The Nigerian youth constitutes almost seventy per cent (70%) of the total population, this means both the economic and political power is vested in our hands, considering also the fact that the youth are in their prime, full of innovations, strength, dreams and drives.
The Nigerian youth are the ones making the nation proud all over the world, in educational prowess, sports, entertainment, science, international politics and the list goes on and on. Just recently our youths were voted into the parliamentary offices in Europe, at a time when we can't be considered felicitous to get such positions and task in our country, we are hopeful the narrative is changing.
With all these credit to the youths of our great nation, we still remain relegated to the back seat of our nation building process, we still remain the minority in terms of policy formation, we still live at the mercy of the elderly (old generation). Why ?. Is democracy no longer a game of numbers?. Where did we miss it?.How did we ever get to this point where we are?. Where hopes are gone, they say we are the future leaders, when would that future ever come?. We keep dreaming, when would we ever start actualizing our dreams?. So many questions begging for answers.
The saying build the youth build the nation, is only but a rhetorics in our today Nigeria, it has been predicted by international bodies that by 2030 to 2050 Africa youth population would double itself, at least on an average of its current sieze.
Even recently the president of Nigeria, the most populous black nation in the world charged the academia to come out with a population control model, clinching the enormous challenges to effective governance, and dividend of democracy to the nation's population. What is supposed to be a blessing becoming a cause.
The youth must rise to the occasion and take advantage of its sieze and population to seek its active role in government at different levels, in other to redirect the future, we must begin to understand that we can't stand alone and hence need each other to advance, because the journey to stardom is not a smooth ride.
The obstacles which abounds can be easily surmounted if we work together in unity, support each other and especially those determined to make a difference, those youth we can trust, the future is here, our future is in our hands.
If the today government (of older generation) can not plan for our today, when our population is just meagre in comparison to our tomorrow (our future), how then can we trust our future in their hands ?. Remember yesterday determined our today, and our today would greatly determine our tomorrow. Failure to plan for tomorrow means failure of our tomorrow already, nobody can love you as you do. The ball is in our court. YOUTH RISE.
Abdulrahman Bappullo
02/ 03/ 2018