REVOLUTION SERIES: THE UNITING FORCE [I]
Nigeria, the Youth and their Chances of Saving the Republic
Who will build a purposeful unity for Nigeria? By purposeful unity, I meant political and economic inclusiveness founded on core democratic values such as rule of law, justice and equality. Who will lead the country down this noble path? Is it the current state actors who are beautifully barren of foresight? Or could it have been that the aging wẹ́ ti ẹ̀ generation and the Ali-must-go generation who should have led the way, ran out of motivational fuel? Or, of recent, could it have been the Sọ̀rọ̀sókè generation whose passionate love for a better Nigeria tumbled after Lekki Massacre?
Since ‘independence’ in 1960, Nigerian state actors have struggled to foster a purposeful unity among the over 250 ethnic groups. Staunchly united in geographical body, yet disconnected in soul and ‘spirit,’ the country continues to exist as a container packed with mounting dispatches, namely: epileptic hope, Titanic dreams, stunted potentials and unpredictable upheavals etc. Are you asking to whose houses these are destined? The prayerful would be mouthing some prayer right now. Unfortunately, a one-second rebuke of such an ‘affront’ question cannot wave away the answer that abounds before our eyes.
Using historical compass, the country’s trajectory usually prompts one to look to its origin in the year 1914 whereby the seedling of systemic monsters were planted and watered by the British. It should therefore not be surprising why the post-colonial character of the state has yielded no real benefits for the majority of Nigerians who now, as naira grovels at the feet of dollar, are falling in their numbers into poverty line.
While it is undeniable that ‘the elite is Nigeria’s biggest problem’, the fact is that -before ‘independence’- a uniting sense of belonging and duty to building Nigeria into a singular national entity for the common good, was nonexistent. Apparently, after ‘independence’, what Nigeria had was countryhood rather than nationhood. Now, in these rapidly changing times, how can the youth remedy this? How can they recoil the country from its march to the gallows?
It is no hidden knowledge that low enthusiasm for community politics persists. Perhaps we youth are yet to come to the realization that right here at the base of the bravado republic lies its critical weakness. Our not taking advantage of this has increasingly prolonged the unity of purpose needed to achieve the age-long desire for a people-oriented republic. The fact that currently, the youth are of the highest population speaks volume of ‘endless’ possibilities in re-making Nigeria from the bottom up. In achieving this, evoking community alliances may be the solution to building up a purposeful unity in Nigeria today.
A COMMUNITY REPUBLIC
The third tier of government is the peculiar place to start organizing and building power; most especially, the Community Development Areas (CDAs) which make up local government. These areas can be where youth organizing tactics are initiated and tested. We can even work out an inter-community alliance to win local government election.
To be most effective nationally, pockets of alliance can be merged into a single movement. However, to fan the movement further and deeper, we cannot out of overblown youthful exuberance and passionate ‘Young shall Rule,’ block out older people, particularly the distinguished ones (not necessarily PhD holders), whose contribution cannot be wasteful. Undoubtably, a permanent alliance between the Sọ̀rọ̀sókè generation and the older generation will keep morale high, passion in sync, and political will strong.
To garner widespread community support, communication in indigenous languages (and interpreters for those who cannot understand native tongues anymore) will be of great help in establishing intimate connection.
When we look around, we’ll see that the youth, in their various endeavours, are the glue still holding this country of many nations together. The day they choose to close ranks again, like they did for the #EndSARS protest, but this time around well-structured towards a singular cause i.e. establishing a people-oriented republic, even the strong-faced military which allegedly possesses a national character, and their prospective international allies, would stand no chance of suppressing such a radicalized and long-overdue cause.
Of course, like the #EndSARS protest, implementing all discussed the above, will be greeted with state aggression or put more cynically -conspiracy. And, peradventure we are hunted down like animals again, and in response, we rose up armed and determined to be liberated once and for all. Then, as one particular book says, “It is finished!”