Closer to Humanity

MUST OUR COMMUTER OPERATORS BE AGGRESIVELY INSULTIVE?: The Nigerian experience.

An Okada man just called me “omo ale” - a bastard. I was angry at first, and tried to catch up with him by accelerating my car speed in order to respond; which was silly of me to think in that manner, bearing in mind the adage: “don’t argue with a fool because onlookers will see you both as two fools. So I just decided to react by putting the scenario in writing. 

Agreed, without commercial commuters, life is likely to be at standstill; thus retarding business activities.  Commercial transportation business, we know can be really frustrating – being on the move, day and night, daily.  However, must the cumulative stress aggression be transferred on other innocent road users?

Commuters being discussed should think twice before outpouring the unprintables to other road users.  Towards this end, morality training in the form of regular Seminars may have to be organised by their Unions, Road Safety Corps and the VIO Units of each State Government.  It is suggested that renewal of Driving and Motor Licences, continuous Membership of their Unions should also be tied to attendance of such Seminars, because outpouring of insultive languages by operators of these Commuters (especially Okadas) is very rampant all over Nigeria.  One is yet to ascertain if outside the borders of this country, the same practice is in existence.

It goes without saying that there is money in transport business, but most of the vehicle, motorbikes or tricycles operators, may lack investing on children education, property ownership etc.  One might not be far from right to suggest that after buying fuel, remitting daily returns to owners of such bikes, cars (if you are not the owner), the remaining is spent on Alcohol, Drugs, and sexual exploits!  Opening bank accounts or daily contributions to Cooperative Societies will fetch some few thousands of naira on monthly basis for reasonable investments. In addition, our commuters will go a long way painting a civil image for this country while on the road, by not cursing other road users as a means of pleasure of exhibiting aggressive mood in they find themselves as a result of tension or depression.  Just be nice to other road users. The word “nice” might be a four-letter alphabet and a one syllable in pronounciation, but it can go a long way to establish good rapport for commuter operators, the society at large and as well, contribute positively to the image of the country to a visitor. 

By: ADEBAYO, Busayo
      Freelance Public Analyst

Giving is the Best Communication

FUTURE OF OURS

Look at them,

Like fresh drops of dew.

Nestled in the palms of leaves,

Gift of the heavens.

Stretching and turning

Slipping and sliding

Like delicate pearls,

Glinting with laughter

Let us not lose these

Little stars on earth

Like sunshine on winter's day

Bathes the courtyard in gold

They banish darkness from our hearts

And warmed us to the core

Let us not lose these

Little stars on earth.

Like sleep trapped behind eyelids

Where sweet dreams abound

And in the dream an angel rises

Like fountains of colour

Like butterflies upon blossoms

Like love which is selfless

They're surging waves of hope

They're the dawn of dreams and eternal joy

Let us not lose these

Little stars on earth

On the heavy darkness of night's bosom

They sit like a flame dispelling gloom

Like an orchard's fragrance

They fill the air

Like a kaleidoscope of myriad hues

Like flowers reaching up the sun

Like the notes of a flute

In the quiet of a grove

They are breaths of fresh air

The rhythm and music of life

Let us not lose these

Little stars on earth

Like the pulsing life

Of the neighbourhood

Like buds determined to bloom

Like the breeze of the season

Caught in your palm

They're the blessings for our elders

Let us not lose these

Little stars on earth

BY: ADEBAYO BUSAYO

The clock is ticking

THE ROLE OF YOUTHS IN THE NEXT NIGERIAN POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC DISPENSATION

Introduction

Who is a youth?  “The UN, for statistical consistency across regions, defines ‘youth’, as those persons between the ages of 15 and 24 years, without prejudice to other definitions by Member States.  For activities at the national level, for example when implementing a local community youth programme, “youth” may be understood in a more flexible manner.  UNESCO will then adopt the definition of “youth” as used by a particular Member State.  It can be based for instance on the definition given in the African Youth Charter where “youth” means “every person between the ages of 15 and 35 years”, (UNESCO, Social and Human Sciences, 2014).

Political participation of Youths: the Nigerian case

A recent discuss in one of the Nigerian media exhibited participation of the Nigerian “Youths” in current political activities as that which raises doubt as to the definition of who is a youth – more-so, in the background of the above highlighted definition of who a youth is, age-wise.

In our Nigeria political activities of today, one can cite cases where those branded political Youth Leaders are sometimes in their early 50s in years of age.  This calls for scrutiny when one x-rays the UNESCO definition of Youth, age-wise.  The scenario becomes more complex and raises doubt as to whether the Nigerian ‘Youth’ as far as political and nay, economic activities and participation are actually concerned and controlled by supposed youths, according to age classification?  So, in other for the topic of this write-up to be judiciously authentic, we have to clarify who a youth is?  If the UNESCO definition of youth is what we are going to accept as a Member State or Nation, there is going to be a doubt as to whether youth participation in the political and economic arena of Nigeria is actually being occupied by the real youths – ages 15-35 years.  According to Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, one is not eligible to be registered by INEC – Independent National Electoral Commission – for inclusion into the Nigerian Voters Register, unless one has attained the age of 18 years.  By extension, the 15-17 years olds are not captured by the Nigerian 1999 Constitution to exercise their franchise as being eligible voters, so 15-17 years are in the first place have no business in Nigerian active politics.  The interpretation of this age discrimination, which is by far reasonable is that at this age, it is expected that ages 15-17 years are still struggling to grab their academic or skill preparation or acquisition for future livelihood.

Back to men and women in political activities being led by people as old as 50 years may call for concern.  This is because, when a 50 year old is talking to a group of youths in the age bracket of 18-35 years, one may have to be educated whether such 50 years old is leading them for guidance or as a coordinator, or participant?  This scenario needs to be scrutinised and properly defined before we can be sure that participation of youths in Nigeria’s political dispensation is actually in the hands of the real youths or the youths are being tele-guided in such political participation.  Otherwise, the youths may have been denied their real participation.  This is so because oppression may be rearing its head at discussion level and also apportioning what is due for the youths.  In the African culture, the youths are expected to be silent when elders are talking.  If the age mixing as has been highlighted above persists, there is bound to be tension and acrimony in the camp of the Nigerian youths participation in politics and by extension the economic development of the nation – Nigeria.  With the picture being exhibited as at now in the Nigerian political youths participation, one can suggest that this accounts for some habits being exhibited by youths at political, economic rallies and meetings, respectively.  What you notice are acts of thuggery, drug influences and rascality.  All these are done in part to display inferiority complex, when the youths are faced with elderly persons leadership in their midst.  They need to act bold to interact with this Youth Leaders who are in their 50s.  In this case, the best quality may have not been tapped from the fresh mind of the youths – and some orientation work has to be done to normalize this anomaly, if we are to tutor and groom the youths to be partakers in the political and economic dispensation of the nation, as heir apparent of the inheritance.  In such orientation effort, the youths must be educated that participation in politics and economy is a training ground for them not money-making venture.  They should be tutored towards believing and pursuing what they could offer their nation rather than what they can materially get from their nation.  This is a herculean task because the youths brains have been thwarted to believe that they must be rich, by all means even at their tender age; because of subsequent governments mis-managing the nations resources since the era of military regimes, which the political class has emulated.  To majority of the youths, building a nation for greatness is not their desire, rather, self-enrichment is their priority – the recent fuel subsidy House of Representative public enquiry evidences affirm this hustle for money by the youths, if utterances and disposition exhibited by some youth ‘businessmen’ is given a replay of the video recordings.  The recently concluded National Conference may have gone a long way to addressing this anomaly, if their recommendations as to political and economic restructuring see the light of the day.

ADEBAYO, Busayo (2014)

Freelance Public Analyst.

adebayobusayo1@gmail.com