Fellow youths of our dear State,
As 2015 draws near, and in this season of “Open Letters”, I feel obliged to write my own open letter not to some highly placed individual, but this time around to that young man/woman who is still toiling to make a living. The young man/woman who wakes up in the morning believing that someday his/her dream will come to fruition. The young person who is yet to become a millionaire, move around with a retinue of aides in exotic cars with mean looking security personnel, make huge donations at public events, possess real estates scattered across choice locations in the country, and maintain different concubines if he so wishes. It’s someone like you that I’m referring to. Someone who feels what I feel, thinks the way I do, and understands me better. Someone faced with the grim reality of life. The youths of Akwa Ibom. Yes, it’s you I’m directing this letter to. I write to you because you are the ones that will suffer the most if our democracy fails.
It has always been said that we the youths are the future of tomorrow. Suffice to say that the future is now, as today is the future we hoped to see yesterday. The next political dimension in 2015 no doubt holds lots of promises. Promises for us youths and even the elders. 2015 is that future we always looked up to.
I have always advocated on the need for youths to be involved in politics. It is my conviction that a man who decides to stay apolitical pays a price of being ruled by a mediocre. Hence in order to mitigate the dearth of credible leaders which the country faces, there is need for people who are competent enough to man leadership positions. We the youths can contribute positively to the building of the Akwa Ibom/Nigeria of our dreams. This we can achieve through a strong ideological base occasioned by a congregation of like minds. These like minds can then outline common objectives and pursue same through proper channels for the advancement of the self and the society. Such objectives could involve contesting an election, or supporting a candidate for same based on certain convictions. This has been the nucleus of my campaign for involvement of youths in politics and leadership generally.
However, the emerging trend in Akwa Ibom gives me serious cause for concern. Rather than work towards the actualization of the aforementioned goals, we young people have become willing tools in the hands of desperate politicians. We follow them about and accompany them to fulfil their destiny without bothering to find out if we are doing anything towards the actualization of ours. We have cheapened ourselves and reduced ourselves to banner carrying and T-Shirt wearing groups with the usual One or Two Thousand Naira “demobilization” package to take home while the politicians run overseas once in a while to stash their well coveted loot. We have allowed the poverty of the mind to affect our thinking such that rather than critically evaluating ourselves to discover profitable ideas we look up to the crumbs they throw at us daily in the name of empowerment expecting us to owe them our lives in return. Sadly enough, we have allowed ourselves to be caught in their cross fire. We fight and abuse one another in order to show “loyalty” with a choosen god-father and exhibit support to his agenda.
While you are busy doing this, have you bothered to ask yourself what the elite politicians themselves are doing? Do they curse and abuse one another whenever they meet face-to-face? Do they exchange blows as we anticipate? No, they don’t. Instead, they embrace each other in tight hugs and pose hand in hand for the cameras in an effort to show that all is well while being applauded by us. Do you know what some of them do when they travel overseas? They share lunch in coffee shops and laugh over media reports carrying stories one said about the other. Some of them still maintain business interests and make returns to one another while maintaining a war-front over here. Don’t forget they belonged to the same stock before falling apart.
Why can’t we the youths behave this way? Why can’t an OBA Youth hold a UOU youth hand in hand and walk down the street? Why can’t an Udom youth sit in the same vehicle with an Assam Assam youth and feel relaxed when our various principals are doing same?
We have allowed ourselves to be divided along ethnic and other lines driven by parochial interests. We are the ones at the receiving end. It’s us that face the real threats. We are the ones who really need the industries, because it will provide us with much needed employment opportunities. We are the ones in need of decent accommodation, mobility, security. If ASUU goes on strike again we are the ones to bear the brunt. Their kids study overseas. The ongoing industrial action by medical doctors is affecting us the most. They have standby personal jets waiting to fly them to better medical facilities overseas at the slightest headache. These guys have it all. Why are we allowing ourselves to be used by them to further their personal interests to our own detriment? If Boko Haram strikes now as they threaten to do we are the ones most likely to be blown up. What therefore is our problem? Youths of Akwa Ibom, what is the problem?
Recently, we have witnessed a series of name calling and blackmail by various would-be contenders for the plum 2015 job. These guys are heating up the system obviously to their own benefit. Some of them just want to be noticed and invited for negotiation and a share of the commonwealth. Rather than allow them sort themselves out, we the youths have joined the fight by taking up the other person in the “opposing camp”. Some of them even go physical at popular joints and beer parlours. I wonder how beer parlour fights will win a party nomination for a candidate. This is so uncalled for. Believe me, we can do without this.
Let us not indulge in the African revised edition of politics which is all about blackmail and elimination of perceived opponents. We are young people. Our future is bright. Let us allow these made men to sort out themselves while we bother about how we are going to afford the next meal. Let us stand for who we are and take the decision of who we will support in 2015 based on personal conviction not on assumed loyalty to some god-head somewhere. There’s a clear distinction between loyalty and sycophancy. Yes I know loyalty demands support from the follower to the leader. But let me tell you that loyalty to a wrong cause is a great dis-service to yourself. Loyalty involves telling the truth, although majority of leaders over here would prefer you dumbly follow them even if they are leading you to the grave.
I am not Godswill Akpabio. I am not Udom Emmanuel. I am not Bassey Albert, neither am I Umana Umana, Assam Assam, Nsima Ekere, or Bassey Akpan. I am Ubon Marcus, a distinct human being with a different cognitive ability from that of those great Akwa Ibom sons. My decision on whom to support in 2015 emanates from my personal conviction based on an evaluation of the candidate and his developmental blueprint for the state. I wish you too can do same. I wish you too can dare to stand out, be your man, and take your own decision. Believe me, if more youths think like this these politicians would desist from heating up the system and rather focus on building a rich manifesto that will sell them at the polls.
This is a call to the youths. Please be matured. Don’t allow yourself to be used negatively. Let’s exhibit some candour as we approach the elections. Let’s come together to strategize. Join me, as we build an ideological platform through which we can advocate for a place in the new Akwa Ibom project. No more arms carrying, no more thuggery. Let’s make a change; for us, and the future.
-Comrade Ubon Marcus.
August 3, 2014.
Ubon Marcus is the Vice President Special Duties of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS). He can be reached via email: nansvpspecialduties@gmail.com or twitter: @ubonmarcus, @nansvpsd.
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