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Righting The Wrongs In Nigeria Through Revolution.

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Righting The Wrongs Through Revolution

Righting The Wrongs Through Revolution

We are poorer today than we were at independence in 1960, victims of the resource curse and rampant, entrenched corruption. Agriculture which was once the economy’s mainstay, is struggling. In many parts of the country today, the government is unable to provide security, good roads, adequate water supply, quality healthcare, reliable power and education. The situation is particularly dire in the far north. Frustration and alienation drive many to join “self-help” ethnic, religious, community or civic groups, some of which are hostile to the state. In all of these, do we succumb to defeat or rise up in united front to change these choking imprints? We must not resign to fate, with every fall; we shall trudge on until we purge ourselves of this collective affliction.

Two types of revolution for me exist, one done through peaceful negotiations, a non-violent proceedings through thorough engagements with the authorities involved. And the other, through violent, non-negotiable means. This second approach in most cases are resolved to when all other means of peaceful resolution fails. Whatever path you take in the journey to revolution, there’s always a price to pay, some of which are steep, while others even more steeper. No step is easy and the paths taken, never smooth. In Nigeria today, there is a divide. Aside the divide we all know have existed from time immemorial, a divide inspired and motivated by ethnic sentiments and religious differences, the present divides came as a result of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls. A thing that have drafted Nigerians into fractions, fractions inspired by political sentiments. Be that as it may, the Bring Back Our Girls Advocacy Group is a very good case of the first type of revolution i mentioned above. Non-violent, very civil in their demand and most of all, engaging through negotiations, the right authorities.

Not too many people understands what revolution means and what it involves. To some, the picture they have in mind is a country in chaos, where mothers can’t lay hands on their children and fathers won’t be found nearby because they’re too busy fighting to survive and not knowing the whereabouts of their families, blood everywhere on the street with no one or where to run to. Yes, there are instances where such is the case but that’s primitive and uncivilized. Modern day revolution comes with a high powered moves geared towards the launch of organized campaigns and sustained engagements with single issue in mind. For any revolution to work, it must be a collective struggle never an individual one. Meaning that every sentiments, ethnic, religious and political affiliation loyalty must be kept aside for the ultimate goal of change. Nigerians have longed for this change, they have made this struggle time and time again but, the reason they have not recorded success is because sentiments (and compromise) still rule their minds and poverty still control their thoughts.

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The young people of today may never be able to right the wrongs done by those who led them in the past and still leading them today if they don’t wake up to the reality that stare them in the face. For a holistic revolution to take place in Nigeria, a good number of the young people must raise their voices, ask questions, and make their demands. The most daring thing for young people to do is to stand up to their leaders in order to create stable communities in which the terrible disease of unaccountability, poverty, inequality and injustice can be cured.

Good habits according to Aristotle, formed at youths make all the difference. With the way things have gone in Nigeria, one thing i have repeatedly seen or rather observed, is that very few in this great country of ours will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation. As a reflective beacon of hope, no matter our perspectives, the Bring Back Our Girls Advocacy Group hold the illuminating light in the quest for the elusive peace that has deluded our dear nation. No more time for blame game but round table assemblage where far reaching solutions are pooled and applied to the myriad of excruciating quagmire we find ourselves. For us to right the wrongs in Nigeria, we must be prepared to pay the big price of sacrifice.

Long live the great nation called NIGERIA!

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Jeff Okoroafor is a leading member of a new generation of civic advocates for government accountability and democratic change in Nigeria. The Citizen Affairs Initiative is a citizen-driven governance initiative that enhances public awareness on critical issues of service quality in Nigeria. It encourages citizens to proactively seek higher standards from governments and service providers and further establishes new discussions in communities about the standards that citizens should expect and deserve from those they have given their mandates. Jeff is the Managing Director of SetFron Limited, a multimedia development company that is focused on creative and results-driven web, mobile app, and ERP software solutions. He is the co-founder of the African Youths Advancement and Support Initiative (AfriYasi), a non-governmental not-for-profit organisation that provides tertiary education scholarship for young people from low-income homes in Nigeria. He is a Fellow of the Young African Leaders Initiative and the United Nations World Summit Awards. A Strategic Team member of the Bring Back Our Girls movement, and a member of the National Technical Committee on the Establishment and Management of Missing Persons Database in Nigeria. Jeff holds a Bachelor and Postgraduate diploma degrees in Computer Science, and a Certificate in Public Administration from Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, GIMPA.

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