I bring with me greetings from our elders(whom I despised for the bad legacy they passed unto our generation) and also from our younger ones(who pray we don’t pass such legacy unto them) and I hope you are at peace. I don’t know how well you are doing, what I know is that there are millions like you out there that are not doing well at all; male and female, fool and wise, learned and unlearned, ignorant and knowledgeable, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, muslim and christian alike. The consequences of the failure to match political independence with social and economic development had been devastating than they ever be. These consequences have brought to our doorsteps poverty, unemployment, conflicts, strifes, terrorism, collapse of educational system and the list continue… I am not saying this to spoil your day for you already know that it’s true and you’ve been wanting to know why this is happening despite all the guesses that is going through your mind. There is only one answer and explanation for this happenings- the Nigerian state has failed.

The failure of the Nigerian state was never our fault and can never be our fault as history was there to witness it but the faliure to resuscitate the Nigerian state to rise up to its existence and develops for the good of the people- being a regulator of power and a provider of public benefits- will be ours. Allow me to take you down memory lane so as to understand why we are here today. During the military regime which was popularly known as unpopular and that which lack legitimacy within the Nigeria borders and outside it. Because of this, they have to rely on force and manipulation to secure the support of the people, consequently, this denies Nigerians the oppourtunity of participating in the determination of the events that affect and shape their lives.

In doing this, the Nigerian state became more of an instrument of power than a provider of public benefits which eventually denies  the kind of public support to thrive. On one hand, the military dictators got absolute control of government while on the other hand, the citizens grew indifferent to government which is now- the Nigerian legacy. This resulted into the collapse of the Nigerian state while citizens find succour in their respective ethnic group which further disintegrates Nigeria. This led to what I term the “Nigeria syndrome- As far as I am okay, I’m not concerned about Nigeria”- forgeting that as far as Nigeria is not okay, people around you won’t be okay. Personal satisfaction is now the new trend, collective gains has long been sunk in the atlantic ocean beyond our border.

On the arrival of democracy at the shores of Lagos in 1999, we all greeted her with smiles on our faces and hearts beclouded with joy in our cultural wares as we carried her to Abuja together without respect for anybody’s ethnicity or religion with the expectation of a better tomorrow. But I am bold to tell you today that our good has become bad, our bad has become worse and our worse is now worst. Our education system has suffered more blows than it did during the military days and its now in shambles, unemployment is at its greatest heights, poverty is ravaging us the more, we are not sure about the safety of our lives in our homes not to talk of the streets, ethnicity is being promoted(zoning system of PDP), our democratic processes has negated the principles and theories of mathematics(16 is greater than 19 and 5 is greater than 26), old men linger in pain, promising talents die unachieved, education is denied the resources required for development, faces shrouded with sorry, personal relationship and fear of impeachment is now prioritised than national security(President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan said he knows the sponsors of Boko Haram, yet we see no arrest), corruption is the linguafranca in our fatherland, and yet, all we do is fight ourselves in the name of religion and also in the name of ethnicity which is an accident of birth while those that plunder our resources unite despite their ethnic and religious differences.

Dear fellow Nigerian youth, if you really want this democracy of ours to resuscitate the Nigerian state for it to rise up to its existence and develop for the good of the people the way I’ve been wanting it to, then you will not only participate in the management of our affairs(Nigeria) and ready to protect this right but you must be ready to hold anybody who calls himself/herself a leader and every public office holder responsible and accountable for their doing and undoing. Lastly, I plead with you to be determined in making sure that those who rule are responsible, accountable and responsive; to put aside ethnicity and religion for our common and mutual interest- national interest; to become subject of history by excercising control over events that will affect and shape your life and to be fully involve in this mental revolution and re-orientation. Till next time…

Yours in Struggle,
Abiola Akintunde
@Aabiolat