Yesterday’s tomorrow is today

When is tomorrow? When is that long talked about tomorrow when youths will become the leaders? When will that tomorrow come? The lack of involvement and unwillingness of the youth to take part over the years in the political activities of Nigeria is worrisome. When they are not just mere spectators, they are employed to […]

When is tomorrow? When is that long talked about tomorrow when youths will become the leaders? When will that tomorrow come?

The lack of involvement and unwillingness of the youth to take part over the years in the political activities of Nigeria is worrisome. When they are not just mere spectators, they are employed to do the dirty acts the political actors themselves cannot get their clean hands to do.

The typical present day Nigerian youth is one who spends his time on social media doing unproductive things like creating and forwarding hilarious and demeaning contents, administrating a group online among other acts. Some others await the delivery of hard substances and are ready to take on anybody constituting a nuisance to their “ogas at the top”.

All hope seem lost in the Nigerian youth who constitute majority of the population because of their nature and quality; a quality provided by the leaders. Had the predecessors of the present leaders passed the exact same quality the leaders are passing unto the youths of today to them and had the atmosphere been the same, they would not have ended up where they are today.

Where youths are appointed to man certain positions, they are given less sensitive portfolios to occupy and the few lucky ones who get sensitive positions are usually the foreign bred. This is not unconnected with the fact that the leaders do not have faith in the capability of a typical locally bred youth. The singular act of an incapable youth should not lead to the relegation of youths to the background. The situation is the same with youths just as some of the leaders are capable and some others are incapable.

“We want to have a say in the government and contribute our quota to the development of Nigeria” has been the major clamour of the youths. Well, congratulations. The “not too young to run” bill which just needs the approval of at least 24 state house of assemblies should welcome the birth of a new dawn. The outcome of every dispensation has always being in the hands of the youths and so will the next.

“You are the leaders of tomorrow” has since become a cliché. It is time to make that tomorrow today – after all, today is yesterday’s tomorrow. 

The media have a role to play in this regard. They need to help build the confidence of the public in the youths. This can be considered as development journalism since it amounts to developmental strides when youths take on the leadership role in a nation.

Habeeba Muhammad, Abuja.