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, Ifeanyi Nwobodo,
Ume Ezeoke, Akin Omoboriowo,
Olusola Saraki, Sunday Awoniyi,
Garba Nadama, Awal Ibrahim and
so on has gone for good! Some
of us in our 40s and 50s, when
in school, either in the university
or secondary school, 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, Achebe and 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 had. The
babes among them take pride in
enticing men old enough to be
their father on social media with
buxomly physique. But s/he 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 a SUV!
The things that interest him/her
are things that do not add value.
S/he 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??? Think about it..
by ROTMANLUV 2023-07-08, 17:34
