By Okpo Favour
So, you're a young dude or chic, beautiful,
smart, probably just done with secondary school. The world is amazing; life is
bright. You're slaying up and down. You have a lit IG page with about 6k
followers. You have enough street cred, you have a loyal clique. Your goons are
topnotch. Your gang is wavy. You don't care about governance and politics. You
don't care about it at all. APC or PDP? Mehn, they can all go to hell, you
prefer ICM. You don't care about who goes into power. It’s none of your
business. You're just there for the swag. Lol.
Cool bro, but, may I tell you that you're
just digging a grave for not only yourself, but, for your generation and
generations after you. Sounds harsh But, it's the truth. If we begin to grow a
generation that's just content with the status quo, a generation that doesn't
care about how they are ruled, a generation that's afraid to speak truth to
power, a generation that's lost their voice, then we are breeding a seven-headed
snake. Future generations will come up and blame us for keeping quiet when it
mattered the most. Listen, it’s time to
begin to get interested in what goes on in your country. You know why? Every
policy that's made by the government has a way to affect you.
Generation Z is one amazing generation. The
quality of life and expressions this generation is showing is one that can blow
your mind away. Teenagers are becoming the livewire of everything. Can you
imagine a church without teenagers right now? No. Teenagers are not just being
ignored, no. There is heavy awareness as to the power teenagers carry.
Generation Z starlets are born into the
whole tech world. That’s why young people today do not need to painstakingly
learn how to use tech tools. It’s just like an inborn skill.
What about the media? Teenagers have owned
it. Generation Z have come to revolutionize how we see the media. With Social
Media, they have built massive following. You guys have taken over culture,
dropping one hot trend or slang and the next day it goes viral. You guys have
learned and mastered the art of 'dope' and its cool.
But to what end?
Wait. Are you just gonna be this fly, dope,
popular, cool, suave and all? Are you just gonna be all these and then, it all
ends there? Don't you think there's a whole lot more you could do with all
these attributes, talents and stuff that you've built up.
Just few weeks back in the US, the popular
Kids Choice Awards organized by Nickelodeon was held and I was amazed to see
teenagers make huge political statements. From Zendeya to Jojo Siwa. I
particularly love the denim jacket worn by Millie Bobby Brown which had the
names of the 17 students killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
shooting on the 14th of February, 2018.
Just go to google and search for the name
Emma Gonzalez of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the young girl who
gave a rousing speech after the shooting and called out Mr. President. You need
to see the way this young teenage girl spoke with such vigor.
We must begin to get creative in our
activism. We need to begin to get loud. We need to begin to use our influence
well. We need to begin to use our platforms and stages well. Do you sing, rap,
model, act? Are you popular? Are you influential? Do you have massive followers
on social media? This is the right time to put those into hood use. You should
speak out. Talk. Shout. Sing. Act. Boycott. Wear clothes that send a message.
Dear Teenagers, we must not just sit and
relax. We must get involved. Every year, JAMB changes its procedures to get
admission to universities. Students are left stranded. They have no one to cry
to. Our universities are in ruins. It’s a pathetic sight in our institutions.
Hungry lecturers teaching hungry students.
And then, when you even finally get the
admission, your time in school is not complete until you’ve experienced the
normal flexing of muscles by our lecturers and political leaders called ASUU
Strike.
Students will be at watching movies,
whiling away time, our poor lecturers, hungry; yet it is the least of worries
for those in power. Our students are being murdered by allowing hungry, unpaid,
un-motivated lecturers teach them in our schools. There is no way on earth they
will teach passionately. How then do we now become sound and learned in our
fields? Yet when we graduate, we are called 'half baked', 'unlearned',
'uncultured' and so many other funny names.
We must begin to get angry. Don't be
deceived, anger is good.
If you think all these don't concern you,
you need to think twice. A president’s term lasts for four years. There's a
high possibility of winning a second term. That makes it eight years. Get it
straight. Whoever gets into power might probably in control for the next eight
years.
Now, let's take it personal. You might be
17 right now and have no worries in life. But, think. Eight years from now,
you'll be 25. Probably done with school and in the job market. Then, you'll
join the bandwagon of wailers and complainers whyning about bad governance. You
could have made a little difference few years ago, but, you chose to just be
wavy and wavy alone. Whatever actions are taken by those in power will affect
you for the next four years of your life…for sure, and probably for the next
eight years.
This is the time to ask questions. This is
the time to read. This is the time to be woke. This is the time to be alert.
This is the time to know how to make political choices. Why should Buhari come
back for a second term? Who is Fela Durotoye? Who is Sowore? Why has Atiku been
trying to become President for so long? Yes, ask these questions and more. Get
interested. That’s the first step.
It is because we are not interested, we
then become ignorant. Hence, we can easily be fooled. Yes, when you don't know
something, you'll be easily deceived.
2019 is coming. The politicians have
started strategizing. They know that teenagers are a strong force. They know
that teenagers exist in large numbers. But, trust me, that’s not the only thing
they know. They also know that this seemingly large army of teenagers are
clueless, gullible and completely disinterested in politics. They don't know
their right from wrong. And so, it makes it easy to deceive them.
So, watch and see, they will hit you guys
hard. I know the strategy they will use. It’s called the 'Data Strategy'. Yes,
watch and see. With data, teenagers will lose their heads, they will sell their
conscience, votes, voice.
What's the one thing you guys love?
Data!
They will start sharing data. And yes, the
clueless, gullible and easily deceived teenagers will be bribed by data and
sell their future for just access to slay on IG.
This is why you must get your PVC. It is a
very big shame for you to be 18 years and above, and currently do not have a
PVC. We won't be their pawns this time around. And that’s why we need to be
woke. We need to be knowledgeable. We need to know what's going on. We need to
slay in politics too. Our voice needs to be heard.
Gone are those days when we were just a
demography. Now, we are a major force. Teenagers are not just sitting and
watching things happen. We are taking the bulls by the horns. We are a new
voice. We are aware. We are conscious. We are angry. We are smart. We have
questions to ask. We want to be involved. We are here to stay and there's
nothing anyone can do about it.
The movement has started! Create Your
Tomorrow!
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