The activities of the youths in the present day democracy is a sad picture of the terrible situation we are, in this country; a clear symptoms of the sickness of this society and I am gravely worried about the future of a nation that care less and provides little guidance to her youths.
This brings to mind a Yoruba proverb that borders on back sores. The proverb warns that a motherless child, should not be into the business of having sores on his back. The back is not exactly a part of your anatomy you could see or reach easily. It therefore takes the dedication of your mother to take care of sores on your back. If the nation is not playing the motherly role on her youths, it implies that the youths should put more than ordinary efforts in order to stand tall rather than surrendering themselves for all manner of tides that come their ways. Regrettably, politics absorbs a sizeable number of these indecisive young folks.
In recent times, the youths have been hired to do all manners of untold damages especially in the last general elections. The involvement of hired youths in the circumstances as a tool for continuous confrontation either for or against political entities is worrisome. They use these young ones for political intimidation, harassment and even assassination of political opponents. Bad as it may appear, there are still many youths that see it as a means to an end.
On the social media, there are those who are specialists in character assassination. Most times, they get sponsored to author malicious attack on certain individuals or a candidate that their sponsors perceived as a threat in order to discredit them before the general public and the unsuspecting masses soon take them serious.
These youths are easily manipulated due to the factor of hunger and starvation that has claimed the lives of many Nigerians in recent times. It's a general belief that those who sent them are not different from them. Majority of the politicians we hear and read about today don't have other job than politics. Those who were celebrated professionals abandoned their jobs after tasting politics money. The late Ibadan political godfather, Chief Lamidi Ariyibi Adedibu was once quoted to have said he never worked all his life. He lived strictly on politics and there are thousands like him all over all the geo-political zones in Nigeria.
While it's possible to classify all politicians as one, yet there are surely pockets of excellence here and there. Men who are shiny examples of truthful leadership and enviable track records outside of politics.
Two weeks ago, the Nigerian Tribune reported a story about the immediate former Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, who was nominated in faraway land as the Chairman of Nigeria-Finland Business Council. This top Nigerian politician, who is fondly called Engr. J.O. Daniel by his business partners, professional associates, colleagues and clients both in Nigeria and overseas is equally the Chairman of Kresta Laurel Limited. The company received the ISO 9000 certification earlier this year for international best practices, thus becoming the only Nigerian company to be so certified in the crane and vertical transportation industry. In a similar development, Kresta Laurel Limited has also been named the best KONE distributor all over the world while KONE has been rated the best manufacturer of elevators in the world. Meanwhile, Otunba Gbenga Daniel as I learnt, originally founded Kresta Laurel business in 1990 when he was barely 34. Following year, he became Fesojoye of Ile-Ife at 35 in 1991, a traditional title conferred on him by Oba Okunade Sijuwade, the Oni of ife and the traditional spiritual head of Yoruba kingdom and people. At that age, he became the youngest Yoruba person to take a chieftaincy title from the Source. Few years after, National Concord listed him among 100 most successful businessmen in Nigeria. As at this morning, I gathered this politician has received over 500 awards!
Maybe this story will inspire young men of my generation who sees politics as passport to become moneybags in Nigeria. Hardworking pays and if failure is real then success is more real. There are practical instances all around us showing that we can make it if only we learn to stick to what we know how to do best. Few months ago, a Nigerian youth like us, Chinedu Echeruo sold his application to Apple for $1billion; the founder of facebook, Mark Zuckerberg is not older than some of the political mercenaries who are on the social media to insult our collective intelligence only for peanuts that can't last them a week.
I think it is high time the timid and indecisive youths go about their normal duties and stop acting as a tools to some heartless politicians who continually and selfishly explore the political terrain while taking undue advantage of these helpless youths to attain to power at all cost.
And to the general public, there's a lesson to be learnt here, never never entrust power into the hand of a man that has POLITICS as his first address. A little they say is enough for the wise.
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