Can The Youths Deliver This Country?

By Rasak Musbau

There is evidently the general agreement now that we need a fresh focus on governance and leadership in our troubled nation. Here is a country, where morality and social values are accorded little attention. The virtues of honesty, truth, service and excellence have nose-dived. The economy is not doing well, while political administration, which in many ways is the bane of the economy, is much troubled by greed, avarice and selfishness. The citizenry has always been pawns on the political chess-board as electoral process most times end  up as hoax.

However, this failure of leadership becomes more worrisome when it is realized that the country in a matter of few weeks will be celebrating fifty-four years of independence. Fifty-four years is a period long enough for a nation with adequate human and material resources to have achieved a stable political environment which will enhance economic growth and social development. But these seem mythical to achieve by the most populous black nation in the world. Despite all efforts (both sincere and otherwise) our own fifty-four years old has refused to stand, not to talk of walk.

Yet the gerontocrats and aristocrats who have been in politics since the first and second republics which clearly shows they observed the transition of our economy from stability to where it is at present are the ones still ruling. They were the ones who slept and fought ethnic agenda at the national conference in Abuja. We wonder what exactly it is they have to offer because if they had something to offer, they would not have remained in politics for so long. They would have contributed their quota and moved on for the next generation to come on board.

 It is, therefore, imperative to uproot this cankerworm if Nigeria is to achieve the best from her human and natural resources. First to be uprooted is the bad leadership structure which has never built an enabling environment for development coupled with the hand of imperialism in our development programmes. Since independence, selfish Nigerian leaders have continued to manipulate our people by placing emphasis on our minor differences. The manipulation of our people by using ethnic, religious and sectional differences has brought a lot of harm to our nation. It breaks the unity of our people and turns their attention away from the urgent struggle for national economic development and political progress. It enables bad leaders to get away with their bad governance and stolen wealth.

 From the foregoing submission, it is clear that the organisation of some people into a vital force or a pressure group is inevitable, if those obstacles are to be smashed and their consequence damned. This vital force, according to former Chinese leader, Chairman Mao, could only be constituted by the youths of any nation. The reasons for this include: 1. Youths are dynamic, mobile and energetic. 2. Youths have the most developed brains. 3. Youths constitute the largest proportion of the workforce of any nation. 4. Youths have a simplistic perception of the world. 5. Youths are adventurists. Furthermore, the youths are regarded as the leaders of tomorrow.

But are Nigerian youths empowered or courageous enough to take the bull by the horns? Although many of them have been dissipating their energy, only in the wrong cause. If one scrutinized Nigerian youths critically, one cannot but conclude that Nigerian youths are far from delivering this country from her present predicament. This assertion stems from the statement of the late Nnamdi Azikiwe who said “if you want to know the future of any nation, take a look at what the youths are doing presently.”

At this juncture, I believe you will want to ask: What are Nigerian youths doing that makes such job elusive? The answer is not far-fetched as what transpires at any gathering of Nigerian youths will reveal this. Such walk I have taken at different gatherings and I have seen more than enough. The tragedy of today’s youth is also mirrored everyday on social and conventional mass media.

A clear national mission with which the youth could identify has been absent most of the time. Most youth have therefore been misled by the manipulation of ethnicity and religion. The economic crisis which has led to youth unemployment is worsening the situation. There is a feeling of fear of the future and helplessness among the youth. Many have come to think that the nation does not care about them. Some of them have now taken the anti-social road of prostitution, drug trafficking and addiction, armed robbery and other violent behaviours. For instance, the present attitude of Nigerian youths toward education reveals that the majority of students are after certificates rather than scholarship. This thus explains why many of them are into examination malpractices, sexual sacrifices or the use of mercenary to achieve their academic objectives.

Furthermore, a large number of Nigerian youths seem to have lost hope in Nigeria becoming a green pasture in the future. They seemed to concentrate all their efforts and money in the possibility of leaving this country. Those who are disappointed or not opportune to leave have found solace in advance fee fraud (419 activities), drug trafficking, gangsterism, cultism, etc. In addition, many of such frustrated individuals have been used by politicians to achieve their political ambitions.

It has been proved that people build foundation of their success in their teenage years and achieve their best in their 30s and consolidate in their 40s. Today, the age bracket of robbers is between 17 and 28 years, an age they are supposed to be either in school or working. The armies of desolate and unemployed in the country are of age bracket 20s to 30s. If we watch video footages of most of the violent election protests, what we see is picture of desolate and unemployed and unemployable youths.

If we flash black to Nigeria of the 60s and up to the 70s, the situation of the youth and people in age bracket 20s to 30s was different. At age of 19 or so, the late Ambassador M.T. Mbu was Nigeria’s High Commissioner to UK and he was Minister of Navy at 20 plus. In his early 30s, the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo was already in his bloom in the Western Region and he was leader of  Government in the West before 40: ditto the late Nnamdi Azikiwe and Ladoke Akintola.  The likes of Gowon, Murtala Muhammed, Olusegun Obasanjo, were Heads of State in their 30s. Their likes populated the civil service as super permanent secretaries while the Military Governors ranged between 20 plus to early 30s.

Nigerian youths were active throughout the country in the anti-colonial struggle. Some of them formed the famous Nigerian Youth Movement (NYM), the Zikist Youth Movement, et cetera and were prominent in the trade unions and other nationalist political parties of this period. Others were active journalists and writers in the patriotic newspapers during the anti-colonial agitation. This patriotic tradition of Nigerian youth continued in the independence period on several occasions. For example, in 1962, it was Nigerian university students who prevented the Nigerian government from signing a secret and unjust agreement with the British. This dangerous agreement, called the Anglo-Nigerian Defence Pact, would have allowed the British to leave their soldiers permanently on Nigerian soil despite our independence.

Today, it is more pathetic the fact that many of our youths and youth associations could not take initiative, not even those with first class after leaving schools. The late professor Chinua Achebe and Professor Wole Soyinka were celebrated authors at age 22. Today when 30 percent of students cannot make credit in English Language and Literature-in-English, they are visible on the social media posting abusive messages and fighting ethnic and religious wars with horrible grammatical expressions. When some of the gerontocrats are sleeping and playing games at the national conference, the youths are savouring the incidents on the social media as if it is funny.

In conclusion, against the background of a growing population of idle youths, especially in the northern part of the country, worry over 2015 elections is a minor issue and the earlier it is realized that manipulation of the citizenry especially the youths by our corrupt and inept rulers is unsustainable the better for us. I agree with the assertion that the army of the unemployed youths is a time bomb and something that could make the country vulnerable to situation similar to the “arab spring”. Finally, to my poser: Can the youths deliver this country? As the situation stands today, NO. But it is possible with mental revolution and reorientation that will make us true and patriotic Nigerians and not Biafra-Nigerians, Oduduwa-Nigerians and Arewa-Nigerians. I want to say also that unless and until Nigerian youths are ready to take the bull by the horns, will Nigeria be conducive for living.

•Musbau is of Features Unit, Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy.