A speech presented by Mr. Chinedu Nwogu at the National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS) conference in Umuahia 1st September, 2017
Nigeria is on a downward trajectory and in dire need of leadership; visionary, selfless and competent leadership, the older generation has failed and has continued to fail us… We need ambitious, competent, result-driven and value-laden young Nigerians to lead the way now but…
My Story…
Few years ago, I declared my intention to run for the governor, I was about 38… I knew I was at my peak, my finest and most energetic moments, my brain was and is still hot and my capacity to innovate and create endless visions at its best…
The older generation, those ahead of us, leaders of our party and elders considered my intentions too bullish and ambitious and at best an outburst of youthful exuberance, even my own generation considered me unreasonable and a joker.
They said (and truly so) that I didn’t have the deep pocket nor the contacts needed to achieve such a pipe dream.
They told me I was inexperienced and they were absolutely correct because I was so inexperienced in looting, I didn’t understand the bureaucracy and subsisting wastages and inefficiency of our system, I was damn inexperience in nepotism and in considering cronyism as the major basis of who gets what in the system…
I only wanted to allocate resources as efficiently as can be and achieve results that will change our story, I only knew about “clinical economics”; of maximizing our comparative and competitive advantages, of how to structure and attract private capital and the critical place of Public-Private Partnership in harnessing our very scarce resources and delivering critical social and economic infrastructures to change the socio-economic status of our people…
What was driving and giving me sleepless nights was how we can create a vision that will birth a NewAbia
Nobody was interested to see and understand my drive, my passion, my experiences and exposures, the skills and energy that only youthfulness can afford, which I considered very critical to deliver exceptional governance for our people if given the platform and permission.
And I sought for succor in my generation, the youth… those of you seated here today but like Jesus, you vehemently rejected and avoided me, you will not even come an inch close to me, to even peep into my program and manifesto, to galvanise around me and deliver something great for all of us… What were your reasons? Onye ahu enwee ihe ochi… didn’t have money to share to you at every turn, every meeting, every hailing… I may not totally blame you and will come back to you on that shortly.
The men and women that fought for and founded Nigeria were not old men of “experiences” They were in their 20s and 30s? . . . Awolowo (37), Akintola (36), Ahmadu Bello (36), Effiong (36), Balewa (34), Okotie-Eboh (27), Enahoro (27), they led the struggle for independence.
In 1966, the first coup was led by: Kaduna Nzeogwu (29) and countered by Murtala Mohammed (28), Theophilus Danjuma (28), Babangida (25), Nanven Garba (23), Sani Abacha(23), Shehu Musa Yaradua (23). They brought into power Gowon (32), Ojukwu (33), Obasanjo (29), Buhari (24).
MT Mbu became Foreign Affairs Minister at 23 and Pat Utomi became a Presidential Adviser at 27 . . . Even our current President was a Minister of Petroleum at a young age.
I said I don’t totally blame you because our nation had systematically marginalized and cowed you into cowardice, the Nigeria student and youth have lost their sense of identity, of pride and self-worth…
Just like most of you as a teenager I was already in the University of Nigeria with dreams, very huge ones, but for a 5 years course, I spent 7 years because salaries and other emoluments due to my lecturers were not paid, because the government will not invest in research nor provide an atmosphere worthy of learning, we stayed in overcrowded hostels and sat on the floor a times in overcrowded class rooms to receive lecture… We will go on strike for 5 months and resume to write exams for lectures we never had… when we eventually graduate we are both half-baked and unemployable (And I won’t make 100% excuse for us on that though).
We get into a hostile society not prepared and then look for unavailable jobs endlessly… the boys now resort to crime; yahoo yahoo, kidnapping, arm-robbing etc and the ladies start trying their hands on debasing their bodies in both full time and part time prostitutions (and that again I will not make 100% excuse for you because to those that persist, the end is always better, unfortunately again we are made up of different strands and fibres of courage, perseverance and even different moral up-bringing and exposures… which is story for another day)
They preach self-employment to us but won’t fix power which add unreasonable cost to the the overhead of businesses we try to run, we make loses until we quit out of frustration, the banks do not even consider our numerous overtures for loans and the SME funds are either non-existent or tools for political propaganda…
Out of frustration we become a generation living but in full absenteeism in the scheme of things that affect them, a generation content with being the mouthpiece of the spent gerontocrats, a conquered generation, cowards, hungry, bag carriers, ballot box carriers, hailers and wailers, we kill ourselves to perpetuate them in power and control and in exchange get “a daily bread”
Nigeria has marginalized us but our greatest impediments and “marginalizer” is our own very self; the youth themselves
A number of us clamouring for leadership have nothing to offer and are not prepared by any guise to lead or play strategic and key roles.
However, we are also blessed with another huge class of Nigeria youth leading in different capacities and field and whom if given the opportunity can turn Nigeria around in less than no time but whose greatest obstacles are other visionless and lazy youth who must sacrifice our collective future on the altar of selfishness, slothfulness and empty ambitions
Nigerian Youth and students must therefore be willing to arise to take the future, we cannot achieve this by lazying around on social media, loafing around politicians and seeking for handouts or even positions we are not even qualified for or competent to handle in the name of taking our place and filling our quota
There has been heightening advocacy for greater youth participations in politics and governance including the recent #NotTooYoungToRun Bill but unfortunately I can confidently say that the Nigerian Youth taking over power cannot automatically guarantee good governance. In fact a sizeable number of Nigerian youth are lazy, incompetent, extremely dishonest and grossly corrupt.
This generation has imbibed the culture of slothfulness; a mentality of Life’s Good and Easy, of seeking quick routes to success and an imaginary future of fantasy. Creating a future for Abia State, Nigeria and indeed Africa demands huge investment that only diligence, vision, passion and forthrightness can deliver
I am an ardent and passionate advocate of youth in politics and governance but it has to be youth with capacity and character, young people with pedigree, and track-record. In Nigeria, we don’t look at track records anymore.
We need to start really looking at people’s track records, what they have done and where they are coming from and where they are headed… it’s a critical success factor, its absolutely impossible to give what you don’t have.
Packaging and social media followership is the language of today’s generation, but it does not qualify you for leadership. Young people must start asking aspiring leaders, especially fellow youths: what have you done? Show us your resume.
We must also encourage young Nigerians to build capacity first before parading themselves as superstars. There are no short cuts. A good number of our elders may have stumbled on leadership at a very youthful age, but increasingly, today’s reality requires competence and hard work.
As you leave here today, I want you to tell yourself the truth and do a few things;
Check out your competency level in terms facing the challenges of fast-paced world, you can start by comparing the level of your quality in spoken and written English which is our primary means of communication.
Check out your capacity to solve problems, if I ask you to do me a business plan to start a small agro-business will you be lost? How well do you use the resource google and other search engines puts on your lap
Do you know a thing about strategy in business and government? Do you know anything about Finances and Economics enough to make sound and qualitative decisions in the market place your course of study notwithstanding?
When last did you read a book in an area not related to your field?
Do you have a vision; a 5,10 or 20 years plan of who you want to be?
What will you do today if you have a chance to lead a public office where you have access to funds meant for public good?
Can you support a candidate who will not share or give you immediate rewards and incentives but has a workable program of action that can change our states and nation?
In summary, the roles of the youth in our democracy and governance are critical but until we prepare ourselves intellectually, morally and even pursue dreams to empower ourselves economically through deliberate and well planned education (formally and informally), painstaking pursuing sustainable entrepreneurship and other meaningful careers… we will remain hungry and willing tools in the hands of our detractors and slave masters…
•Let’s say no to violence
•Let’s make strategic and meaningful inputs to how we are governed and who governs us applying the strength of our numbers and our PVC
•Let’s participate in all stages of the electoral processes, make sure you register now and have your PVC as we move towards 2019 and beyond
•Let’s add value to ourselves, expose ourselves with the huge resources around us and get very competent in our various fields of engagements
•Let’s invest our energy in meaningful and profitable ventures
•Let’s dream more, get more ambitious while backing our ambitions with substance
•Let’s earn the respects of our elders by bringing tangible and undeniable value to the table
God bless us all
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