Immediately.
Immediately the glittery 43-man list hi Nigerians that have been
eagerly waiting for about 55 days to see who are those strangers that
would make up the list to sail the canoe of Buhari administration for
four years, Nigerians with inclusion of youth, like custom, greeted the
news of ministerial list that finally made it National Assembly July 23,
2019 for confirmation with smoke of criticisms that would perhaps wave
with time.
Part of criticisms- Social medias
were berated mostly by Nigerian youths for non-inclusion of a single
youth in the List. Well, we should all blame President Muhammadu Buhari
for not including youth in the ministerial list, for appointing
strangers he is familiar with, for releasing a list termed as
compensation list, for selecting, appointing and recycling some old
cargoes. He should be blame because our #NotTooYoungToRun is running.
In
fact, President Muhammadu Buhari should be held accountable for this;
for allowing those aged people and elite class to vacate not the scene
for youths/younger generation to come in; for not allowing us to be able
hold those aged people accountable by fully participating in politics;
for not paving way for most of our problems to be buried somewhere
amongst us youths by creating the transformation we needed for a change;
and for allowing those aged people not to pave way for ordinary
patriotic youths who are willing to contribute immensely to Nation
building.
Indeed, President Muhammadu Buhari is
responsible for the fact that for donkey’s years, political arena in
Nigeria have been occupied by aged people to the detriment of young
people who are mostly restricted to the grassroots and platforms offered
by the media. He is also responsible for this reality; that youths are
often used as election consultants, political thugs (for those of us who
are blessed with body-fit-for-farm) and social media battalions.
Yes!
The President should be blamed and be criticized! Because our
#NotTooYoungToRun is running. Or should we blame ourselves? After
launching a campaign that history has it all and shows how lengthy
youths have participated in different areas of politics, citing
references of M.T. Mbu who became a Minister at the age of 25 and
Nigeria’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom at the age of 26.
Maitama Sule who became Oil Minister at the age of 29. Sheu Shagari who
became a Federal Legislator at the age of 30 and a Minister at the age
of 35. Richard Akinjide who became a Minister of Education at the age of
32. Audu Ogbeh who was a Minister at the age of 35 and likes. Tell me,
how to blame ourselves after this fact analysis?
Or
should we even blame ourselves after campaigning that the crucial
effects of youths in political participation cannot be over-emphasized?
That it is an undeniable fact that youths are more useful and
instrumental to national development and democratic advancement in
Nigeria? Then how can we blame and criticise ourselves rather than those
old cargoes?
Or should we blame our leader(s)
of #NotTooYoungToRun? Especially, Senator of Sex Toys saga- Senator
Elisha Abbo, the Senator representing Adamawa North Senatorial Zone, who
at 41, during our #NotTooYoungToRun, became the youngest Senator in
Nigeria: thereby making us happy as he was sworn in, that we are coming;
that he just not represent his zone at the Senate; that he represent us
as youths.
No, he as one of our leaders of
#NotTooYoungToRun can't be criticized at the instance ministerial list,
because he is duly representing us- even for decades to come, perhaps,
our #NotTooYoungToRun might be running, and we will always be at the
corridor of political power.
Or are we not duly
represented, for Abbo's story being descended to gutter, for the story
first broke by Cable News, and the released of a video that went viral.
Senator Abbo has duly represent us by going out to buy sex toys with
inamoratas termed as side-chicks, he has duly represent us by engaging
in clash of words in public with a sale's girl, he has duly represent us
by reportedly slapping nursing woman, he has duly represent by making
policeman accompanied by him to sex toys shop to arrest that nursing
woman. In fact, he has duly represent us by admitting and apologizing to
the victims and their family and Nigerians for his “five minutes” of
rage induced action.
For sure, not only Senator
Abbo is a case study at the instance of ministerial list, but us all-
youths, with our engagement and involvement in spheres of political,
economic, and religious saga and indeed, these have not only started
ruining our #NotTooYoungToRun, but have made it run and keep making it
running. Bye.
Hammed J. Sulaiman is a,
satirist, essayist, writer, and campus-journalist, a student of Law from
the Most Peaceful University in Nigeria, Usmanu Danfodiyo University,
Sokoto. He is a Poet/Writer/Veteran Journalist/Editor at Winsala Muses
Ltd and Republican Online Newspaper, Nigeria and a Bona fide Member of
UDUS Pen Press. sulexmighty@gmail.com 08132953960
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