe, Goodluck Jonathan, Peter Obi, Gabriel Okara, Habila Helon, Chimamanda Adichie, Fela Anikulapo, Adenuga, Dangote, and Victor Moses of the next Generation?
Just remember you are your own sailor, your future is you and no one can achieve your future for you except you and defining who you are as a youth is by knowing who you are meant to be. Your youthful age should be a wonderful time of life. It is something like the spring season of the year. It is that time you get to know yourself better and what you have to offer to

your country as a youth. Meanwhile, what you have as a youth is what you take into adulthood and into marriage. So live your life for today and tomorrow. This land belongs to us all and to those generations that are to come. As a youth, do you know how this country is ruled? When last did you take your take to study the political zones of this country? Do you know how the bills of this country are passed? How much is our country owing to other countries? We don’t even know how much we are worth as a country and the standard of our economy as youths. I bet you some of us don’t know about these.

We should try to gather almost all the experiences from these old men on seat and plan ourselves for tomorrow and not today. Your mind is the store house of your treasure and should not in any way belittled. Getting the best out of your youthful age is very paramount and important because, your mind is still vibrate and ready to exploit, you are the future in decision making in education, in the legislature and in the judiciary. Do not be tamed in the house of Nairabet. Perhaps, you should stop looking for shortcuts to make it big, making money is a process. Most importantly create paths through which you can generate income, create paths to sustain you and your family in the nearest future. The truth is that you can’t feed yourself and your family with Bets. Even if you make millions of naira, if you don’t invest properly, it would not last you.

Dear youths, plan your life and your future now, be the pride of Nigeria out there. Make legit money and make your mind productive. Be your father’s pride, be proud of yourself. Don’t be deceived there is no profit in the money you did not work for.

©John Chizoba Vincent
#LiquidWords