My Generation.... In our time

Euphoria does not last very long for me. Usually, upon the accomplishment of some task, one is expected to have a feeling of, well, goodness ( for want of a better word), which raises your spirits to some point where your person seems to transcend every possible limitation that your environment can offer. Even if it is for a fleeting moment.

Alas, for me, that moment is less than fleeting. More like milliseconds, because the moment the high of achievement starts to elevate me, the realist that we all seem to possess (if you've read Carl Jung's work and his theory of a collective consciousness that is shared by all human beings) starts to remind me
of the very glaring, obvious - but not insurmountable limitations of my environment.

This is not about the purported "agreement" that has been reached between ASUU and the Federal Government - although it was a catalyst. It might seem like over-flogging the issue, and prudence would say to let sleeping dogs lie and let us all get back to doing things the way we have been doing them - the "Nigerian" way. But then, it would just be keeping with the trends of the times in which we live, and the time that was before that, and the time before that as well. We always fail to learn from our lessons!!!!. Who knows, maybe it might be proven by the "oyinbo" researcher as a general black man thing, just the way they came up

with some ludicrous thingy about our swimming abilities as a race. Damn you Michael Phelps!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The generations preceding ours always like to tell us about "the good old days". When if you went to school, you were guaranteed of getting a good job, a Naira was equivalent to a dollar, and generally people could be trusted,and when they ate a full chicken in school. It is only natural for anyone to think his/her era was the best and the purest - ask Atilla The Hun, he would tell you!!!!. But here is what they consciously and graciously ignore - that the generation that they were raised in is chiefly responsible for the problems that they nag about, and that we have to live with as a people.

Let's take it from this angle, Nigeria just turned 49. One year short of the diamond age of 50 (correct me is I am wrong about that oh, I am not perfect), and I saw quite a few mixed reactions about it on our friendly neighborhood social network application - Facebook duh.
While some were jubilant, praying, some were pissed, some were optimistic, some almost gave up hope of things ever even thinking of pointing (not moving ,mind you) in a positive direction. The point here is this, we keep bitching, hoping, praying , prophesighing(that is how they pronounce it in some places oh!!!!), but really we never do anything concrete to affect the situation, at least not in positive manner.

I saw a video recently, and the twat that recorded it really pissed me off.

Here is the basic gist, twat here was about to travel out to Istanbul (hope he speaks Turk) from the MMIA, and through the departure tunnel that led to the area that the flight was going to boarded from, there was no lighting (why that was, the moronic nagging buffoon didn't bother to ask, and hence left it out of the video).

Who knows, the circuitry for that tunnel might have failed, there was no lighting. And this moron had to go on and on about HA!, Nigeria, International Airport, no light, my country, big shame, blah blah blah. Of course, our super-sized egos never let us point the blaming finger in our direction.

Here is me on it, tell us something we don't know!!. In case the whiner didn't realize, these things happen in other countries that we aspire to be.There is no light in the country. And he failed to make mention of the fact the an airport authority official was trying to effect the situation by getting a rechargeable lamp to lead the passengers through the tunnel.

Before you draw knives, I admit it was kind of depressing, but someone decided to do something RIGHT. Not just something, she made the attempt - minuscule and insignificant as it seemed, and it made a huge impression, on me at least. She got them through the tunnel.

The new fad among people my age is to start taking leadership courses. Nothing wrong with them, if anything they should be encouraged. But ladies and gentlemen of my generation, it takes more to be a leader than speaking plenty grammar, wearing fine suit, playing determined, reading the bible, praying, buying the leadership seminar material etc. It takes doing something substantial, tangible. Effective.


Now, here are a few things we should realize, the people that organize these programs, do so in the hope that you will take certain lessons from them ,and apply them across a variety of facets in your life - personal and social, not just financial and spiritual. But lo and behold, their effort ends up in play acting and the creation of an appearance of determination by the "leaders of tomorrow".

As disjointed as these arguments may seem, keep calm and let me illustrate the link. Twat above was going to Istanbul - and i seriously hope it was for business, because that funny I am American/British/Aussie from Naija accent won't get him far. He didn't have any possible idea to even identify that a valid attempt at a solution was being executed in front of him, for him!!!!!!!

That woman was a leader, the same way Fashola is, she saw a problem to be solved, and attempted to solve, even in the most inadequate of environments. Which is better and more than most people have ever done in their entire existences!!

Where were we. The way forward. Let's take a cue from those who came before us, so as to avoid their mistakes and keep us from being grumpy old people in 35 years, who will have to listen to members of that generation tell us (rudely albeit, children are getting saucier by the year) we have failed them. I personally see it as torture if i have to listen to my children ask me why we let things get so bad. What answer(s) will I give them? None. The same way none was given, because there are no answers. Effort is not rewarded, only results. My brother told me this, and I take it to heart in everything I do.

Let us start with the ideal way things should be, and not take quick fixes. If a building is going to come down to achieve the better tomorrow we all crave, so be it. So I start by suggesting these for our current ASUU quagmire:

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) should:

1. Be part of the negotiations as much as ASUU and the FG. heck, it's our educational sector as much as it is theirs. It is OURS.
2. They should compel the FG and ASUU to put whatever common grounds they reach into writing. Legally binding writing. Such that this will be the last strike that we will witness for 50 years!!!


Until this is done, let's put up a stand and tell them we won't be National Resilience Limit statistics survey participants anymore. Tell them, that until they solve this problem with a seal of permanency, that they do not have students, that they do not have a system. That they have NOTHING.

I would rather stay at home than plead to be passed out into a system that is primed for failure. Let's get the wheels turning in the right direction, please I beg you.

I don't know what else to say. If we don't fix it ourselves, they never will. Because they never tried. Rather than us bitch about the possible might that we have as a country and as a generation, and the lows that we currently are in like the Istanbul bound twat. Let us knuckle down and do everything that is possible to fix it.

My words are my first line of offense. My actions are next. The discipline with which I act will be the third. Let's roll up the sleeves, and do the work.

The Nigeria we dream about, it's existence and continued existence lies in the content of our actions towards making it happen!!!

If our world is in darkness, then we are the light. When we shine, our world glows. Period.