“Nigeria needs a president that values innovation, sustainability, technology, education, social responsibility and progress.”-Sebolatito Olorunsola
“Over the past years, our successive leadership has failed to lead Nigeria out of social, political and economic quandary.”-Olalekan Babatunde
“Nigeria needs a president that values innovation, sustainability, technology, education, social responsibility and progress.”-Sebolatito Olorunsola
“Over the past years, our successive leadership has failed to lead Nigeria out of social, political and economic quandary.”-Olalekan Babatunde
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The celebration is over.
The cheap champagne bottles are empty.
You’ve worn your $600 lace, and your swollen feet finally look normal. Perhaps you’ve promised yourself never again to squeeze them into a shoe that’s 2 sizes too small. But anyway, you danced the night away, slapping high 5’s with your friends, drinking your favorite brand of beer, bending your hips in rhythm to classics from De Coque and Obey, or to new jams from D’Banj and P Square—all in the name of Nigeria’s 50th year of independence.
And after the mgbako anwuli, the party, the sound of silence provokes thought and stirs the question that we never fail to ask around this time every year, “What has Nigeria accomplished since independence?”
I’ve read essays, listened to lectures and met with scholars who have attempted to answer this question, but perhaps it’s time to listen to the voice of the future- that is the voice of our youth…the young minds of Nigeria. So, a few weeks ago, I conducted several interviews with young Nigerians to find out what they had to say about their native home.
The pride of our future
Sebolatito Olorunsola is making her mark in this world.
The 24-year-old is the only African-American to serve as a student attorney in the West Virginia University Entrepreneurship Center where she helped clients from around the world to start, continue or remedy their business issues. At the Center, she also filed federal trademarks to start non-profits and convert business entities. Some know her as Bidemi, and others may know her as Tito. Nevertheless, her bubbly and extroverted personality has never gone unnoticed among her classmates. After graduating in 2007 from Georgia State University, in Atlanta, in just a little over three years with a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science, Tito was accepted into the West Virginia University College of Law where she was voted president of the Class of 2011.
An ambitious student and a unique human being, Tito happily boasts of her Nigerian heritage, but she’s not naïve.
“The country [Nigeria] is filled with second hand clothes and my hope is that Nigeria will never become a second hand country,” Tito stated.
Though she stands at a mere 5ft. 4 inches, Tito’s vision for Nigeria is just as big as anyone else’s…maybe even bigger. Still inspired from her trip to Nigeria in July, Tito noted the excessive amount of Chinese imported goods.
“…the endless imports of goods and services is crumbling Nigeria’s economy,” she noted.
Eureka!
Tito’s strong resilience and optimism renews her hopes for Nigeria. But, she is constantly reminded of Nigeria’s struggle to break free from the choking grips of poverty and from the filthy stench of corruption.
The fact of the matter is, this is a new era and it’s time for African youth to be recognized. President Barack Obama emphasized this during a three-day conference (for more on the White House Young African Leaders Forum visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/08/03/president-obama-young-african-leaders-50-years-now-when-you-look-back) in August, 2010 where he hosted 115 young Africans to discuss solutions for Africa’s challenges.
“It will be up to you- young people full of talent and imagination- to build Africa for the next 50 years,” stated Obama.
Ibrahim Babangida, Atiku Abubakar, Goodluck Jonathan, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, Nuhu Ribadu, Aliyu Gusau, Muhammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Shekarau- you all must appeal to the young constituents and the time is now. A meager minority of the presidential candidates has already made efforts to reach out to youth and I commend such endeavors, but we must continue to push for more youth engagement.
Lagos-born Ola’lekan Babatunde currently lives in Canada but remains abreast of current affairs back home. I became acquainted with the 27-year-old computer analyst and web developer from a website called Taking It Global, where he acts as a virtual volunteer. When I asked him, about the role that youth should play in Nigeria’s present politics, Lekan responded,
“Young people in Nigeria are grossly under-utilized. I know we have a dynamic and intelligent youth populace with more than half of them inadequately or wrongly engaged…”
And he continued further, stating, “In the recent past, young people have been used to perpetrate all sorts of terror and evil during election periods. Members of our population that are regarded as “area boys” (street urchins) are young people between the ages of 10 to 30. They have been used to create different levels of chaos at different times in the past.”
The bombing in Abuja may be the latest to hit the press but what next?
The culture that we call Nigeria, that we call African, cherishes the wisdom of the aged, the elderly, the ones with gray hair and wrinkles around the eyes, but the youth represent the greatness beyond. The mountains in the distance, yes, the elderly have the grace to see them but it is the youth who will climb them.
“There is only one Nigeria,” Lekan stated. “This is my home, so like every Nigerian, I hope we get it very right this time by electing the right people that will be willing to do the right things.
Since the beginning of human civilization, societal changes emerged from the young. Isaac Newton was supposedly not even 30-years-old when an unseen force pushed an apple onto his head and he called that unseen force, “gravity” in the late 17th Century. And in the 1960’s and ‘70s, the revolutionary Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, loved by the youth, channeled young people to promote African socialism and the Ministry of National Culture and Youth was thus created under his administration, as the country’s first president.
And today, young people continue to break barriers to defy the status quo.
Eloje Eluka emigrated Nigeria to live in the United States in 1999. After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in International Law in 2004, he attended the University of Westminster in London where he received a Master’s in International Affairs four years later.
On September 29, 2010, Eloje did something for which I now hold him in high esteem: he went back to Nigeria for the NYSC.
“I went to serve my country- Nigeria,” Eloje stated when I asked what made him to make such a decision.
Eloje is just the type of mind that Nigeria may need to raise the quality of life in that country. He is interested in the bilateral relations between the United States and Nigeria, an advocate for youth empowerment, and a promoter of education.
I met Eloje in April of this year in Washington, D.C. where we both had attended a forum hosted by the Center for Global Development where then- Acting President Goodluck Jonathan delivered an address.
Since then, I am more sentient to the necessity of change in Nigerian politics. It’s time to pass the baton. The elders may be the root of the tree, but the youth are the branches. Without the branch, the tree does not extend, thus does not gain nutrients from the environment, thus does not survive.
And let’s remember, roots can, and do rot.
Top down: the government’s duty
Daniel Onuoha represents many young Nigerians in the U.S. If there were a “typical” Nigerian-American, he’d be it. The 27-year-old was born in the Midwest capital of Chicago, Illinois. He doesn’t stay informed about Nigerian politics.
“Not enough time,” he stated. “It’s often a struggle to keep up with politics where I live.”
But he’s involved in the local Nigerian community, attending events and he holds the current president of the Chicago chapter of the African Christian Fellowship (ACF) Young Adults group, where young African Christians, mostly Nigerian, come together to discuss life and spirituality.
I met Daniel at one of these ACF Young Adult gatherings where his “Nigerian jokes,” made everything chuckle. Daniel comes from a middle-class family and has a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois. He stated that Nigeria needs a president who “is willing to risk everything to make a change for the better.”
But Daniel stated that though he would consider relocating to Nigeria, it is unlikely that he ever would.
“I have so much that I am trying to establish where I am now. It would take a lot for me to relocate anywhere, but I am always open to new opportunities, “ he stated.
Nigeria’s diasporic community is unbelievably large. More than 200,000 Nigerian-born residents live in the U.S., according to the 2008 American Community Survey, an ongoing statistical sample survey conducted by U.S. Census Bureau. (That figure does not include children born in the U.S. from Nigerian parents.) The popular notion of the “brain drain,” holds that Africa’s educated citizens are not producing positive change in Africa. They’re just living individualistic lifestyles abroad, coming home only during Christmas to kill goats; buy bread, bananas and yams for the village; and show off their new clothes.
But, perhaps the youth can spark a reverse brain drain, something like a brain gain.
But it all starts from the top- the Almighty Government.
* * * *
I met and interviewed Mr.Nuhu Ribadu in his office in Washington, D.C. on May 27 of this year and I asked him about the importance of the youth vote.
“You are the ones with the energy. You are the ones with the passion. You are the ones with the future ahead of you, especially now…if we don’t engage the youth we are selfish. We just think of ourselves and that is not right,” Ribadu said. I didn’t miss the gleam in his eyes and his air of intellectualism. We spoke for more than an hour, him answering my questions with deep thought and well-phrased sentences.
He spoke directly about youth in the diaspora. But the fact is many Nigerian youth abroad are simply afraid to go back to settle in Nigeria.
I asked 22-year-old, Prince Nwachukwu if he would ever move back to Nigeria.
“Well, yea I would consider it but it’s hard to when you’re always hearing stories of kidnapping and what not,” stated Prince.
And this response is coming from someone who even lived in Nigeria for nearly half of his life! So think how much more difficult for a Nigerian who was born abroad. I would propose for a massive governmental campaign to make a call for its youth to come back. But which of the presidential candidates will have the mind, creativity, passion, humility, and courage to make such an appeal?
He should publish an essay, or the like, in the newspaper or online…meet with unemployed youth to discuss Nigeria’s future… put together a manifesto outlining his commitment to the young…speak directly to the populace by featuring a series of radio and television public announcements and say something like:
“The young mind is a terrible thing to waste. Nigeria is still the giant of Africa and more than half of our population is under the age of 25. Therefore, it is time to bring the youth into the political fold by increasing their role in public service, grassroots campaigning and leadership. As a 2011 presidential candidate of Nigeria, I declare that the youth are indeed the hope of Nigeria. Let us actualize our hope and nurture their minds. For those young Nigerians abroad, do not forget your home. Consider coming back home and helping us to prosper.”
And such a plea would do wonders, I tell you.
The seed and the farmer
Nigerian youth, we know the beauty of being Nigerian.
“The fact that I was born there makes me proud, our diverse culture and way of life. The discipline, respect and values that we are raised with; we are well-educated and are at the top of our classes when schooling abroad,” stated Prince.
“I am happy to see Nigerian fashion designers here in America, NFL athletes, reporters, real estate agents, American Idol top 20 finalists, and even professional dancers… Nigerians who do not identify with Nigerian culture are missing an incredible opportunity to be a member of an elite culture and amazing people,” stated Tito.
“I hope this great country will rise to its rightful place in the global community of nations. I hope to see a Nigeria where electricity will be on for 24/7 without interruption! And farmers will be kings again,” stated Lekan.
Farmers will become kings again…the farmer sustains his family and his community and he will represent the future of Nigeria. The farmer understands the land, knows the movement of the sun, makes preparations when he sees warnings of drought and he truly is the bone of the community.
But African traditional society fell apart when Europeans told us about “cash crops,” and farmers now specialize. They can know longer sustain the family and communities across the African landscape are suffering. That is the story throughout Africa, a story of loss and deception.
But the farmer can rise. The Nigerian student majoring in political science at Harvard University…the one at Cambridge preparing to become a doctor…the ones in Port Harcourt….these are the 21st century farmers who can plant seeds of change and enlightenment throughout Nigeria. These five Nigerians, Sebolatito Olorunsola, Prince Nwachukwu, Eloje Eluja, Lekan Babatunde and Daniel Onuoha, are a part of Nigeria’s story. And with them, millions of young Nigerians will be the ones to finish the story and build the nation. Yes…build the nation.
NationBuilding
by Chika [email protected]
One by one,
Stone by stone,
Cracked hands and sunburned
We will continue
Until it stands nobly,
The highest arch as majestic as the mountain
And we will look at it and say,
Nigeria
About Chika Oduah
Chika Oduah is a multimedia journalist. She is currently covering Nigeria’s presidential race from the youth perspective. Born in Nigeria in 1986, Chika was raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Telecommunications Journalism, Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and received her Master of Science degree in Journalism in August 2010. Chika recently returned from a three-month trip to Kenya, where she reported at a television station. Read more about her experience in Kenya at http://chikainkenya.wordpress.com
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