BREAKING THE GENERATIONAL JINX OF CAPITALISM AND POLITICAL SLAVERY: THE YOUTHS AS REMEDY TO ECONOMIC INSTABILITY

We inherited a ‘Coat of Arms’ with an Eagle that has lost grip, two Horses that have parted ways, a tilted black shield mourning our nation’s fall, and Coctus Spectabilis that has turned grey. We asked why our fathers have let things this worse but there was no courageous reply. Deep within us, we realized we are in trouble because this ‘Coat of Arms’ signifies a dearth of unity and faith, peace and progress.

Ours is a land of disorderliness, one whose soil is maggot-filled and over-fertile for greedy ambitions that uphold human-human injustices- an absolute wickedness of the efffects of Capitalism. Ours are political Conjurors who are Predators on the inflatable minds of the ‘religiously gullible’ citizenry populous. Ours are political somnambulists dominating the helms of a directionless and visionless government. Ours are the unemployed youths with potentials to impersonate, intimidate, initiate, incriminate, associate, emasculate, with supreme and unparallel energies, all as manipulated for political pursuits or satisfaction by desperate elders in collaboration with luxury-driven Clerics that have traded the gospel for wordly gains. Ours are hopeless youths wandering the streets in search of aberrant means of livelihood. Ours are caucuses of undeserving elders merrying extravagantly on the rights of our generation and the unborn ones. Ours are media houses flamboyantly domesticated to promote political goals. Ours are political Dons under which the Devil is stregthened as an internee. Ours are honoured Entrepreneurs feeding and sponsoring governments’ covetous policies. Ours are first ladies on payroll as another branch of Executives on looting expedition. Ours are exclusively lazy Senators and Honourables lacking ideas for self-sustainability to provide comfort for their immediate families, without preying on their helpless masters who are the Electors. Ours is a conspiracy of pressure groups and public Executives to defraud the masses. Ours is every imaginable expression of absurdity- the reason we are the second most corrupt country in the world. Ours is a nation inherited out of the goodwill of our founding fathers. Ours is a country called NIGERIA. And we are the ones called NIGERIANS- indeed we strive to be good people but helplessly in an infectedly configured nation.

As it may be hypocritical of me to ignore the above stated introduction of who we are, it would as well be more offensive to begin outlining all our challenges through a recall on the history of who we are, whence we begin, and why we are where we are.

Few years ago, I actively joined the struggle for a better nation. Having submitted uncountable developmental proposals to government parastatals and private organizations, all unfruitful, like the great Fela Anikulapo Kuti, I resorted into activism. At the cause of being a Student Activist paddling in the oceanic extension of a federal government anti-corruption agency, I was appointed as the pioneer President of a Students Anti-Corruption Vanguard, an arm of the Independent Corrupt Practises and Other Related Offences Commision (ICPC). Gradually, I became engaged in some governmental programmes initiated to curb corruption in the society. Within a limited time-frame of outstanding and patriotic dedication, I rose to become the Ag. President of the Vanguard for the State Chapter, introducing the ICPC Vanguard into different institutions, all along the unrelenting support of a student-team who are as patriotic too. The success is applauding but the challenges encountered are scaring, thereby exposing us enough to have our conviction altered, on substantial realities, that we are as the people of Nigeria are trapped in a corrupt system influencing every little decision.

Likewise, we realized the nation’s government is only chasing shadow being non-supporting to anti-corruption activities, except to pay lips-service to its promotion. Yes, it’s a fallen nation that can never be rid of corruption without a vigorous national attitudinal reorientation.
It has become a generational jinx for our nation to be continually run on instability. This, on research, was traced to the many illegal access granted to Capitalists in the past. The past and present Executives, Legislators, and top Civil Servants have all collectively plunged our nation into a pitiable circumstance, periodically being transformed into an hurly-burly to further divert the attention of the insensitive masses from their treasury. At the expense of every man pursuing his vested interest, the affairs of the country have become inferior, interwoven, and imprisoned to the dictations of the Entreprenuers, mostly those on national honourary list, and their foreign cohorts.

These Entrepreneurs are friends of our public servants extorting the poor masses and their juicy resources, on the cooperation of the traitors in government and governmental policies, being sponsors of political parties and their candidates. While some Entrepreneurs opt to completely venture in political affairs, others simply chose to remain affilates utilizing every political connection when solely needed. The consequences of all these economic hunts are invested as ruins in the future of the nation- with the youths and unborn generation at the receiving end of the political misfortunes. These misfortunes are relics from the political chain entangling the youths in political slavery.

Recently, a man who should know better about the Nigerian future, Olusegun Obasanjo, predicted a revolution due to massive youths unemployment resulting in Phd. Holders applying for Drivers’ post in Dangote’s conglomerate. Prior to this, the Presidency have angered the people with his fuel-subsidy removal policy, and he is even promising to anger and impoverish them more by a complete removal of a subsidy concocted by the government and her entrepreneurship associates. Anti-corruption agencies are not granted independence, and are also poorly funded. To public dismay, the Presidency have on several occassions publicly display its non-readiness and incompetence to lead the challenge against economic menaces. This same Presidency lavishes the nation’s resources on feeding and allowances without a consideration on how poorly the people are living. Dissappointedly, leaders of opposition parties have turned this alarming situation into an opportunity to mislead the youths more. What else is needed to predict a revolution?

It however saddens me that at the cause of my participation in active youths ethical and attitudinal reorientation, it has become a challenging task to align the motives of the youths to core patriotism. Mostly at times, the youths, like their mentors, are discovered to be machineries of political parties. Dictators of leading and opposition parties have much impoverish the nation’s youths hopelessly enough to manipulate them for political gains. Cheap comrades are bought at the expense of little luxury, and each time, the situation is left worser than how it was. This was the same footstep of many of our fathers, which has driven us to where we are today, and on this same path many of our youths now threads.

The unknown is now known to us- it is either we witness a disintegration or a revolution. The former (disintegration) being the handworks of our fathers, or the later (revolution) beckoning hopefully at the mercy of the youths. We must be vigilant whichever way the revolution has chosen to come. The revolution must only be promoted on collective interest, not on party’s or political godfathers’ manipulation.

The youths must rise to the task and assume responsibilities of priotizing patriotism above self-motives. The youths must realize that national development is of utmost importance, and contributing to it loyally is the price to pay for the little freedom we enjoy as once fought for by our ‘founding fathers’. The youths must resist being tools in the hands of politicians if we indeed crave a better society with wide opportunities for every youth. The task of breaking the jinx of capitalism and political slavery can only be matched with youthful exurberance. And it all begins with a positive change of attitude to make our wrongs right, resist political or monetary intimidations, and oppose those opposing youths independence via any available mean. With the above measures, we are better armed to prepare for the generation unborn a healthier nation.

We have dreamt to change. We have clamoured for change. We have stood for change. We have fought for change. We thought we have given everything for change, but we haven’t change to welcome the change. If we agreed that change is a must, then, the time is due.