First of all,I want to best explain what I mean by “the broken system”.I don’t mean a non- functioning PC,I clearly mean the “matrix” that makes you believe you cannot function without those at the top positions but I will be talking about the broken system in Nigeria. As huge and resourceful as Nigeria is,it is one of the leading head of a broken and divided system in Africa .
Nigeria which is one of the biggest country in Africa and also one of the most powerful is working under a broken system. Every day,one ceases to hear a heartbreaking news,we either here the price of fuel has risen or a fuel tanker capsized which caused a huge explosion,we also hear news about terrorism attack both outside and within the country. Even our leaders,we fear that they choose to believe that we the citizens exist at all.
They only remember us when it is that time again in every fours years. But what am here to talk about is the youth of Nigeria. “While growing up our parents always made us believe we are the leaders of tomorrow” hereby putting us through the educational system to give us all that is required to secure a place of relevance in the society,but it is looking like It might not happen due to the broken system in Nigeria. Well,I might as well blame the youth and I might as well not .
Why do I blame the youth of Nigeria? Every child is put through the educational system in order to be able to fight for his/her place in the society that progress. It is well known that Nigeria system is corrupt and is influenced by the rich while the average or poor are made to fight for crumbs .The poor children whoms parents struggle to put his/her child through school is left to show nothing in return. I am trying not the biased in the article but the position in which I stand as one of the youth is pushing me to believe that every sector favours the rich. For instance, we see two children who are put through the educational system, the poor finishes with the overall best while the rich manages to finish with a third class upper and his/her parents uses influence to get him/her a proper job with a huge pay while the overall best has to go around applying for a job and is still rejected. Is that not a sign of a broken system?.Due to this broken system,I overheard some youths saying “if you want wealth,you must be ready to give everything including your soul”. That statement installed an unknown fear within me and I thought to myself,are this really leaders of tomorrow?.
Another reason why I blame the youth for widen the gap of a broken system is due to the fact that we choose to challenge what we are least expected to be involved in. Entertainment is one of the leading industry that has chosen to run the youth wild . The entertainment industry I used to know was one that promoted good moral and values but I look at it today,the entertainment world has lost it and mostly promotes violence, nudity especially in the sector of the Music industry. The aid of social media platforms also come to promote this discouraging industry. We ould hear on the new over 5000 students were kidnapped and we also here that “white money” won big brother naija ,95%of the the youth prefer to know who won and know more about his life than the number of lives kidnapped.
On the 20th of October 2020,the day I thought was the time of the youth. The time for us to tell them of our plight. That day was the beginning of the “end sars protest”.The youths came out in there numbers to challenge a broken system that neither favour them or came to their aide. We came together as one to show the corrupt leaders that we are more that just a side piece, that we are as much as of Nigeria . We are not ones to be neglected.The protest lasted a month before the killing at lekki toll gate which was a tragic one for us all. Even the educational system is broken, imagine students of federal university been on strike for over a year and the make us believe We are meant to be part of the decision making of this country as well.One of the signs of a broken system is that we are made to believe that if you don’t have wealth, influence or not within your 40’s to 50’s you can’t rule.
Why I also don’t blame the youth as well. The youth are also growing to be welcomed into the life of adulthood and to be shown their roles in the system but it seems those on top choose how we live. Our leaders, individuals that are place there to build a better country for us end up being the one to ruin it.I remember the time when the Nigerian naira had so much value,now it is just a trash currency. NIGERIA was a country with diversified economy but now solely relies on oil alone. The leader which we are meant to look up too the one ruining it. Imagine just one person storing over millions of nairas in a house, imagine a leader hiding palliatives that are meant to be for the people. Imagine Nigerian leaders hiding our own money meant for development in different swiss account and when they leave,there is nothing for the next leader to use hereby causing them to borrow for the world bank or other countries. How are expected to challenge a broken system when those in power Don’t even want to work on it. Cost of living is on the rise, finding employment is also hard and we are meant to believe we have a shot at leadership.
In conclusion,Nigeria has become a joke to the world. When Nigeria is mentioned,we are lead to think of cyber fraud. The youth are not given the opportunity to change a broken system which I feel there are individuals who can. We are not even given a the slightest inch of space to rule. How do you now expect us to change a broken system?.
Toluwalase Daniel adebogun
200 level English language, Lagos state university ojo.
