The way human rights activists are treated in Nigeria does not present any reasons for us to define democracy as it is defined in other climes. It’s unfortunate that our great nationalists would be turning in their graves lamenting their decision to fight for freedom for us. Our constitution has been taken over and is now considered less valuable to family principles. This has damaged governance in this clime beyond repair. To make amends a lot has to be done by the youth. The fact remains that the youth are ready for the challenge, but are our governments ready?
I have observed that certain actions and/or inactions of our governments do not reflect the interest of the people. Our governments should get busy proffering solutions to issues affecting the nation, and reflecting on the mistakes of the past in order to correct them. Instead, most of the time what we see are accusations and blame-game.
Nigeria is without mincing words on the precipice. In the aspect of security, there is nothing meaningful to rejoice about despite the assurances from concerned authorities. Things are fast falling apart everyday while our so-called representatives and leaders are living large. Now, as next year’s general elections draw near, all that matters to them is how they can retain their positions by being re-elected.
So, where do the youth go from here? Just in protesting against the nefarious activities SARS, we saw how the hopes and aspirations of our youth were dashed through coercion.
I’m not duty-bound to ensure the governments do what they are obligated to do, but they should always give the citizens, especially the youth a sense of belonging in the scheme of things. I, therefore, challenge our governments to explain to Nigerians the real reasons the Constitution is being amended in the way they are doing it.
It’s my belief that the primary role of a government is the protection of the lives and property of the citizens. Graduates should be given jobs to do to enable them to contribute meaningfully to nation-building.
I also challenge our governments to emulate their well-to-do counterparts in the advanced economies across the globe. Our governments know what the citizens need and want and how that could be achieved; hence they should wake up and begin to work for the citizens for a better country.
…Idegu Ojonugwa Shadrach
