Sometime last year, I so much believed that my generation will bring about the much needed growth that will place Nigeria on the world map and make us proud citizens of this country. But with the events that has unfolded in the past three months, I can authoritatively state that this generation will be worse than our fathers. Everywhere you go, you see young Nigerians being treated like fools and in their fear, they cultivate the habit of silence, insignificance and stupidity. We’re cowed into silence by men who lack any material substance to drive our society and economy forward and everyday, we answer them Sir and accord them respect they don’t deserve. We see them, we know them, but can we speak? NO! In Nigeria, you speak and be damned. Silent Insignificant Nigerians (SIN)
In lecture halls and classrooms, you see frustrated men and women who have been rejected by life, given the responsibility of training and equipping us for a positive future they do not see themselves. They bring in their confusion and frustration into our brains by shouting that our generation is lost and we will never amount to anything. And happily, they make sure we don’t amount to anything by sexually assaulting our ladies and demanding money from the guys. They refuse to retire and swear that whatever it takes, they will never improve on their methodology of teaching or lecturing. We see them and we know them, but can we speak? NO! In Nigeria, you speak and be damned. Silent Insignificant Nigerians (SIN)
You go to the government and see matured men(by age) who never grow up mentally but take up the responsibility of handling the affairs of the state. The same men who will appear on television and tell us that our GDP is growing at “God knows percent” is still the same men that will pilfer the public purse, build estates abroad and “sleep” with his daughter’s age mate as a lover. You see many of them, lurking around our campuses and having sexual escapades with our ladies. We see them, we know them, but can we speak? NO! In Nigeria, you speak and be damned. Silent Insignificant Nigerians (SIN)
We watch our parents, elder statesmen and mentors, jump from one party to the other because of their personal interests. You see men who have sworn to protect the interest of the masses (that’s a mirage), stand before you and totally dent everything he has said simply because he wants to remain relevant and “chop” from the party in power. As youths, we see these things happen everyday and you expect us to perform miracles when we get there? To be angels and make Nigeria better? But wait, can we be trained to be goats and we end up becoming cows? I doubt. But we know these bad eggs who are destroying our nation. We see them, we know them, but can we speak? NO! In Nigeria, you speak and be damned. Silent Insignificant Nigerians (SIN)
We see everything. The problem with Nigeria is not being Igbo or Hausa or Yoruba. Our fathers are the ones who are cultivating this evil seed of tribalism inside of us. They are the silent insignificant Nigerians who would rather blame everything that made up Nigeria rather than find a way to build a better Nigeria for us. We see them, we know them, but can we speak? NO! In Nigeria, you speak and be damned. Silent Insignificant Nigerians (SIN)
As a youth, I will do my bidding in life to be my own voice. I will be my own inspiration and define my own path. I owe it as a duty to build a better society for my children and their children’s children. Posterity will never forgive me for knowing all these things and still fail to make things better.
Are you ready to join me?
Till we get to the Promised Land, I shall be waiting for when you will pass me a glass of water and thank God for the gift of grace for the race.
Written by Martin Beck Nworah (MBN)
