12th March, 2015
By Ariyo Dare Atoye
I will be the first to admit that we are not where we should be yet. Like Obama rightly observed in his recent State of the Union Address, “it has been, and still is, a hard time for many.” Our nation shares in this global burden of hardship. Globally, it is a tough time. But shall we, for the fear of hard times, seek solace in the past or seek alternative in uncertainty? If we trust Buhari with power and he fails, will we run to Gowon in 2019? If Gowon fails, will we wake up the ghost of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa in 2023? Can we overcome the burden of today by running away from our problems? Can we provide answers to these obvious questions in the affirmative? Therefore, we must be bold in facing the challenges that are currently confronting us as a nation and we must be resolute in facing them. If we desire a change in leadership, only a new idea and a new thinking will suffice.
Dear Nigerian Youth Let Our Future Decide This!
Fellow Compatriots, the indomitable youths of our great nation, I sincerely salute your courage and robust participation in the current political/electoral process. We are 16 years into the fourth and the longest republic in our democratic journey. The first, second and the third republics were all truncated by the military junta at different times. These obviously denied our nation and the people the opportunity to learn from our mistakes and grow through the process of a seamless democratic journey.
We are a nation of history and purpose, of great men and women, strong and determined. We have risen from military rules stronger and our generation is freer to write our own future, than any other generation before us. We are by far the luckiest, experiencing the longest period where our rights to association and freedom of expression are not denied. Yet, I admit without reservation that it is not yet uhuru. It can be better and we must work to make it better.
More than ever before, we are confronted with the toughest of times in the making of a choice. Yes, a choice that will determine another four years of our journey as a nation. In this, I seek a sense of common purpose among the youth to drive our nation. It is good to unite and define our stake going forward into this election. This we must do for the sake of our future than getting too overly political. For it is essential that our future be the supreme determinant of our votes and participation.
We may have offended one another in the course of the ongoing campaigns. We may have used unprintable words on the social media arena. We have seen frayed nerves. But we can forgive. Yes, we can forgive and work together to build a greater nation. It is the best thing to do and it is the best way to go. This nation awaits us; it awaits us because 20 per cent of our capacity is yet not exploited. It awaits us because we have plenty to give to it. We have hope because we have the potential to make Nigeria first among equals. Yes, we have the capacity to make Nigeria the Eagle of the world. This is the story of our hope.
As a nation, we have our challenges. Unfortunately, many have mistakenly narrowed them to insurgency and corruption. However, I say emphatically that our challenges are far beyond that. The biggest of our concerns today is how to evolve a New Nigeria beyond oil or a prosperous nation without oil. This should be the crux of our debate and the change we seek. This election should be about our future and oil is not going to secure it for us. So far, the campaign promises are not achievable with revenue from oil. This is the true picture of today. Every country, the world over is looking away from oil with emphasis on alternative sources of revenue. Let us work for a future beyond oil. Others have done it, we can do it and by the Grace of GOD, we will even do it better.
It is said that “ideas rule the world”. Therefore, the real and big deal is to have an economy driven by practical ideas, with greater emphasis on what we can produce and export. We need an economy that will create millions of jobs yearly and produce a stronger middle-class. A Nigeria beyond oil or without oil is possible. Therefore, the change that we seek should significantly capture how to diversify our economy and create wealth; not a change for the sake of political power grab only. How can we sustain what Akinwumi Adesina is doing with agriculture? How can we do much more? Agriculture is gradually returning as a serious business venture of wealth creation in Nigeria as against a means of survival. How can we make it a mega business for bigger revenue generation beyond oil? Can we again look in the way of agricultural revolution? We can be sure of two things: food security and wealth creation?
Our approach to combating the menace of corruption has been faulty until recently. We had preferred a reactionary approach than preventive. This is the reason we fight corruption and it reacts back. Can we create more technological platforms like the E-Wallets in Agriculture and IPPIS in the federal civil service to prevent corruption? Can we adopt technology on all platforms to prevent stealing? Can we ensure all activities are tracked with technology? No system can be 100 per cent foolproof but definitely can be a big step towards its eradication.
Fellow youths, the seed of extremism and wickedness was sown in our land some decades ago by those who did not wish our future well. Over the years, the seed has germinated and grown into insurgency and terrorism. Evil birthed in our country. The tree of terrorism now harbours disgruntled elements who unleash terror on our land. Never, in our history have we been confronted with monsters that seek to redefine who we are, as Boko Haram has. This devilish group is plotting to curtail our liberty and challenge our very heterogeneous existence. Christians, Muslims, the free born and all those who believe in a free world are their targets. But in our collective resolve, they will never succeed.
When a young Nigerian was arrested in the abortive underwear bombing on a U.S. plane, we did not acquiesce with the reality that terrorism had entered our shores. Rather, we pushed the blame somewhere else. We never got ourselves thinking, to prepare for the unfortunate fate that was coming to befall us. Reports abound on how individuals and groups hiding under religion were trained in Sudan, Yemen, Afghanistan, Cuba and Pakistan for years. Yet, we did practically nothing as a people to arrest this.
Terrorism can be prevented if the seed is not allowed to be sown or germinate. It can be prevented if it is nipped in the bud and not allowed to survive. However, terrorism is difficult to eradicate or defeat once it is in a land. No nation has successfully defeated and eradicated terrorism in the immediate, sometimes decades. Unfortunately today, we are face-to-face with this satanic monster.
As we march to decide another four years of democratic governance, we are again faced with a clique of leaders who want to decide for us. Unfortunately, when they were in the saddle, they did little or nothing to prevent the seed of extremism from being sown, or stop it from growing. Unfortunately, these leaders have held power since 1976; they have never allowed the ‘Eagle’ to soar. If they were full of wisdom and capacity to decide the best for us, as they now claim, will we have been this challenged? Can they give what they have not? The thinking is yours and mine.
Nevertheless, we still appreciate the contributions of our past leaders to our nation; they will remain our elder-statesmen. A nation is developed by the wisdom of the old and the strength of the young. Therefore, we will continue to consult them when the need arises. However, we will only choose what is suitable from whatever wisdom they offer. Had they done the right thing in power, we will be far ahead of where we are today. Yet we still have hope.
They operated a patronage system, determined what they thought we should get and presided over our collective patrimony like a private enterprise. Sadly, they consigned our future to oil and jettisoned an economy driven by ideas even when the Asian Tigers emerged. For decades, they held our nation down and dictated our choice at will. They did nothing significant to repair our fault lines. They did nothing tangible to help our nation to overcome its numerous challenges. But we have hope.
Let me remind you of what some of you know. They always sarcastically admit that they are on the departure lounge but only use it to distract us. Contrarily, they have remained active on the scene just because they have one mega plan left; they want a nation that will be controlled by their children and families. We served them and they want us to again serve their children. But remember the words of George Bernard Shaw: “Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything”. The choice is ours because we have hope.
Shall we not ask them if leadership is all about power for the sake of power? Do they have moral grounds to tell us who to elect as we go to the polls? Are they honestly placed to tell us the truth about our future? If they had done the right thing and helped our nation, will we still be having huge infrastructure gaps? Will we be faced with several economic challenges? Will we be confronted with terrorism?
Today, they are granting interviews and trying to steal the show and shine from us. They have turned their homes to a mecca of sort for selfish political consultation to grab power and decide the destiny and future of our dear nation. Our future is no longer in their hands, and it is up to we the youth to decide our future. It is up to the great people of this nation to consign them into the dustbin of history, where they rightfully belong. Shall we not have them retired to their abode in peace? Let us tell them we have grown to decide and choose who will lead us without recourse to them. As Margaret Mead once said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has”.
Fellow Compatriots, let us focus on building a new Nigeria where the knowledge of the South and the strength of the North will complement the other to build a virile nation. Let us avoid the distraction of the old men who are only interested in using their selfish interest to destroy the fabrics of our dear country. Nigeria is the only country we can call our nation, not even Europe or America. Nigeria is our home and we must never allow it to collapse. But I have this patriotic assurance that Nigeria will survive the current conspiracies contradictions orchestrated by our past leaders and build on our individual and collective ingenuity to make it a land of our dream.
I seek not to stand on the fence without offering a direction. This election is beyond President Goodluck Jonathan and Gen. Muhammadu Buhari. This election is about your future and my future. It is about making a choice and playing your part for a course that is worth standing for – youth emancipation. “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek” – Barack Obama.
•Atoye (Aristotle) is National Coordinator, Democratic Young Patriots (DYP), Email: [email protected]; Tel.: 08030620882