A very bright Monday
morning it was on 2nd July, 2012. I woke up a bit late as my weekend was
very eventful. I had emceed (mastered) a wedding and performed again at
a birthday on Saturday and Sunday respectively; shuttling within Ogun
and Lagos states (Nigeria). Since Mondays are my own personal rest days
just like my pastor, I decided to see what the latest developments were
in our world but I couldn’t really settle myself into the various
programmes available on my cable TV, so I turned on the radio to listen
to local media houses. What caught my attention was the fact that all
these stations had one discussion or the other going on around the
politically fertilized monster our dear country is currently battling
with called “Boko Haram”.
The discussions ranged from their malevolence deeds, to the last usual promise of the president to “bring perpetrators to justice”, and to how people purportedly to be their sponsors still walk around town with nobody questioning them. They also discussed the recent NYSC postings as the body deployed graduates to serve even in states and local areas believed to be headquarters for the sect called Boko Haram. With undergraduates present in the studio to discuss the matter they tagged “death sentence”; I listened very carefully and promise that my contribution will be accurate, unprejudiced and problem solving. The question I put forward to Nigerians is “why do we present graduates”, the product of western education which boko haram detests, and send them like a dog to live in same cave with a wild lion and warn the dog to be very careful.
However, how relevant is the National Youth Service Act to the future success of the Nigerian graduate? Maybe if you have served (NYSC) before the last two general elections; you might have a good story but over 80 percent of corps member after you have a different story. I am sure we have not forgotten easily the number of corps members that were slaughtered in the northern part of the country during the last general elections. I remember the best action we heard from the presidency was “we will bring perpetrators to justice”. it took the Lagos state government to single-handedly carry out a rescue mission to recover students from Lagos yet to be slaughtered. I know many graduates have been made to believe that without NYSC certificates you cannot get a job; but where is the job? I have been an advocate of entrepreneurship in Nigeria because that is the only hope we have even as Africans. In most of my articles, interviews and seminar speaking; I have always encouraged undergraduates and graduates to think less of the certificate and develop their innovation and invention mind and skills if they really want to be relevant in the future Nigeria and the world.
Moreover, the fear that plagued Nigerian youths from living out of the mediocre zone and asking for more out of life by attempting great things in life is what I call the “fear of the unknown that will never happen”. They are even afraid to speak out on matters seriously bothering them. Even when they do; it’s only to their friends, siblings or to themselves. After the whole radio discussion on Monday, a friend sent me a message to be very careful about what I do, say or write so that the State Security Service will not arrest me or that boko haram might see me as a threat. I really appreciate the warming but what would have become of the Israelites if David had chickened-out like the majority; the outcome of that is better imagined.
The Nigeria youth must SPEAK OUT and do just what is right by collectively demanding for solving the boko haram problem before deploying them to Northern Nigeria for Youth Service. It should now be very clear to Nigerians that boko haram was politically cultivated and maintained going by the words of the formal NSA Gen. Azazi but the negligence of demanding for true governance in Nigeria produced its seed; when kids in their millions waste away in the Northern part of Nigeria in the name of Almajiri and nobody cared to question the states or the federal government about their future or well-being. I also think that promise of the FG to negotiate with boko haram is mere deceit of the Nigerian populace or how do you negotiate with people you claim “they do not have a face”; is like trying to remember someone you never met. If anyone should be begged or negotiated with; I guess it should be the Christians who have been massacred in their thousands. With over 60 million Christians in Nigeria, the outcome of their retaliation is best imagined.
Omar Bradley said “this is as true in everyday life as it is in battle; we are given one life and the decision is ours whether to wait for circumstances to make up our mind, or whether to ACT, and in acting, to live”. It is better we act today to give us the possibility of the better tomorrow we all desire. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I am Bukunmi ‘Preacher’ Adelani, a progressive Nigeria youth.
Twitter: @bukunmipreacher
Telephone: 08032096426
Email: bukunmipreacher@gmail.com
The discussions ranged from their malevolence deeds, to the last usual promise of the president to “bring perpetrators to justice”, and to how people purportedly to be their sponsors still walk around town with nobody questioning them. They also discussed the recent NYSC postings as the body deployed graduates to serve even in states and local areas believed to be headquarters for the sect called Boko Haram. With undergraduates present in the studio to discuss the matter they tagged “death sentence”; I listened very carefully and promise that my contribution will be accurate, unprejudiced and problem solving. The question I put forward to Nigerians is “why do we present graduates”, the product of western education which boko haram detests, and send them like a dog to live in same cave with a wild lion and warn the dog to be very careful.
However, how relevant is the National Youth Service Act to the future success of the Nigerian graduate? Maybe if you have served (NYSC) before the last two general elections; you might have a good story but over 80 percent of corps member after you have a different story. I am sure we have not forgotten easily the number of corps members that were slaughtered in the northern part of the country during the last general elections. I remember the best action we heard from the presidency was “we will bring perpetrators to justice”. it took the Lagos state government to single-handedly carry out a rescue mission to recover students from Lagos yet to be slaughtered. I know many graduates have been made to believe that without NYSC certificates you cannot get a job; but where is the job? I have been an advocate of entrepreneurship in Nigeria because that is the only hope we have even as Africans. In most of my articles, interviews and seminar speaking; I have always encouraged undergraduates and graduates to think less of the certificate and develop their innovation and invention mind and skills if they really want to be relevant in the future Nigeria and the world.
Moreover, the fear that plagued Nigerian youths from living out of the mediocre zone and asking for more out of life by attempting great things in life is what I call the “fear of the unknown that will never happen”. They are even afraid to speak out on matters seriously bothering them. Even when they do; it’s only to their friends, siblings or to themselves. After the whole radio discussion on Monday, a friend sent me a message to be very careful about what I do, say or write so that the State Security Service will not arrest me or that boko haram might see me as a threat. I really appreciate the warming but what would have become of the Israelites if David had chickened-out like the majority; the outcome of that is better imagined.
The Nigeria youth must SPEAK OUT and do just what is right by collectively demanding for solving the boko haram problem before deploying them to Northern Nigeria for Youth Service. It should now be very clear to Nigerians that boko haram was politically cultivated and maintained going by the words of the formal NSA Gen. Azazi but the negligence of demanding for true governance in Nigeria produced its seed; when kids in their millions waste away in the Northern part of Nigeria in the name of Almajiri and nobody cared to question the states or the federal government about their future or well-being. I also think that promise of the FG to negotiate with boko haram is mere deceit of the Nigerian populace or how do you negotiate with people you claim “they do not have a face”; is like trying to remember someone you never met. If anyone should be begged or negotiated with; I guess it should be the Christians who have been massacred in their thousands. With over 60 million Christians in Nigeria, the outcome of their retaliation is best imagined.
Omar Bradley said “this is as true in everyday life as it is in battle; we are given one life and the decision is ours whether to wait for circumstances to make up our mind, or whether to ACT, and in acting, to live”. It is better we act today to give us the possibility of the better tomorrow we all desire. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I am Bukunmi ‘Preacher’ Adelani, a progressive Nigeria youth.
Twitter: @bukunmipreacher
Telephone: 08032096426
Email: bukunmipreacher@gmail.com
