While we have been busy talking about Nigeria of today, I
wonder if we have spared a thought about how this country will be in the next
TWENTY-FIVE years.
On October 1, 1979, when Alhaji Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari
was sworn-in as president, Goodluck Jonathan was just a 22 year-old undergrad
of University of Port-Harcourt. Shagari was 54 years old. Ayo Fayose was 19
years old. Bukola Saraki was 17. Yemi Osibajo was 22. The generation of the
likes of Shagari, Richard Akinjide, Adisa Akinloye, Sabo Barkin Zuwo, Sam
Mbakwe, Jim Ifeanyichukwu Nwobodo, Ume Ezeoke,
Christian Onoh, Akin Omoboriowo, Olusola Saraki, Sunday Awoniyi, Garba
Nadama, Awal Ibrahim and so on has gone for good!
Some of us in our
40s, 50s and 60s now, were in school
then, either in the university or secondary school. We had lofty dreams, both
personal and societal. We were always motivated by nationalists and inventors
who had impacted positively on the cause of humanity. We were voracious readers of novels and other
books. Nelkon for our Ordinary Level Physics, Lambert for Chemistry, B.O
ADELEKE and Goh Cheng Leong for our Geography, Phebean Ogundipe for Practical
English, William Shakespeare Chinua Achebe, Cyprian Ekwensi, OLa Rotimi and
Wole Soyinka for Literature and others like that.
We were always flaunting our knowledge of current affairs.
Inter-school quiz, Literary and Debating competition were the in-thing.
Nowadays, students can hardly string a sentence together in English without
errors.
Fast forward 35 years on and you are shocked and disturbed.
Have you ever spoken to or engaged a 20 year-old boy? Ask him what motivates
him and he is likely to mention music, hip hop to be precise. He has hundreds
of downloaded songs on his phone. He can sing all of them off hand. He knows
all the singles of Nice, Neato C, Timaya, Davido, Whiz Kid off hand. The babes
among them take pride in enticing men old enough to be their father on social media
with buxomly physique. But he/she does not know anything about history of
nationalism in the country. Ideas about good society, responsible family and
good conduct do not motivate him. He just wants to make money because his
friend who does yahoo is rich and rides a good car, her friend who has numerous
‘aristos’ drives an SUV!
The things that interest him/her are things that do not add
value. He /she has google but never uses it for advancement of knowledge but to
download porn and other inanities. Yet, in TWENTY years time, they are the ones
that will be contesting to become governors, senators, Reps members and even
president.
They belong to a generation that does not care about
morality. They belong to a generation that is motivated only by money and its
acquisition. By 2035 to 2040, they will be our senators, Reps, governors and so
on.
I wonder if we have ever spared a thought for how this
country will look like under them. I told a man recently and these are my
words: IF A GUY WHO IS IN LAGOS COULD USE FALSE PRETENCE TO
OBTAIN $20,000 FROM SOMEONE IN UNITED STATES, WHAT DO YOU
THINK WILL HAPPEN IF SUCH A GUY BECOMES A STATE GOVERNOR AND IS IN CHARGE OF AN
ALLOCATION HE DOES NOT EVEN HAVE TO OBTAIN UNDER FALSE PRETENCE? WHICH HIS
STATE IS STATUTORILY ENTITLED TO. How did we get into this mess? How can we get
out of this predicament? I am worried, deeply worried. Are you?
Note: I don't know the Author of this write up, it was
forwarded to me and it's worth reading and sharing.
Pls, let us continue to share,it might change one or two
people.
Forward as received
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