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here is so much tension in the air. There are too many
negative utterances concerning the forthcoming general elections. People and
parties and organizations are spreading fear all over the land as if something
more than the elections is coming. And each time I reflect on this, I see the
youths at the center of this supposedly utterance war; coming in contact every
single day (these days) on the front pages of the national dailies and on all
other Medias.
Individuals, parties and organizations are going into
various archives to bring to light again, captions and pictures that portrait
the ‘good’ or the ‘evil’ of some individuals vying for one political office or
the other, especially the presidential office. On the front page of the Punch
News Paper dated Monday, January 19, 2015, it stands written in bold and with
different colours: NIGERIANS BE WARDNED!
NIGERIA …” I have set before thee LIFE
& DEATH. Therefore, choose LIFE
that both thee and thy seed may LIVE.” Deut 30 vs 19. In the above mentioned
daily, precisely on page 9, it states: JOBS IN LAGOS PROVIDE FOR MILLIONS OF
NIGERIANS. WE CANNOT LEAVE THE FATE OF MILLIONS TO AN INEXPERIENCE LEADER …”
I cannot see reason why there should be so much
‘insults’ between interested politicians, their parties or their friend-organizations
with the view of wining ‘followers’. I cannot bring myself to ‘follow’ someone
who uses insulting and degrading words, in the aim of gaining my trust. I
prefer to follow someone who gives his/her opinions on bringing lasting solutions
the country’s socio-economic problems. I desire to follow anyone who respects
the opinion of the other party, who see the other person as mortal who is capable
of doing ‘wrong’ today and becoming ‘better’ tomorrow, and not judging today
because of yesterday.
In all of these, I see the youth of the country as the
tool and weapon that can be use to either bring lasting solution or continue to
cause havoc in the society. I see the youths as the only available weapons of
mass growth or mass destruction. I see the youths as the easily-reached tool
and weapon employed by these ‘insulting individuals and parties and
organizations.’ I see the youths that do not know what way to follow, where to
make a bold U-turn, and when to stop completely on the track that has not been
leading to growth and development, falling prey to desperate politicians, where
they are use as ‘weapon to create ‘un-peaceful nation’.
I desire to refer every young person in this country
and around the world to the book of Prophet Isaiah chapter two verses two to
five (Isaiah 2:2-5), where the Scripture holds (in paraphrasing) that: In these
days of unrest, these days when there is fear everywhere you turn, days when
politicians chose to ‘insult’ themselves to show us they love us and want to
lead us, days when there are so many homeless people in their own father’s
land, days when the leaders forget to ‘fight’ for the people, and were
‘fighting’ to gain power by all means; the only place nations like Nigeria and
its people should go is the hill of the Lord, where He will teach us what to do
to bring sanity again to the land. It is only God that will settle dispute
among great nations, only God can make us hammer our guns and explosives and
looting and corruption, into plough and peace and economic growth. It is only
God, who from the beginning of creation made great plans for us all that can
bring His original plans back into existence in the life of our world, nations
and as individuals. Returning to Him on His holy mountain does not mean going
up one mountain or going into one Church; it is simply, going to him with your
heart-personally knowing Him and His plans and purposes.
To kill and loot and destroy and rig during election
is never the plan and purpose of God for us. The youths must not allow
themselves to be used to achieve evil. They should be creative in their
thinking and create solutions to the problems we are facing; which will
obviously need the creative power of everyone, contributing his/her quota of
positive and creative thoughts, to the green-and-white bowl that needs to be
filled great minds and ideas to achieve lasting peace and rapid development.
And the only true source of such minds and ideas and innovation is God. He
alone can give the kind of wisdom we individually need to move our beloved
country to the next level of positive growth and development in every sector of
the economy.
The 2015 general election is meant to ‘change’
occupants of the various political offices, and not to cause fear and panic and
unnecessary anxiety among the people. It is a period of evaluating the
‘present’ occupants of the offices and reaching a reasonable decision to either
keep them in the office or seek another mind to transform the office and
perform better; even those occupying the office at present and seeking
re-election, should only be encourage to ‘do better’ than the term that is
passing. That they were or are bad today does not mean they can't be better
tomorrow. I therefore see no reason why there should be ‘sounds of war’ and
‘insulting’ utterances coming from those that the graving to be our leaders. I
believe they should be more gentle and kind with words; driving their points
home in peaceful co-existence rather than with violence and insults and
destruction.
Nigeria youths
must be awakening to the fact that the ‘future’ starts right now. Individuals
must make deliberate effort to change the mind-set of ‘unless we get money from
you, we won’t vote you in.’ Once someone gives you money and got your vote,
s/he will ‘steal’ the money given to you at first before thinking of doing
anything for the community or the country. The days of ‘stomach infrastructure’
is gone with the wind of ignorance. The wind of positive change has come, and it’s
blowing everywhere, seeking great minds to fill and inspire and motivate. And
this wind can only enter an individual or group who is open to creative and
positive thought pattern, it will come to those who connect back to the Source
of Power, where creativity started, where peaceful co-existence has it firm
root, and where everything was declared ‘GOOD’; and that Source is GOD.
Youths must therefore embrace and inhale this wind of
change and see a brighter future ahead. Youths should be leaders of today and
of tomorrow; because unless one is firm and positive in his/her decision making
now, tomorrow might not even come for that person to make any meaningful
decision to lasting and positive change in the society. Unless the youths see
that the future of this nation lies in their hands, they will stay ‘calm’ and
‘mute’ to the happening in the land.
The troubles of today are ‘fruits’ that grew from the
‘trees’ of decisions ‘planted’ in the past. But we should know, that the land
still remain the same – Nigeria, and the soils (us) are still fertile, with
willing hearts to produce better crops if given better seeds. We must therefore
understand the terms of the farmer to be able to cultivate the land and plant
good seeds and expect great harvest in the future that is not too far away. To
keep repeating the ugly term that: This is Nigeria, nothing good can come out”,
or again. “This is Nigeria, where anything goes,” will do us no good; will not
bring about any change in the current trend of backwardness and corruption and
sufferings and pains and fears. Because if we continue repeating the believe
system or attitude of those who where here before us, if we continue walking in
the shoes of those who made the decisions that are affecting us today, without
making creative effort to change ourselves and our attitude, we shall continue
to remain perpetually in the same state, and continuously ‘suffering and
smiling’.
Today, it doesn’t matter anymore who made the
decisions that are bringing us pains and sufferings and hunger and poverty and
unemployment. Some of those that made the decisions years ago are still alive
and are making every effort to ‘come-back’ into our ‘farm land’ to either plant
‘better seeds’ or yet another ‘un-fruitful’ seed. Today, some of those who made
the terrible decisions that are affecting us negatively are dead, but their
‘seeds’ are making drastic effort, either to come complete the ‘evil’ work of
their father, or to continue the ‘good’ work of their father, and or, to right
the wrong done by their father.
Today again, the mantel of ‘leadership’ has been given
to us, where we are face with the opportunity and challenge to correct the wrongs
of yesterday, to make conscious effort towards making the right choice of
choosing who should ‘drive’ the vehicle
leading to the Nigeria of our dream; the Nigeria where our children and
children’s children will have the liberty of attending good schools, have
quality health facilities, grow in an environment where creativity and positive
attitude will help them become wish men and women.
History is not meant to make us cry all the time.
History is meant to be a guide, helping us to know where we are coming from,
where we are and where we should make effort to go-the right direction. We must
allow the times of the pass to guide us to the future, not by being angry with
it or those who where in it, but by studying it and applying its disciplined
instructions towards attaining positive growth and development.
Youths must be weapon of positive, lasting change and
not destruction, violence and corruption!
BY: EDOKA PETER-PAUL
