FEATURE ARTICLE

Friday, June 1, 2018
[email protected]
Arizona, USA
NOT TOO YOUNG TO RUN (NTYTR) IS A PANACEA TO NIGERIAN YOUTHS' COMPLACENCY?????

t is heartwarming that President Buhari today signed into law a bill "Not Too Young To Run" to encourage youth's involvement and participation in the Nigerian politics. The youth must be alive to its responsibility by organizing itself to take back its country from the current hedonistic political class in the country.

Meanwhile, it is imperative to make reference to my recent published article in the nigeriaworld's publication, Monday, May 28th, 2018 titled: "AS THE MOMENTUM GATHERS, SOWORE AND BUHARI ARE REDEFINED!" President Muhammadu Buhari, to some of us Buharists, with an unbiased mindset understand that Buhari has the interest of the Nigeria youths at heart. But because of the prevailing economic crisis in the country, and the nuances of religion and ethnic sentiment, we are quick to misinterpret whatever diplomatic gaffes or diplomatic pronouncements we hear from the president. It is either they are lazy to read Buhari's lips, or prejudiced by other parochial or mundane issues.

Politically, good leaders are polished by their handlers. Former US president, Barack Hussein Obama had an impeccable team with young and vibrant American youths in his eight years' cabinet. That is why Obama was a successful leader with global success and recognition. This is the nuance Buhari's administration is lacking at this period of his presidency. The vibrant Nigerian youths with impeccable credentials are conspicuously lacking in Buhari's cabinet. In order to handle Nigeria President digitally in a digitalized and globalized world, the president needs the informed youths with incredible credentials and qualification to meet the 21st century developmental challenges. When a leader like Buhari still relies solely on the ideas of the past to govern a society known for its saviness in the use of technologically-know-how and advancement in human space, your guess is as good as mine.

Furthermore, I must crave the use of this medium to again repeat my commendation of the government of President Muhammadu Buhari "for not using state apparatus to surreptitiously interfere or subvert the current social and political movement and consciousness in Nigeria, a movement being led by our indefatigable strongman and fearless Sowore and others!

The president has been emphatically reconciliatory in his approach to addressing the youth's problems in Nigeria. The refusal or deliberate inability of the president to use or handle with kids glove the youths' problems is one of his wraths with the Nigerian youths. The youths are tired of the repetition of hollow rethorics and empty promises. That is, the youth is more than passionate to take their country back. But the question is how? Or what strategy are the youths putting in place instead of bashing the incumbent. The scale of human squalor and humanitarian disasters in some part of the country are part of the youth's impatient and problems with Buhari's administration - which is completely justifiable!

This positive political "disruption" and the massive awareness being championed by our quintessential Omoyele Sowore is a new normal in our politics. The quantum level of maturity of Buhari's government is very commendable at this time. This secret and open display of maturity must be sustained throughout this historic movement." Buhari's assent of the bill "not too young to run" becoming a law is a welcome development in a country whose chunk of politicians are politically old and senile to meet the 21st century ideas and global challenges. The evolving and emerging participation of youths in Nigerian politics is heartening and hopeful. The likes of aspirational Durotoye, Sowore etc to becoming the president in 2019 is a welcome development in a country whose slumbering youths are enliving their present for the future.

The recent conviction of former Governor of Taraba, Jolly Nyame, for corrupt practices may be a drop in the ocean considering the avalanche of corrupt people in Nigeria. Most of us are prejudiced against the government of Buhari for not dispensing quick judgment by sending people to jail. We often forget that Buhari's administration is not operating under an autocratic regime; a regime with fisting stance or formula to curb corruption. Buhari's administration is a participatory democracy where everyone is a stakeholder to solving Nigerian problems.

Intuitively, I think from my own perspective, Buhari is basing his steady persona and focus on the premise and promise of the future's judgment or posterity. History is a precursor to how we anchor our deeds unto the hanger of life. We are the master of our fortune and misfortune. If president Buhari were to go his own ways to dealing with intractable corruption in Nigeria, there may be no Nigerian politicians roaming around the Nigerian political space. Every Nigerian politician will be in the gulag. Unfortunately, Buhari is operating a participatory regime, and he is encumbered by the constitutional democracy where in jurisprudence, the presumed guilty persons are innocent until proven guilty by a competent court of law. But the sad reality on the ground is the temerity with which corruption is fighting back. The three arms of government (Legislature, Executive and Judiciary) are not helping Buhari in his war against corruption. But like I have opined in my contributions to national development, the end of Buhari's administration will definitely justify its means.

When, a few days ago, president Muhammadu Buhari made honest references to the late dark-evil-goggled Abacha in his speech to a group of audience members of his cabinet, it was misinterpreted by people you expect to understand the import of his statement. It is not unexpected to read or see this misinterpretation in a country heavily influenced by contradictions, instant gratification, ethnic chauvinism and want of immediacy. One major burden we have in Nigeria is our collective short of memory to preserve objectively and collectively our sense of history. We are often fixated on the things we want to believe with disregard to other things we don't want to believe. This is not a normal functioning of a normal person in the discernment of issues of paramount discourse. Chief Obafemi Awolowo of blessed memory often said that we should always call spade a spade without minding whose ox is gored. Also, my sorely missed mother, of blessed memory often told me that you cannot kill a tortoise on the spot where it is hunted. You will need clarity of purpose to be an adequate mediator in the habitat with the fury and flurry of information and contradictions.

During the evil Abacha "Nuremberg" in Nigeria, (Nuremberg is a trademark for Adolf Hitler's Reich in Germany, where millions of Jews were exterminated by Hitler regime. It was what I call "slaughter" city in northern Bavaria. "It is now a distinguished medieval architecture such as the fortifications and stone towers of its Altstadt (Old Town)." Hitler built architectural structures with heavily weaponized military in modern history. His masterpieces are historical references in Germany and the world today. The references to Hitler's German powers and development don't make Adolf Hitler a saint in the consciousness of the world.

In retrospect, just like Hitler, Abacha's evil regime made indelible marks in the areas of healthcare supplies, roads construction and rehabilitation of infrastructures all across the country. This forgotten development which was headed by the then Chairman of the Petroleum Trust Funds (PTF) Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, put all the resources accrued to his department to judicious use. Major hospitals across the country were adequately equipped with PTF's allocations. But my people are now beclouded by resentment and hate to remember with their senses of history to appreciate that Buhari facilitated all these forgotten works for the benefit of all Niferians. Buhari's statement recently about Abacha was like a prey, before you could say Jack Robinson, it has been wrongly consumed and misinterpreted by Buhari's adversaries. It also viraled by the cyberborgs on the social media. Such is our stereotyped mindset and nature in Nigeria to canonize those we have decononized before; and to decanonize those we have canonized before!

Moreover, I believe very strongly in being on the side of history. In law enforcement parlance, if you're wrong, you're wrong. There's no other way around to embellish wrongdoings. You must recompense for our deeds and misdeeds. President Buhari must have erred just like other human beings with good intentions for his country. But to close our stereotyped minds to people's (friends or foes') achievements individually or collectively just because we don't like the person, is to operate at the lowest bar of common sense imagination and decency.

Let's be objective in our contributions to national development. We should criticize constructively instead of embellishment of lies, hatred and naughty issues that require unbiased patriotism and nationalistic approach. "We the youth" must take advantage of "Not too young to rule" brand new law in Nigeria to go back on the national stage and recoup our shortchanged future.


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