The
world over has been customized into the yearly tradition of celebrating special
days. The arterial question in view, is to what extent and effect, if the
pedestal of such celebrations is awareness-oriented, had so far the world over
and on the humans therein? If the United Nations Organization (U.N.O) was
formed as far back as 1945 and probably, an over-estimated period of 30 years
have been spent dossing over the celebration of a special day. What specialty
accolades the World Democracy Day for example, celebrated every 15th of
September, done to change, if not have a far-reaching effect, a smithereens’
impact on the world's democracy. The Western world, deemed to be icons of
emulation to developing nations, have long stricken their democratic cords to
the spines of hegemony. If democracy is to mean Equality, Freedom and Justice,
the Ukrainian and Russian government should have respected the rights of the
citizens of Donetsk who in a referendum voted to become a Republic and by now
ended their fight. Ours (Nigeria) has been in no measure, cascading effects of
demo-crazy.
On
this International Youth Day, customarily celebrated every 12th of August,
Nigerian youths will still have to bemoan the greatest grim reaper threatening
them, will have to attend seminars with same gross output, hear the same
monotony of promises, serve their fatherland and receive kickbacks in trade of
unemployment from the 'saintly citizens
of government'. In a nation richly blessed with natural resources and flowing
with milk and honey, unfortunately have leaders who have unrepentantly and
belligerently lied to many a teeming, but yellow-streaked youths. As the
unemployment rate mushrooms her elastic capacities as an attestation that
government is on top of the matter, youths are now like never before, left with
more options of imbuing the feelings of patriotism by taking after their
successors in government, resorting to violence, kidnapping, hooliganism and
other youth but government induced restiveness. For youths who aren't
privileged to be freelancers or haven't yet tapped their vocational skills,
will have to continue in the Robin Hood game of robbing the rich to pay the
poor and keep over-stretching the strings of government.
The youth day is celebrated to recognize the
strength and contributions of youth to their nation. This year's theme; 'Youth
and Mental Health', is highly significant in view of the oceanic currents bedevilling
the Nigerian State. If youths between the ages of 18-35 years, be the old age
of strength; the peak of neuronal plasticity and agility, to what extent has
the strength and contributions of youths to nation building, mirrored our
rather gormless society. If Blessing Okagbare can continue to rake in gold
medals for Nigeria, Davido, Asa. phyno Frank Edwards and other secular and
gospel musicians ply their trade, breaking-even, Nonso Anyasi, Collins Arikor,
Nky Otike-Odibi, Essay Palmer, Tami Koroye, Uche Odigili, Khosy Enumah, write
their way to their treasured land and other entrepreneural and vocational
engagements involved in by youths, of what essence is worth the dependence on
the government to literally spoon-feed us to bed when we have what it takes to
pocket in the lollies. What lessons are the youths of today to learn from the
backdrop of the Chibok girls’ abduction, to the recent abduction of over 100
young men in Doron-Baga village, Borno state by the Boko Haram sect? Are they
still to believe that our askaris are in to protect lives and properties? Even
as Nigeria grapples with the Ebola virus, what hopes await a country's youth
where their ideas are not given the needed attention. For once, why would the
Federal Ministry of Health not give two hoots to Dr. Morris Ewu's claim for his
hypothetical discovery for, who knows, the cure for the virus? Rather, our
government's sick-up-stairs mentality of the white man's medicament, made them
dislodged his and scurried quickly for ZMAPP and Nano silver. A much more
rebuked and charaded National Conference that has in it features of handpicked
dotards as the peoples representatives, if not for anything but the adoption of
the old National Anthem, replacing the present one that has a less therapeutic
effect on government's conscience is worthy a subtraction from the youths'
woes.
If Nigerian youths will have to scamper for safety, then it will be to
the uplifting and conscience-stricken words of our old National Anthem, which
probably was expunged for the present one by the then Obasanjo's military regime in 1978 who perceived it as a
form of remonstration and fulmination against their activities.
'Nigeria we
hail thee,
Our own dear native land,
Though tribe and tongue may differ,
In
brotherhood we stand...',
goes deep to the root cause of our problems;
ethnicity. That though tribe and tongue may separate us, in oneness we agree,
is uplifting as against the utopian lyrics of our present National Anthem.
'Arise O' compatriot,
Nigerias call obey,
To serve our fatherland,
With love and strength and faith...',
has
kept many youths serve their fatherland with love in exchange of blood,
strength for weak governance and faith in hope of the substance that the over
16,000 resident doctors given the chops by the Federal Government will reduce
the unemployment rate in Nigeria. The blessings of the old National Anthem that
'Our flag shall be a symbol,
That truth and Justice reign,
In peace or battle
honour'd and this we count as gain,
To hand on to our children,
A banner
without stain...',
has all the inherent tendencies to chicken-out the stygian
conscience of our politicians bound by the egoistic heirloom of our heroes
past. If Nigerian youths is to go by anything thereafter, it will be a banner
of leadership without stain. For a greater tomorrow is only possible if we
begin with a smaller today.
DAVIDSON I. OBABUEKI.
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