Irreversible

The harm that we as a people have inflicted on the youths and their psyche is almost irreversible. I know this, given my daily interactions with some of them who were brave enough to tell me how lucky we were to remain in the same space as them. They tell me, save for the newfound ways of surviving on their own and other ingenious manners of self-help, that hell would have let loose on us - the privileged. One of them even told me, that the remote causes for the slight decrease in crime were tied to their ability to eke out a living -"the yahoo way”.

In my village of Oboroche-Orodo, It had become loud and clear that irreparable damage was inevitable. A clear indicator of this wrath and rot in my village is an almost empty box of school leavers, an almost non-existent crop of graduates, an almost absent pool of new artisans and an increasing hatred for education but yet a growing love for wealth - brazen wealth acquired by any means -justifying a means that had no foundation, a means to an end “ the yahoo way”.

The youths in my little village do not believe in hard work anymore. They tell me “Who hard work help ”, pointing out several instances of brazen overnight thefts by government and choice individuals as justification for their actions. They also refer to some truth about the elites and privileged in the community who have abandoned them to their misery, who had given up on them, and who they have sworn to payback by a semblance of success or wealth- no matter how.

They tell me that “Money was everything”, citing instances when and how money had gotten them respect, reliving moments of self-worth that money had afforded. They swear to me that they would do whatever it took to belong in those upper echelons of society that only recognized those that had money, a currency that the society had unknowingly put ahead hard work, diligence, perseverance, excellence, ingenuity and you name it.

I have seen the damages in my little village first hand, I had also seen what the supposed ill-gotten wealth had done in my community. It had come with it, a brazen show of disrespect and bravado, a complete disregard to stated authority, a subtle normalization of crime, destruction of hierarchy and normal channel of command in the village, and total erosion of morality. All I continue to see were a bunch of multi-colored motorcycles, a parade of fake designer slide-slippers, and slacked jeans. I have not seen a renewed push to improve the fortunes or welfare of the community. I have only seen wealth that had no attraction whatsoever to attract more nor improve on, I had only seen wealth that was centered on a lifestyle that revolved around quicksand. I had only seen wealth that danced around “chop today, die today” -wealth that did not consider where the next tranche came from.

These behaviors had surprisingly arrested an inert duty of my youths. Their ability to foresee a civil duty that ensured that their voices were continuously heard, no matter how small was almost lost. Voting and voting rights had become academic to them as it only made sense if ways to monetize were available. The new lifestyle had no space to assimilate events, it had more capacity to scout for dating sites and vulnerable chat rooms than build self for greatness. My youths had lost total confidence in the process, putting every solution to “now and forever” problems to money.

The local lingua in the village was money, money, and more money. Money had become a god, the predominant Christendom was now overrun by politicians who thrived best in these states, capitalizing on this misplaced priority, using the morally bankrupt youths to perpetuate selfish gains while stripping them bare of God-given rights to think for themselves.

My youths in Orodo are on this table and cannot demand what they want nor what they wished. They had lost that collective will to champion progress in the community but rather ranked high in any mode that enriched them regardless of consequence.

Irreparable, irreversible damage is inevitable ho ha.

Even as I discussed the way forward with a few of my friends who see these peculiar trends in their locale, one inference from our discus was the misplaced priorities and total neglect of youth development in Nigeria. This was not just an Orodo thing, this had become a Nigerian thing. The youths no longer fought for their rights, they had long lost the zeal. They were busy fighting for their own life, fighting for all the basic amenities that the government was to provide but reneged.

“Would you blame them? “… my other friend had said reeling out numbers that voted in the just concluded reality show. It had shown a whopping nine hundred million votes in total, culminating in over a hundred million naira in rewards. “In a country that gave Ten thousand naira to the best graduating student of medicine and Five thousand naira to a first-class recipient in the school of engineering”

Nwunne, you see Entertainment, Sports, Politics, Yahoo-yahoo…… na where the money dey” The government of the day are not ready to lay any importance on this una bukuru thing… e get why.

So you have it. We are gradually heading to those days were the actions of today would be so grave that it would be irreversible and irreparable.

The push today - how do we stop this trend?

The worry today -how do we salvage an already bad situation?

The concern today -how do we re-ignite the youth flame?

I put forward mines: Education— Education of the mind and body, Education of renewed morals, Education of civil duties, Education of priorities, Education of peaceful coexistence, Education of money, Education of wealth creation……Education, Education, Education.

I await yours.

Uchenna Iwualla, MD

It Matters Period