Appeal to Student Youth Ahead of the Elections

Presently, not even one Nigerian university is ranked amongst the top 1000 universities in the world and ASUU is on strike yet again frustrating Nigeria’s youth. 

There are no few to no youth programs or sports infrastructural facilities at primary, secondary or universities in Nigeria today for the youth to channel their energies for employment or even as an outlet for frustration, the youth are presently left to their own devices to entertain themselves and overcome the negativities of idleness and dependency.

The education provided is substandard, outdated and ill equips many graduates to secure to few jobs available. Nigerian universities keeps on supplying graduates for majors like psychology where there is no industrial or administrative demand.

There are no jobs for the teaming mass of high school and university students graduating from the system and many youth end up at home and have to resort to all manner of legal but mostly nefarious activities to make a living.

It is not hard to understand that the youth might feel powerless and misunderstood even as the have to tolerate parents and even the president calling them lazy as there are no jobs or outlets for entrepreneurs or creativity to survive.

What the youth have in their corner is voting and buying power to make and make change. 

According to UNESCO youths are defined as being between the ages of 15 to 35, a vital part of any society and if mobilized correctly can unravel any cabal or system as shown by the youth inspired riots in Egypt that led to the ouster of Mubarrak, unfortunately that youth movement was not sustained.

According to a recently released report from INEC 22 million students hold PVC cards representing about 27% percent of the voting population alone. When you add civil servants, business men and many others that fall between 15-35 you begin to realize the untapped power of the youth to vote change. 

On the heels on the approval of the not too young to rule bill it is imperative for the youth to reassess their voting tendencies to create the Nigeria the want that will promote their dreams and get them out of the rot being perpetrated by clueless octogenarian gerontocrats who are dragging the dreams and aspirations of the youth into the gutter.

It is time for the youth to become aware of it strength and not waste votes by supporting the existing order and vote for change starting right now with this election.

The popular wisdom circulating today is that a vote for anyone else but Atiku is a vote for Buhari, but that is totally untrue and defeatist as voting for any of them gives them the power to continue with policies that kill dreams and every youth knows it, the just feel disempowered to act in their interest.

It is in this light that the youth must direct their attention from the two octogenarians of the APC and PDP to other parties featuring candidates with outlooks more aligned to the interest of the youth.

The first candidate to consider is Omoyele Sowere, a student leader of Unilag who challenged the June 12 elections truncation by Babangida. He created the sahara reporters website from his room overseas to focus attention on corruption in Nigeria which radicalized news coverage of Nigeria and brought us the likes of Adeola and Dr. Damages. He is also a graduate of Columbia university. While many reports accuse him of being disrespectful, he possesses the necessary brashness and or punkness  along with radical new initiatives like selling our abundant marijuana to shake the system to the core. He is also just  47 years. 

The last remaining candidate that is a tad bit older but who has the vision and new plan for Nigeria and education for the youth is the presidential candidate of the appropriately named young people party YP, Kingsley Moghalu, not only is he well educated, he has an excellent plan on his website and he has too level executive experience as a lawyer with the UN and economist as a former central bank deputy governor. It doesn’t take but a few minutes listening to him speak to understand that he is the type of visceral, intellectual and oratorical leader Nigerians have been searching for to advocate for them and to project the real story of Nigeria to the international community.

Change does not come in a vacuum, change comes from the pent up frustration of the masses at the system and an all consuming desire to do away with a failed system, idealistic youth are always the foot soldiers of any movement, invariably the future of Nigeria is in the hands of the youth.

It is time to “Take it back” as Sowere has repeatedly declared, please take it back.

Change does not come from certainty but from dedication and it is imperative for youth to vote their conscience and for candidates that think like them and can act like or for them, don’t waste your vote.

For how can you look at yourself in the mirror after the election as a youth and continue to rave about the crippling system that is frustrating your dreams when you had the power to initiate change by not re-electing the failed system and lack of ideology that is the APC and PDP and chose not too.

It does not matter whether these two candidates win or not, it’s about stating your commitment for change and imagine in your wildest dreams if a last minute campaign leads to the decapitation of this failed system if either of these candidates where to win.

Imagine the headlines from around the world and the radical new events that will make Nigeria that ever more exciting and revolutionary, just imagine how the system will be changed for progress.

The time to act is now, choose between the two Sowere or Moghalu for a new vision and direction in Nigeria.

Your life and your future is in your hands, make a statement that will be heard around the world.

Vote for Sowere or Moghalu