Incidentally, I was in the process of writing a dirge for the Nigerian youth tagged ‘while the youth sleeps’; and while I was still trying my possible best to make it sound as palatable as possible, disaster struck.
No doubt, the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) scandal is the greatest disaster to hit this country in recent times, even the Buni Yadi massacre and the North-east upheavals do not compare.I term it is disaster because it is multi-faceted and multi-dimensional. It is a disaster to both the youth and NIS.
Can anyone imagine what would have happened if the millions of the Nigeria youths, who gathered for the NIS test, had matched out across the nation to demand an end to corruption, insecurity and unemployment instead of coming out to look for jobs that have already been distributed to those who may not even need it?
The risingunemployment in the country is a time bomb waiting to explode. And when it does, it will take the Nigerian youth the most; and here is why. The Nigerian youth prefer to not do anything and still get something. That is why they never get involved in any protest either to demand for their rights or for what is right.
There are over 170 million Nigerians, 60% of which is the youth, making it a 102 million.The greatest protest to be staged in recent times was the Occupy Nigeria protest in January 2012. But even that did not have the attendance of 10% of the Nigerian youth.
While other nations go on indefinite protests due to reasons like hike in public fares, rise in the cost of bread, etc., Nigerians have never risen to protest the massive corruption, insecurity, unemployment, poverty, poorinfrastructure since the onset of this democracy. There had never been any protest until that of the removal of fuel subsidy. Even so, it is not half as effective as it should have been had all Nigerian youth got involved. But NO.
Back to NIS recruitment tragedy.We all know that sale of application forms is a revenue generating drive that is being exploited by all government agencies and institutions. There is no institution or agency in Nigeria that is not guilty of this malpractice; sad thing is it has been accepted as the norm, hence no one is saying anything about it. When such practices become a means of survival for most public office holders, then we have cause to worry.
NIS realized a whopping N1.2 billion. Yet despite the scam, the deaths, the dishonourand damage this incident has caused to Nigeria both at home and abroad, no one has been sacked or sanctioned. This pointsto the fact that it is indeed a conspiracy which involves the presidency. The question now is, could this have been part of the government’s fund-raising measures for the 2015 elections? Where is this money?
Ostensibly, this calamity calls for a protest no matter how little. Unfortunately, even the victims of the NIS onslaught did not turn up for the called protest. They prefer to lurk in their homes and lick their wounds.This is the kind of attitude that makes people to think that Nigerian youth are indeed a lost generation. They are potential revolutionaries if only they knew, but docility and the desire to ‘join them’ is greater than their desire for change. A sad situation it is.
The Ministry of Interior has many questions to answer over the apparently shoddy arrangement made for the job tests in 37 venues nationwide. But who will ask? Not the government certainly nor the Nigerian youth who are too chicken to come out for protest.
The Nigerian youth are all scared for their lives. They would rather live in poverty, unemployment, corruption, lack of health, education, water, power, incessant teachers’ and doctors’ strike, frustration and depression than rise up and seekpositive change.
Every nation truly gets the kind of leadership it deserves! Anything we, the people, allow is allowed! Balance of blame game over.
But as Gimba Kakanda would say, ‘we realize the hard way’. But have Nigerian youth really realized? If they had, they would have been the ones to call for the protest. They would have been on the major street of every town from the time the immigration scandal happened to this moment. But where are they?
There are many ways to die. If you don’t die asking for your right, you will die for lack of it. If you don’t die in a protest, then the government will take what little money you have to organize a recruitment exercise and kill you. But in the end, it is all the same death. May the souls of the departed rest in perfect peace, amin.
