Since the beginning of the Democratic dispensation in Nigeria, 1999 to be precise, we as Nigerians have had to deal with issues like Election Rigging, Politically motivated violence, Abuse of Power- in the area of embezzlement, corruption and misuse of public funds, selective passage of Bills with Bills that are priority on the minds of Nigerians being avoided e.g. F.O.I. bill, A slow pace in growth and development in comparison with the wealth and capabilities available to the country, just to mention a few.
These things have come, not entirely as a result of bad governance, but a definite major causative effect. Bad governance has risen because the right people have not been put in the right places. Men have seized the Reigns of power either by force or by Financial Capital base with the youths been used as the instruments by which they do their "thing". Now, the question on my mind has been that if these youths had not succumbed to their requests and demands, will these men have succeeded in their plan? the answer is no. Lets take a look at what is happening in Iran today, the youths, University students, began the protest against what they felt was political injustice and Election Rigging and now the entire populace is behind them, calling for a cancellation of the elections in the face of brutality.
In America, it was said that Obama won the elections because of the massive turn out by the youths and the African-Americans who were driven out by the young African-Americans ( P.Diddy, Usher, and the likes with their "Vote or Die" campaigns ). This has not been the case in Nigeria, we have sat and watched as our right to appoint a leader of our choice has been trampled upon with the youths yet again used as the weapon. This tells us that without the youths of a nation agreeing to what is happening in that Nation, that which is happening or about to happen will not stand. So, i dare to say that the situation that we face today in this Country is as a result of the agreement of we the youths ( note, doing nothing is tantamount to agreement), no 40 or 45 year old man with a wife and many kids will rise up and start snatching ballot boxes from the watch of able bodied 30 year old's who are in a ratio of 5:1 with him. All i am trying to say is that the future of Nigeria depends on we the youths, what or who we stand for or against.
We need to win back those youths who have lost hope in the Nigeria we envision and have resulted to submitting themselves to be used as puppets in the further destruction of our Country. We need to rise and take up the reigns of power that rightly belongs to the people. We need to win back the Youths!
By: Femi Olaoye
These things have come, not entirely as a result of bad governance, but a definite major causative effect. Bad governance has risen because the right people have not been put in the right places. Men have seized the Reigns of power either by force or by Financial Capital base with the youths been used as the instruments by which they do their "thing". Now, the question on my mind has been that if these youths had not succumbed to their requests and demands, will these men have succeeded in their plan? the answer is no. Lets take a look at what is happening in Iran today, the youths, University students, began the protest against what they felt was political injustice and Election Rigging and now the entire populace is behind them, calling for a cancellation of the elections in the face of brutality.
In America, it was said that Obama won the elections because of the massive turn out by the youths and the African-Americans who were driven out by the young African-Americans ( P.Diddy, Usher, and the likes with their "Vote or Die" campaigns ). This has not been the case in Nigeria, we have sat and watched as our right to appoint a leader of our choice has been trampled upon with the youths yet again used as the weapon. This tells us that without the youths of a nation agreeing to what is happening in that Nation, that which is happening or about to happen will not stand. So, i dare to say that the situation that we face today in this Country is as a result of the agreement of we the youths ( note, doing nothing is tantamount to agreement), no 40 or 45 year old man with a wife and many kids will rise up and start snatching ballot boxes from the watch of able bodied 30 year old's who are in a ratio of 5:1 with him. All i am trying to say is that the future of Nigeria depends on we the youths, what or who we stand for or against.
We need to win back those youths who have lost hope in the Nigeria we envision and have resulted to submitting themselves to be used as puppets in the further destruction of our Country. We need to rise and take up the reigns of power that rightly belongs to the people. We need to win back the Youths!
By: Femi Olaoye
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