When the future of young people is decided by those who sold their soul to profit and power. It's worst when they're used as mobs for power instead of great tools for development, by depriving them social investments in public services including world class infrastructure.Their future have been decided by those only interested in their great, great, grand children, now the young people are asking important questions about their future, now their future must be fixed.
We have chosen to use these Facebook comments by young people to make a strong case for the restructuring of the current political structure and change in leadership in Nigeria. There is urgent need for change. I totally agree with these young people, that the past is over and the time for change is now.
"What kind of leaders exist in this iniquitous country. My prayer is that God will destroy this fraudlent country called Nigeria, in Jesus name"- Samuel Okafor.
"It's only in Nigeria that the elder will snatch a child's food away from him and still threatened him not to cry. I weep for our country"- Nora Ugo .
"What do you say to a cold beer?; Don't get comfortable in that glass"-Jimmy Greaves
In the words of Neri Nation: "Everybody in every state go and get your PVC simple. This government must pack their loads and go".
We encourage people to engage in democracy, especially young people who are the victimes of exploitation and social exclusion to vote and be voted for, and hold elected leaders to account. We are simply promoting the value of citizen engagement, a voice for change. I participated on an online course on Citizen Engagement organised by the World Bank, it's very inspiring. I'm using this medium to raise awareness. We must be willing to listen to each other for change to happen. According to Chartered Insurance Institute, London, "Big change means Big conversation", so together we can change the way things are.
We are currently working to develop this story. According to the Economist: "The world's young are oppressed by the few". In Nigeria, instead of investing the money in world class public services including infrastructure, rats and snakes eat the money. No good schools, no refineries, no good health care, no elecricity, no internet/broadband, etc, but there are so many rats, snakes, and cows in everywhere eating public funds.
Instead of giving them education,and other tools to become like their own children, they teach them only election fraud, under-age voting and thug business, both online and offline. They're told to attack the unseen enemies online and offline whereas they are the real enemies of the people and a lot of people key into it because they've been made to believe that they love the country more than the next person because of little brown envelope which may be hard to come by when they're no longer in office, very unfortunate.
They set brothers against brothers, friends against friends instead of listening to opposing views which is what democracy is all about, they tell them to attack in the name of crude nationalism as if some lives are more important than others. That's why we're telling the young people to think different. This is very wrong, you cannot get change this way. It's through exchange of ideas that change can come.
Uche Okeke, is a Statistician, Social Entreprenur, he's the Founder of The LEAD Project Foundation.
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