By Anote Ajeluorou (who was in Port
Harcourt)
Governments in Nigeria, as currently
constituted, believe that democracy dividend to the people lies only in the
building of roads, boreholes, hospitals and provision of other infrastructure.
While these may be worthy engagements, which are taken for granted in other
climes, a more noble duty for governments has been pointed out to include
expanding the frontiers of humanity so youth energy and talent could be better
harnessed for national development.
Also,
youths have been charged to “slay the Goliath of injustice, corruption…
inefficiency, gross mismanagement of resources that have rendered our country
what it is today” with their talents and to stop complaining about lack of
opportunities. These were the submissions of Bishop of Catholic Diocese of
Sokoto, Bishop Matthew Kukah, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, yesterday, at the
opening of the 7th edition of Port Harcourt Book Festival holding at Hotel
Presidential. He spoke on the theme ‘Possibilities for Nigeria at 100: Youths
as Underdogs and Misfits’.
Kukah
explained that the duty of government went beyond mere provision of infrastructure
to include an expansion of the space for the engagement of youth energy and
talent to flourish. He noted that the many vices like corruption, greed and
incompetence in government plaguing the country necessarily constricted the
space for the youths to excel, fearing that the youth have also been
compromised on several fronts to cripple their capacity to function properly. He
cited the instances of Microsoft and Facebook founders, Bill Gates and Mark
Zuckerberg respectively, who dropped out of their prestigious universities to
found their iconic brands, not because they were dullards but because they
found the formal way of learning too cumbersome and constricting to their creative
imagination.
The
revered Bishop, who listed 10 areas where youth energy could be better
directed, argued that there were too many youth bystanders who were contented
with merely complaining about their problems rather get their hands dirty and
helping to solve them. According to him, “This fractured world is also full of possibilities;
there are possibilities that are huge, but you must have an eye for them”.
Although
Nigeria may be going through a difficult phase, Kukah said there was a need for
a new narrative after 100 years of existence, which he said lay at the doorsteps
of youths. He, however, expressed the view that there was a need to balance
youth optimism and enthusiasm, as they often got in the way if not properly
managed.
The cleric and public intellectual also stated that it was imperative to
create a balance between youth and the notion of success, which has been
bastardised in the Nigerian context to include dubious and unquestioning means
of acquiring wealth. He charged that youths need to be able to learn their
history so they have a proper perspective on where they are coming from and how
to confidently approach the future. Kukah also situated youth in the contexts
of politics, globalization, anger and protest, saying that the youth were yet
to appropriately express their anger and protest against the villainy of
corruption, greed and incompetence in the public space for genuine change to
happen.
While
advising government to provide an friendly environment for youths to direct
their talents for the development of the country, Kukah also advised youth to,
like the biblical David, find “the stones and sling David used that are around
to kill the Goliath of corruption, under-development, greed, inefficiency” and
other ills plaguing the country.
Earlier Festival Director and a recent national honours recipient, Mrs.
Koko Kalango said that in the country’s march forward, “We have an opportunity
to reflect on our past and explore the opportunities before us that can enable
us build the Nigeria of our dream”, saying the youth were key in the project
hence the festival’s focus on them this year.
Also,
Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, who was represented by a Permanent
Secretary in the Deputy Governor, Mr. Tele Ikuru’s office, Evangelist Eddy
Oloko said, “We must keep hope alive and believe only for the best as one
nation. The festival theme explores the vast potentialities that we have been
endowed with as a nation, with its focus on enlightening the youth and
motivating them to look inward and help create a brighter future for the next
generation”.
The 7th edition of Port Harcourt Book Festival, with its rich weeklong
activities around books, ends on Saturday, October 25.
No comments:
Post a Comment