".....upon reciting the National Pledge, we all yelled the final line as usual SO HELP ME GOD!! It was then time for current affairs quick questioning.The assembly ground was filled with young, brilliant minds, ready to answer questions. And as a fresh primary six student, you would not want to get aquestion wrong when randomly called upon. The first question came, 'Who is the current National Chairman of the People's Democratic Party in Nigeria?' For the first time, an average student like me rose up my hand, it was my lucky day. I got a good service with the tennis ball and I was ready to Smash it!... I had to impress the headmistress. 'Chief Audu Ogbeh', I answered. I felt elated as the whole assembly clapped for me. We later left the assembly with the usual notion that we were the leaders of tomorrow.. Fast forward to many years after.... I convocated from Obafemi Awolowo University with a Bachelor's Degree in Agriculture. Exactly a month before my convocation, It was time for the government to choose a MINISTER would direct the affairs of Agriculture in the country. And just like the way I brilliantly answered the question to the current affairs question many years ago in primary school, the newscaster mentioned his name again...It was Chief Audu Ogbeh. [A POST MADE ON FACEBOOK BY A FRIEND ON JULY, 2017].
A few hours and Nigeria will be clocking 57years of age, October 1st 1960,the day Nigeria got it Independence from the Colonial Masters, but still on the same spot, asking the same old questions; How far have we come these past years? When will today's leaders give opportunities for leaders of tomorrow? Who are the leaders of tomorrow? When is Tomorrow? The tomorrow isnt forthcoming because even if it has arrived we will never be able to see it as long as these agents against progress are in place; The citadel of learning, the old incompetent generation and the blind youths.
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THE CITADEL OF LEARNING;
There is this adage that 'charity begins at home', while we were in primary and secondary school, all we do was restricted, the fear of the headmaster and principal was in us, we were trained to listen, all these in the name of a time, a platform when we shall lift up our voices to make our opinions known and they will listen to us and make us count as an element of development but its painful that when the time and platform we have been trained endlessly for arises, like the higher Institution, the Nigerian Youths are compelled to keep mute.
Our so called Nigerian Universities where the leaders of tomorrow are expected to showcase their leadership skills ahead of the period when they will play strong political role, frown against the culture of student Unionism, the student leadership is of less importance to the school management, any contrary opinion of the student are turned down yet they claim that the nation's future are in good hands, what isolence? the good hands that refuses the youths to develop their leading abilities? the good hands that bury political apathy and cowardy in the heart of Nigerian Youths? how do you expect us to participate in the nation's affair when you didnt train us to be mentally equipped for leadership??
THE BLIND YOUTH;
Robert Goddard says "the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow " and there's no worse blindness than to have sight but no vision. Today's youth do not have dreams or plans of moving the country forward not to talk of executing the goals then hope it will come to reality.
The youth of today have lost the zeal for reading, so they know little or nothing of the nation's past events, only few are interested in what is happening in the country and these few are more of social media freaks, who only bark on the platforms like twitter, but refuse to swing into action.
Looking back at the set of people that fought for our independence during colonialism, the likes of Tafawa Balewa, Obafemi Awolowo, Amino Kano, Nnamdi Azikwe among others were youths when they founded political organizations and assumed leadership in this country. The same set of people that fought the war against apartheid in South Africa were also of Young Minds, yet you see today's youth still running after their mother's breast. Even when they are given a platform to showcase a purposeful leadership, like the National Association of Nigerian Students(NANS) where our supposed leaders of tomorrow are expected to display characteristics of top notch leaders; they perform below expectations, they find every dubious means and action for greedy notions to get to a particular post repeating the same mistakes made by the old generation. How then can they be trusted with greater political roles.
Our youths need to understand that they have a lot of tasks to undertake, the transformation of this country is in their hands, they are the change that we are expecting because they have a high level capacity for creativity (if only they want to).
THE OLD INCOMPETENT GENERATION;
These people have been around for a long time given us the same old hogwash that the youths are incapable of leadership, they have to acknowledge that the Nigerian youths have a role to play in the governance of the country, we have had enough of them expecting our votes every election year and then leaving us hanging to the next election.
Enough of them using our youths as political dogs who are meant for their dirty works and claiming that we are still immature to rule, immature to rule but can be used?!how old was Audu Ogbeh( the minister of Agriculture today) when he was appointed minister for communication back then? How old was Anthony Enahoro(a member of the then parliament) when he moved the motion for Nigerian's independence? Even General Gowon was only 31years of age when he assumed the post of the head of the state of this country. In Ghana, it was reported that a 25 year old Francisca Oteng became a member of Ghanaian parliament. If it was to be our dear Nigeria she would have been told to wait till she is of age because she is still what they termed as "the leader of tomorrow".
This is a sign to the Nigerian youths that the aging, greedy and incompetent ruling elites will stop at nothing to push our country to the edge of destruction. What is now the significance of such incapable generation which has been able to consider our generation or the ones before us worthy of their succession? What more degree of indication can show their failure for keeping the Nigerian youths on the wings of leadership?
My fellow youths, soon enough another National Election will comeforth, it is time for a new revolution of patriotic and committed leaders, the time for youths who not only grow in body but mind to lift up their voices and make the flag stand upright once again, it is our obligation and right to take destiny into our hands, we have to make, believe and answer the noble call, be the change we have waited for, take back our Nigeria, discard the idea of us being tomorrow's leaders cause believe me tomorrow is not near, tomorrow is here, now, at this moment.
God bless Nigeria and let me be the first to wish you a Happy Independence Day.
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