When I was a young boy, I used to dream, literarily daydream. I dreaming about How Nigeria would be great, how our communities would have good road, good drainages and have working systems and structures like a people-friendly policing. I would be walking down a street or the road and imagine how, instead of waiting for government, I could mobilize the members of the community or street to create an economic development trust fund and fix the roads, and fix the drainages. I used to dream and think of how each compound that has a borehole tap, can allow other compounds to pipe water to their own compound and I thought to myself, if every compound or yard that had a borehole, allowed other compounds or yard to pipe water from them, all the compounds in the community area or street would be served.
I grew up partly in Zaria and partly in Aba, and this dream is the Aba version of my life. Aba was quite an indigenously industrialized city. Literarily anything you want to be made or manufactured can happen in Aba. Yes, Aba is that notorious. Amongst all the things Aba could manufacture and forge I was particularly interested in Electronics. Maybe because I was one the kids that used to tear the radio set apart and fix it back, build torch lights with a set of battery and a tiny bulb and make a fan with the rotor of the cassette player. I used to dream that Nigeria could be the industrial capital of the world with the type of talent that abounds in a place like Aba.
I was this passionate about Nigeria until I got to the university and graduated from school. Between attending the higher institution and graduating and going for youth service and entering the labour market, I lost that patriotism. I stopped dreaming about Nigeria. I was more focused on me and myself and my family and how we can make a living. At some point, all I wanted was to immigrate out of the country to a safe haven, where the systems, transportation and utilities work, where I won’t be harassed by the police for literarily doing nothing. Truth be told, I am not alone in that train coach. There are millions of Nigerian millennials who have lost hope and interest in the Nigerian dream of a united yet diverse nation. Countless time we have had our fingers burnt when we put ourselves out and believed in that dream and tried to live that dream. For some of us, it’s that, we don’t see anything attractive in the Nigerian dream, because it didn’t pay off for our parents and consequently it won’t pay off for us.
It is on record that the most apolitical demography in Nigeria is the working class, especially those in the private sector. Electoral statistics over the years have also shown that the voter turnout from economic nerve centres such as Lagos, which has the highest number of the workforce in the private sector, is low. Many of Nigeria’s enlightened youth did not vote.
In this elections season, a few people have ignited that fire of patriotism back in our hearts especially among the youth and working class. The likes of Bankole Wellington, Akin Alabi, Fela Durotoye, Omoyele Sowore, Chike Ukaeegbu and many other young candidates who came under the Not Too Young to Rule bill, have inspired us and gave us something to believe in. They reminded us that the future is ours and since the older generations are not willing to let us have it, we might as well contest to take it. Dear Nigerian youth, let’s find our way back to Patriotism, let’s begin to care again about Nigeria and the wellbeing of her people. I know the older generations have betrayed and disappointed us, but that is the more reason why we should be concerned more than ever, Let's begin to participate, not as thugs and mischief makers, but as candidates and voters. Let our voice be heard. Let the fire that parties like ANN and AAC and MDP have stoked not go down. Let the work of nation-building begin now.
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