Millions of Nigerians have this question on their lips every so often, ‘when will there be change in Nigeria?’ While some throw in the nepotistic ethnic card saying, ‘we need a Northerner or a Southerner’, some have called for the involvement of the youths to drive this change that we most revere in God’s own country, Nigeria. You hear things like ‘we the youths need to join forces to change this country, we are in the majority’. Whilst that sound credible, and in as much as I do not want to be the bearer of bad news, but the truth is, the youths have also been greatly compromised.
The differences between the older political elites and the youths are age, and their political affluence, nothing more. So if a youth has nothing more to offer to Nigeria than their age, then the Nigerian status quo will only continue. We seem to forget that the older politicians currently roaming the corridors of power also started as youths, most of them joined the political circle in their twenties and thirties. Well, I need not say, you can testify to what they have achieved and how their once youthfulness or now adulthood has benefitted Nigeria.
In the political history of the world, we have seen young people transform countries; we have also seen people in their old age transform countries. Their age was not the deciding factor, what they had was the ability and committed minds to drive change through. All South Africa needed was a person of the calibre of Nelson Mandela; it did not matter whether he was 75 or 35. The problem with Nigeria is not that we don’t have people who are like or even better than Nelson Mandela, but we have a system that is adroit in making sure that such people do not smell the corridors of power.
I followed with disappointment the charade called election that happened in Anambra, where 1.7 million people registered to vote but only about 400,000 were given the chance to exercise their rights. I think the INEC chairman and the resident electoral commissioner of Anambra should be relieved of their duties because it was an abysmal failure, given the resources and time they had to prepare and also the obvious connivance with the powers that be to defraud the system. But as it is in Nigeria, both of them will soon be commended for a job well done, honoured with awards, and Doctorate degrees.
That aside, what surprised me most was the utterance of the so-called ‘youths’ who cannot honestly face issues but rather joined in the same hypocrisy and perversion they accuse the older generation of. Here is a comment from one ‘youth’; I have rephrased it as it was written in shorthand:
You are complaining about the Anambra election, my questions for you are: 1) Are you an Anambrarian? 2) Did you vote? If the above questions are no, shut up!
As a youth, if your mind-set is just like those in ‘power’, then you are no good to this belated change. If we all do not stand up as patriotic Nigerians to condemn the Anambra disgrace, I need not be a prophet to tell you that what happened in Anambra was just a test run of what is to come in 2015 elections. Nigeria doesn’t need an old man/woman, Nigeria doesn’t need a youth either, what’s needed in our beloved country is a sound mind, with integrity and ability. Age has got absolutely NOTHING to do with it.
Another extremely disturbing issue was when Nigerians via social media called for the prompt payment of the delayed salary of Stephen Keshi, the head coach of the Nigerian football team, who brought glory back to our land as he masterminded the triumph in winning the African Nations Cup earlier this year after 19 barren years. The government officials were falling over themselves to attribute the triumph to the ‘transformation agenda’. But unfortunately, he apparently is being owed several months’ salary.
This issue of unpaid salary is not new in Nigeria but sometimes a fight for one’s course may deliver millions of other Nigerians who are being mistreated by their employers. One intelligent youth drew everyone’s attention to the ‘Workman (Unpaid Wages Prohibition) Bill’, sponsored by Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila; the bill is currently sitting in the House of Representatives. This bill if passed and enforced, will bring joy to millions of families in Nigeria and protect the citizen’s welfare. It means they would get their salaries promptly rather than being owed for months.
Section 4 (1) of the bill states, ‘An employer shall not hold onto the salary, wage, pension and any other benefit and emolument of any workman for a period of seven days and above from the day the payment of such salary, wage, pension and any other benefit and emolument falls due save in the event of any force majure.’ The bill also states that any delay in salary of one to seven days shall attract penalty of ‘10 per cent of one month wage’, delay of non-payment of salary for eight to thirty days shall cost the employer 20 per cent of one month wage. If the delay between is thirty to sixty days, the penalty shall be 30 per cent of two months wage.
Responding to this, one ‘youth’ said ‘lol, and this mumu man gbaja lived in US ooh’. He went further to say ‘Lol, name 1 country that has stupid law like that?’
Do we need young people? Of course yes! A nation is doomed if she ever thinks she can ignore the youths, the consequence being that the nation’s future is extremely bleak. Nigeria needs the youths, but not the sort of youths that are microcosms of the persons and characters of those in government that have left Nigeria on the reverse gear for a very long time. Nigeria need youths of great minds and character who have all to offer to Nigeria, less their age.
Do we need age, or do we need characters? I would say character prevails, as age is nothing but just a mere number.
Karo Orovboni
Twitter: k_orovboni
