Lagos, Nigeria : Nigeria is a country of more than 173.6 million people. Which means Nigeria is the largest city in Africa, aside from the population in Nigeria, it is also termed as the " Heart and Giant of Africa" ( That's is debatable). According to the age structure of Nigeria around the year 2013. it shows that Nigeria youth is 19.3% of the total population. See complete list :
Age structure:
0-14 years: 43.8% (male 39,127,615/female 37,334,281)
15-24 years: 19.3% (male 17,201,067/female 16,451,357)
25-54 years: 30.1% (male 25,842,967/female 26,699,432)
55-64 years: 3.8% (male 3,016,896/female 3,603,048)
65 years and over: 3% (male 2,390,154/female 2,840,722) (2013 est.)
It is a good news to serve your country, but only 1 or 2 of them is likely to have a job(fun fact)
The information above shows that the Nigerian youth have got what it takes to set the record straight and make Nigeria the exact place they like their unborn children to be proud of. I will like to explain some basic reasons why the Nigeria youth is equipped with power, but only sleep and shout with it.
The first age bracket (0-14 years) are kids that don't know left from right, unless directed by grown ups. The 15-24 age bracket are the ones that have the whole power to make things right. These are people that have been lied to. They have been told of the Nigerian dream. They have heard it all, they are the ones with the promise of good road, 24/7 power supply, good drinking water, maximum security , good education and a lot of it. But instead, the Nigeria dream still remains in it's shadow of itself and won't come into reality since the year 1960( The year "Heart and Giant of Africa" gained it's independence from the colonial masters).
The Nigerian youths lost their priority a long time ago. They have been bullied by the people in the age bracket 25-54, 55-54, 65 years and over. Since this post is a little political, permit me to say that the Nigerian youths I will be referring to are from 18-30.
So even with that, we will still have a higher percentage than all the people in the age bracket 31-75 years.
Let me refer you back to the topic above, "Tribal war among Nigerian youths would continue to give them bad leaders". When growing up, the Nigerian youths have heard or read stories online about what happened after independence. Nigeria is a country with different languages, but the languages have all been categorised into 3, (Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba). So after the independence, these 3 ethnic regions have always fight to be in power to prove their supremacy from one another. No thanks to the military that ruled Nigeria back then.
A coup happened in Nigeria back then with some Army superior that seems to have a lot of the Igbos, thus killing a lot of the Hausas and the Yorubas. The Hausas were furious as they believed the Igbos just wanted to wipe them out for supremacy, so another coup resulted in some killing of Igbos, the then General Aguiyi Ironsi.
So the enmity begins, when the Igbos decided they won't go the Nigeria way any longer and was led by General Ojukwu to fight their way out. The government says No, they won't go. The president then was President Gowon (Hausa) and one of his advisers was Chief Awolowo, Chief Awolowo proposed they starve the Igbos by stopping all trucks taking food to the region, since a hungry man cannot fight a war (1 Knockout) . Another Yoruba man, General Benjamin Adekunle (2nd Knockout) lead an air strike that wipes out a lot of the Igbo community (These are sad news). And another Yoruba man leads the ground mission to finally recapture the Igbo land, General Olusegun Obasanjo (3rd Knockout). Please go and find some You Tube videos or read some articles about what happened.
This is the story a Nigeria youth grows up listening to, and since then. The hatred of other tribes grew in him/her. He hates that the Yoruba killed one of the family and he should/must be hated forever. He hates that the Hausa man was the one that gave the order to kill the Igbo people. This article is not to call anyone tribalistic or accuse anybody, it is just to let us know why some of us hate ourselves.
The hatred had generated into a big fight between these three ethnicities in Nigeria. The Yoruba believes Igbo cannot rule them because there will be favouritism on their part, and also believes the Hausa are not capable to rule them because the Hausas are not educated and will not contribute to the country if elected. The Hausas still hate the Igbos for what was done 50 years ago and will prevent the Igbo no matter what, to be elected into the seat of power. The Igbos probably hate both tribes for the conspiracy that happened between them and not letting the Igbos have their own country back then.
This act of hatred have turned a lot to Tribal bigot, they will do anything to protect their kinsman holding power in the arms of government. Some examples of this can be seen during
Stella Oduah, former Minister of Aviation. She was the lady that bought a car that is more expensive than the President of USA, claiming it's bulletproof. Instead of Nigerian youths coming as one and condemning her action, they all went berserk that the Nigerian people are only coming after her because she is Igbo. Some even said, it is ok if she steals the 250 million for cars, after all a lot of Nigerian politician steals too. These are some actions that irritate sensible Nigerians. Are we fighting for Nigeria or the tribes we emerge?
Diezani Alison-Madueke : Another case of a lady that was alleged to have bought a N10bn($6m) jet. All through the accusation, a lot of names on Facebook, especially the Igbo people believes that the Nigerian youths are only coming for her because she is Igbo. They believed that the fight against her was tribalistic and will go full force to condemn anybody that attacks Alison.
Olusegun Obasanjo : This was the same man that re-captured the Igbo land after the civil war, a lot of Igbo people still hate him till date and will do anything to curse him out online. They hate each word he utters, whether good or bad . If you are Igbo and talks too well of this Yoruba man, you will be condemned and your tribe might be called into question.
General Muhammed Buhari : This is another man that is being hated because he is Hausa. He does have a lot of bad past. One of it is illegal kidnapping of Dikko from United Kingdom to Nigeria that failed in 1984, causing Nigeria to lose it's relationship with the UK government. Please read more about this man on the internet. He was also said to have said during his loss in the election 4 years ago that, " Blood will flow in Nigeria if he does not win the then election" and a lot of Nigerians are attributing the Boko Haram sect to him because of those words. If you go against General Buhari on Facebook, be ready for war from the Hausas irrespective of your tribe.
These are the ones that could be pointed out in the political region, the tribalism exists in everything a Nigerian youth does. it reflects in their action.
The 31-75 years old cannot act without the youths. They need the youth to fight for them(On-site, online, everywhere) the youth to vote for them and support their ambitions. Instead of the youths to look beyond tribes and pick the right man, the Nigerian youth will pick someone from their tribe, because he is from their tribe. Not because he is good and can change the community. No. They pick because he comes from the Igbo, Hausa or the Yoruba community. The 31-75 years old lied to them by creating a political party and tell them what and what not to do, the Nigerian youth does not recognize its own potential and will go for someone in their tribe, because they believe he will be better...LIES.
If you are a youth, am sure in your everyday life, you have tried to favor someone from your tribe, not because you like them personally. You just do it because they are from your tribe. That is Ok, that is how human beings all over will react. But when it comes to the development of Nigeria, the Nigerian Youth must look beyond tribe and look for the right man. Someone that will lead them to the right place they ought to have been. After 50 years, the Nigerian youth will still dance around at the sight of electricity, because a lot doesn't use power for a month or more. The roads are bad that some lost their lives while the age bracket 31-70 keep flying and enriching their pocket and that of generations to come.
How long will the Nigerian youth keep the bombs and come together with other youth to build or rebuild the Country that is falling apart. How long will the Nigerian Youth understand that, we don't choose our tribes, we wake up and see ourselves living where we are. How long will the Nigerian Youth see that that there is no "Leaders of Tomorrow" . The tomorrow we were promised is being robbed off and we keep saying "Leaders fof Tomorrow" . How can you be leaders of tomorrow when the Minister appointed for the youth is 60 years old. How long will you see other youths been killed because they were used as political thugs.
Do you all remember how we all stood up when the fuel price was hiked overnight? That is one of the power of a Nigeria Youth. Unfortunately, one of the labour leaders collected bribe, while we think they were on our side.
Hausa Youth, Igbo Youth, Yoruba Youth...Let us forget our past. Let us work together as one. We have a lot of power, If we strike once...Nigeria can change in a week. Do you know that a 15 year old boy leads the protest that millions now support in Hong Kong. Nigeria is way under developed than Hong Kong. Do you know that the Tiananmen Square protest of 1989 was started by students. They were youths.
Do you know Ghana now boast of 24 hour power supply and will probably share some power with Nigeria? This is the same country we once shared electricity with. Do I need to remind you what happened in Ghana?
The youths are the foundation of any country, but we have been frustrated and had to find greener pastures elsewhere. If they lied, steal from us,let us all come together and rebuke that act. Don't sit down all day on Nairaland.com shouting GEJ till 2019 while other youths are dying in the North. What happened to the security of our nation. Don't go on twitter shouting Bola Tinubu all day when you know he built one Millenium school in Lagos and lied that he built eight schools, and try rebuke him for sharing the federal allocation among his peers when it was given to him by Last President Musa Yar'adua. Don't shout Buhari name because he is from your tribe, but rebuke him for threatening Nigeria that blood will flow in our nation. Don't say Igbos won't rule Nigeria because you have stereotyped people from that region.
Look at your candidates, what have they done to deserve presidency? Will they focus on the right thing? If you can answer this. Then go ahead and vote for your choice.
This article is only a wake up call and written by someone that have Nigeria love at heart for the Nigerian Youths.
Doy News