In Nigerian context, there are two categories of youths being
permutated by the phenomenon of the country’s situation. The
circumstantially derailed ones hiding under the facade of western
education, and the inherently disillusioned ones shielding away from
the ugly realities of life. Of course, like any other youths in the
Caribbean, they are born with their central nervous system, well
modeled and intact. Save the several intrinsic tendencies like
genetics that can likely influence a man’s growth mechanism –
environmental factor plays the biggest role. The kind of environment a
man naturally finds himself plays a huge role on his personal
dispositions towards life. Such is the case of a typical Nigerian
youth.

An average Nigerian youth can be the best anywhere, given the spate of
material and intellectual resources the country is inherently blessed
with. He can be the next William Shakespeare the world would birth, if
he glory in the domain of literature. Much alike, he may thread
treasurely behind Lionel Messi, if his dribbling skills is well
channeled along the competitive divides. At his creative best, he can
exhibit at peak any extra-ordinary potential quite elusive in the
contemporary world. In what seems mythical and unfathomable, the rarity
of the Nigerian breeds in any worldly calling is a testimony to the
beauty of creation.

However, as innovative and awe-inspiring the Nigerian youths could be,
the bottom line is that, they have refused to grow. They are like the
germinating rice plantation struggling to survive in the swamp. They
have mortgaged their future to those xenophilic individuals, who will
rather invest massively abroad than overhaul the dwindling state of
economy at home. Meanwhile, the average youths at home are managing to
scale the rigorous hurdles of primary to university education, for
which employment is like a gold dust. Basic social infrastructures
expected of any meaningful nation, are grossly inadequate. The
educational system is in comatose, with no anointed ones to resurrect
it within. No day elapses without the scattered news of citizens
protesting power failure, low access to health care, increased
mortality rate, among other social pandemics plaguing the nation. They
all want a magical handiwork that will elevate the status of the
country from a mere geographical expression to a complete formidable
structure. And the question is, where are the youths?

Of course, the Nigerian youths are everywhere, in the nooks and
cranny. They are at the clubs dancing away the nights, with the
assurance that tomorrow will berth a new tune. They become drunk with
euphoria, rocking away the complexity destiny has offered. Desirously,
through being hoodwink into leasing away the future; their stream of
consciousness becomes vague, yearning for a new flow of breath. They
are there, romancing the night alongside its conviviality.

Amidst this conflicting irony of affairs, not only the intellectually
brewed are sacred, this set of youths are cheap commodities within the
four walls of garages, soccer show rooms, “baba ijebu” and slums. They
are the font and “origo”, the supremo limo of those caliber of people,
fate would boastfully tagged failure. They are there, forming assembly
of malnourished minds, sipping cups of fermented wine, while the wave
of time erodes away their ageing prospects. Rhythm of salvation they
would always frown at, as nerves for actions remain missing in their
life anatomy. They will never cease rebuking the gods for their own
portion of destiny, until the lustful moments fade away. Hence, they
unleash vengeance on the innocent ones going about their daily
commitments. They are physically upright, yet paralyzed.

In town, on gown, this same set of youths are outwardly transgeneric,
lobbying their way to the academia. They are the means to all sorts of
rots in our ivory towers. They scale the fence to wealth, covering
with pretense of safeguarding their fellows’ rights. Of course, they
receive the nods and shakes of the kings, vice chancellors, provosts,
among others within the topmost echelons of the academia and society.
It is inherent in them, the will and greed to exercise dominion on
every available instance. They draw in passionately the sympathy of
fellow students, while championing the ruthless course to their greedy
stomach. They are the freedom fighters – the heroic villains of their
alma-maters.

While being earnest with the narratives of history, it is high time the
Nigerian youths assumed the resonating waves their contemporaries are
tiding in the ocean of realities. They need to wake up from their
slumbers, and engender a culture of reproductive thinking and actions.
Youth unemployment is the Trojan horse. It is fast consuming the
intellects and
energy of supposed vibrant youths. Hence, the Nigerian youths have to
outgrow this draining spirit of over dependence – the glorified pathway
to hereditary failure. As inspired by a famous philosopher, think not
what the country can do for you, but what you can do for the country.
What can the Nigerian youths do for the upliftment of the nation? The
question raises a pointer on every young mind, including me and you.
We are the future the history is forecasting. Why not moving an edge?