WHY I AM PART OF THE #20MILLIONYOUTHSFOR2015 MOVEMENT

Nigeria as we know it is a country on the brink of disaster – that is if the disaster isn’t happening right now as we speak – and there comes a time in the life of any country when the concerned citizens, regardless of their tribe, religion and cultural beliefs, must stand and say enough is enough! We have tried at different times to speak, deliberate and reason with the government. We have prayed but it seems like the prayers don’t even leave the room where they’re said. We have even tried taking to the streets in peaceful protest to say we want a change in the way that this country is run and what did we get? The government rolled out the guns and after many political maneuverings and dealings, before anyone could say occupy Nigeria, the protests were quelled.

So you ask yourself; what is the way forward? What do we have to do to make sure that government does what they are supposed to be doing? How do we become the change that we seek seeing as trying to persuade these guys to do anything is like trying to use an egg to crack a rock? Do we just resign to fate and sit and watch while Nigeria gets looted and robbed? Do we sit and do nothing while this mediocrity continues? How exactly do we go about making the change that we want? These questions and many more fill the heart and mouth of many a Nigerian.

But I am glad to announce to you, the youthful Nigerian dissatisfied with mediocrity and poverty, I am glad to present to you the latest road-map to taking this country back from the cabal that has looted it. I am glad to present to you the master plan as to how Nigeria can be removed from this quagmire and placed in her right standing in the comity of nations. This movement is tagged the #20MillionYouthsFor2015 movement. If u do not have a copy of the road-map, please download it here.

There have been concerns as to the viability and sustainability of such a large and complex movement as this. Some people even say that it won’t work. Personally, I had a chat with one of my bosses about the feasibility of this movement. He was of the opinion that given the political realities of Nigeria, this kind of movement cannot survive. He also said that our generation wasn’t ready for this kind of thing. In response to his submissions, I asked him to please tell me why he thinks our generation isn’t ready; he replied by saying that we simply will not care as long as ‘the get rich quick syndrome’ exists within our ranks. I asked him to tell me his thoughts as to how we came about that mindset; whose generation does he think we modeled ourselves after in terms of doing whatever it takes to get money and giving no thought to honor, hard work, diligence and other virtues; he answered by admitting that sadly, his generation had failed in showing us the right way to follow. I then asked him what the people in his generation did to right the wrong when they observed that things were going or had gone wrong; he had no answer. So I said to him that sir, with all due respect, your generation has failed us..

So I explained to him that I am part of the #20MillionYouthsFor2015 movement because I am tired of the way that government is run in Nigeria. I am tired of complaining and living a life devoid of even the most basic need of life like fresh air. I am tired of complaining and being an armchair critic. I am tired of people camouflaging as “activists” who are really just waiting for their chance to take from the loot. I am tired of an unworthy Nigeria. I am tired of it all. TIRED! So I decided, after going through the plans of the movement, to join. And I have one consolation. That is that even if this movement doesn’t work out as planned, I will not be ashamed to face my children and tell them that we tried. I shall show them pictures and videos showing the efforts that we made to ensure that they didn’t meet a dysfunctional Nigeria. I shall tell them stories about how we marched arm in arm, regardless of tribe, culture, religious affiliations and other barriers to try and force a change. I shall tell them stories of the victories that we won, the successes that we recorded and the failures that we encountered along the way.

I shall inspire my children by my own actions to stand up for their beliefs, their hope, aspirations, wishes, rights etc. I shall hold my head high and be proud that we tried. I shall be glad that we set a framework for the emancipation of Nigeria. I shall be proud of the fact that we didn’t resign to fate and think it couldn’t be done. I shall be proud that we dared to hope; that we dared to act; that we dared to challenge the evil forces in this country. History shall record it that a generation came and armed with mobile phones, computers and internet connections, we hit the streets and dared to inspire the common man to fight for his right through the ballot box. I shall be glad that we left the comforts of our homes and paid our dues for the development of Nigeria. And before you make up your mind and decide it’s not worth it, ask yourself; what exactly do I stand to lose? Will Nigeria be better if we sit and do nothing? Will anything change? That conversation I had with my boss isn’t one I would love to have with my children. I wouldn’t want to hang my head in shame when my children tell me to my face that I have failed them. I wouldn’t want my children to be fighting for me for the liberation of the Nigeria that I played a part in making worse by refusing to act.

So this is it people; this is how you make sure you’re part of the generation that dared to act. This is how you make sure your name is written in the history books. This is how you make sure you don’t end up like our parent’s generation. This is how you turn all your complaints and anger into productive action. Will you let this chance pass you by? Will you sit around and refuse to heed Nigeria’s call for help? Like my father says to me, “History will forgive the man that tried and failed but history will never forgive the man that folded his arms and did nothing”. A word they say, is enough for the wise.

MY QUESTIONS………. OF DREAMS, THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS…. AND RELIGION

I am writing this article in an attempt to let off some steam and put some of my thoughts into words. I happen to have a belief that your dreams become your thoughts and ultimately, your thoughts become your actions. I have however had reason to question this belief many times. A famous person that lived a long time ago once said some men are born great while some others have greatness thrust upon them. Being the questioner that I am, I have begun to ask questions. Questions like who or what determines who gets born great and who gets to have greatness thrust upon them? Is it really fair? Why would anyone want to do that? What justification(s) can there be for such a decision? Why will someone or something choose to have greatness thrust upon a particular person, have another person born great and have these two people live and function in the same society? What reasons are there for this segregation or marginalization (if u like) to exist? Too many unanswered questions.

Being a Christian, I have been taught in Sunday school since I started going to church as a little kid, that God is the arbiter of all things; that God is the creator of heaven and earth and he decides what happens to whom and when. This seems like a good way to explain the questions above but in reality, it doesn’t really answer them. I was listening to a philosopher’s opinion on this issue and he was saying that this kind of “God is all in all” statement shuts down your reasoning and effectively renders the part of your brain that asks questions useless! While the Christian part of me wanted to cut off the man’s head for uttering such a ridiculously blasphemous statement, the other part of me that reasons and asks questions immediately started to reason it out. What if it is indeed true that this whole thing is one big lie? What if it is just a big scheme by one mischievous fellow to send the whole world on a wild goose chase? What if there is someone somewhere laughing his heart out at all this religious craze that engulfing the world? I then started reasoning again; could it be possible that the two major religions in the world were introduced by the same person for his personal amusement? Is it possible that one day when we all die, we will then get to meet this person who will them let us know that all the rights that we so religiously performed; all the church we went to pray and all the offerings, tithes etc that we paid were all part of one huge joke?  Even worse, could it be that this whole idea was a bet between two friends? Could it be that these had a bet to determine who could send the world on the more ridiculous wild goose chase? Could it be that we are just pawns in this game of religious fanaticism?

When you then put into consideration a country like Nigeria for instance; People go to church just because their pastors tell them to come. People have no personal opinions on issues as they are content to believe whatever their pastors tell them. People cannot reason out decisions made by the pastors as they now see their pastors as greater than God himself. How does one explain the case of a very big “Man of God” who slapped a young girl in the full glare of everyone just because the girl claimed to be a “witch for Jesus”? How do you explain it when a church asks its low income earning members to contribute money to build a university and at the end of the day, even the guy that contributed to the building of that university cannot afford to send his child to the school because the he can’t afford the tuition and other fees? Yet he still contributes more towards the development of the school when asked. How do you explain a Bishop in an orthodox church that goes into the vestry to drink alcohol when he is supposed to be observing lent? How do you rationalize the fact that a pastor goes about with bodyguards and armed policemen all in the name of security? Who wants to kill him? Why? How do you explain a situation where a pastor lives like a drug lord at the expense of his congregation? How can a pastor spend his church’s money lavishly and with reckless abandon when there are people in his own congregation who cannot afford two meals a day? How does a pastor think to build or buy mansions and choice estate all over the world when there are members of his own church whose permanent abode is under the third mainland bridge? What does God have to say to all these? Surely he can’t be pleased? Something has to be wrong somewhere. How come the ordinary churchgoer does not stop to think about all these things? Has he been brainwashed beyond reason? Why would supposed “Men of God” do this? Instead of deciding with their head, people prefer to leave decisions to pastors and “Men of God”. Why would this God not intervene? Could it be because there is really no God; that just those two guys laughing their asses out is what there is?

Is it possible that our beliefs don’t follow norms and generally accepted morality rules? Who decides who gets to be a pastor? Is there a divine sign; like doves descending on the man in the presence of everyone and a voice declaring that they are really reverends ordained and sent by God himself. The Bible as we know it; could it be a lie? Is it possible that someone or a group of people just put this thing together to mislead people? We have heard many stories about how the bible came into being; could these stories be true? How do we determine what is true and what is not? These are all questions begging for answers in my head. After all has been said and done though, I have tried to challenge us to think through every decision we make in life. I also think its okay to dream and aspire after all, who’s to say u will live long or you won’t? If you think you will live long and you don’t, you have lost nothing but the disaster will be when you think you will not live long (and so u refuse to hope, dream and aspire) and you actually do. I also believe religion is a personal matter. Nobody should tell you what to think. If you feel like believing that there is God, you should. If you don’t feel like it, don’t. But I just sound this note of warning every time I think about these things, that note of warning is that in the final analysis, every man will be responsible for his decisions as well as his indecisions; first in this life, then in the life hereafter if there is one. But I will end with a quote I heard from friend of mine; I WOULD RATHER LIVE MY LIFE AS IF THERE IS A GOD AND DIE TO FIND OUT THERE ISN’T THAN LIVE MY LIFE AS IF THERE ISN’T AND DIE TO FIND OUT THERE IS.