Of a truth, the young are stronger, more innovative, more daring, more impulsive, more willing to take insane risks and more willing to push the limits. Settle with them or fight a battle you cannot win. Have we forgotten how Boko Haram started? It was mishandling of a youth uprising in the North East. It was a youth agitation even though it had a religious coloration.
The young of Nigeria today have nothing to lose in a fight with the authorities. The vast majority of them have no houses, no assets and no interest in the continuation of the system. As far as they are concerned, the system and its operators are their enemies. That is why they wantonly but wrongly descended on anything that seemed to be government owned or owned by those they deem to be in power! And in their current state, they are braying for more!
They have more health, more vigor and more time. In any case, they can outlive the old in all circumstances! They can outwit, outfight, outrun and out maneuver the current group of oldsters running the system. They are at the height of their physical powers and they know it. Add the fact that they are mostly in a vengeful mood, they see the good being done by leaders in other country and they want the same. More or less, they have had enough of excuses!
Through technology, they have access to skill sets and data that their elders have no clue of. On top of that, they have lost respect for the generation of their parents, so they are now ready to bring the roof down. Add anger, frustration and hunger to the mix, then, you will understand the volatility of the current situation.
Even the so called bandits in the north are mostly youth. In their eyes, reddened by social injustice and economic deprivation, they are exacting a toll on a system that made no room for them.
Going forward, My advise is:
1. Accommodate their fair and just demands. How can anyone justify minimum wage in the light of politician wages?
- Recognize that their requests are legitimate. The Nigerian constitution says that citizen welfare is the very purpose of government. So, it is legitimate to demand its implementation!
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Open the economic space by reducing cost of government and eliminating corruption in government!
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Stop insulting them with motorbikes or barrows or whatever governments call empowerment (while the kids of those in power cruise Range Rovers)
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Realize that the youngsters of today are not their fathers who were conditioned by the colonialists to obedience of government. These are the “see you finish” generation. They do not obey.
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Read history, read literature, all these has happened before in history and the youth won. Everywhere it has happened in the past, the youth won or they destroyed everything including themselves!
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Allow them to breathe. It is a fact that deviant behavior is a function of oppression!
Remember, they have nothing to lose except their lives, lives which they consider worthless in the circumstances of the day.
I recommend readings in sociology, deviant psychology and study of PTSD for those in authority. By these readings, they will understand what is cooking.
Finally, government gra gra no go work. Their numbers are too many. Look at the demographics. The angry and disadvantaged are about 80% of the population which puts them at about 160m strong. Anyone can do the math!
Recommendations:
🚩Convoke a bi-partisan, non sectional open dialogue so as to ventilate their grievances!
🚩Engage in genuine multilevel rejig of both the political and economic space!
🚩Recognise that the mindset of the youth is different, they are zealots and zealots neverl sell out. Buying them out won’t work!
🚩Recognize that both history and world opinion is on their side, in short, right now, they have the upper hand!
🚩Creare a welfare state with education and assured employment as its bed rock. As said above, they won’t accept tokenisms!
Na advise I give o
I am High Chief Ray Morphy
MysticMan
