With this article, I begin a series of my personal reflection on the so called leaders of tomorrow title that the Nigerian youths have.
When we were much younger and in the Primary School, we used to sing a particular song, which today still rings a bell in my ear and brings me goose bumps. The song says:
“Parents listen to your children, we are the leaders of tomorrow, come and build our school and give us sound Education.”
Today when I look back, I ask myself; what on earth happened to this dream? Did our parents not really listen or did we ourselves stop dreaming. Today, most of us that joined to sing this particular song, have gone through the higher institutions and have actually come out, some are PhD holders, others are Masters degree holders, some others Bachelors, while others are big time Business men and women and so on and so forth.
It is not uncommon these days to hear, that our leaders have failed us, that those entrusted with the mantle of leadership have misused it. I can’t agree less to that. Because of this failure of leadership our Youths, the so called leaders of tomorrow, are running away in their numbers to foreign lands. Someone once told me, “I just want to leave this country to anywhere at all, even if it is Coutonou.” To anywhere at all, he stressed! Ah? Is it that bad?
My fellow Leaders of tomorrow, let us agree that it is that bad… but is it as bad as being sold as slaves, just like it is happening now in Libya? Young energetic men and women in their 20s and 30s, being sold for just 400 Dollars? That is roughly about 170, 000 (One hundred and seventy thousand naira). Wait a minute! Maybe I used a very dignifying word; young energetic men and women in their Prime being auctioned for 400 Dollars? Is that how much we are worth? With all our education? With all our hopes? With all our dreams? With all our dignity? Can any price really be worth our Worth? Lest I forget, the ones we see now or hear about who are being auctioned even have enough dignity. Some died in the deserts and have been eaten by wild animals and vultures, others drowned in the sea and were eaten by fishes, a few were found at the sea shore but no longer have names…
Tony Tchidi Onyeuwaoma
Thumbs up Anthony Tchidi. I find your article very insightful and clever. Perhaps it is time we rediscovered the essence of our human dignity, a dignity not determined by external factors nor the exaggerated pursuit of greener pastures. Be the protagonist of your self-worth. Your dignity lies in you!
Thanks Herbert Opara, despite the failure of Leadership, I believe like you commented we should be the protagonists of our own self-worth.
Truly, we must first of all agree that it is that bad and stop pretending like it doesn’t concern us in our individualistic tendencies. Thank you so much for this call to responsibility.