It is obvious that many current Nigerian youths have not experienced what a decent and disciplined (egalitarian) society looks like. Just as many young people in most Arabian countries have never experienced peace in their lives but were born and had lived with war. They therefore feel that life is like a jungle full of violence and war. Many Nigerians are alien to true democracy and good governance. They have neither read a book nor were taught how to achieve this. Many of those who experienced decent societies and good governance in Europe and America keep the information to themselves and in most cases try to prove that it is not meant for Nigerians. They regard them as western culture not meant for Nigerians. In Nigeria, we have had only few months of imposed decency attained in military eras. Meanwhile, many Nigerians believe that nothing good can come out of the military. Someone even designed an erroneous saying that “the worst democracy in Nigeria is better that the best military” and people swallowed this error hook, line and sinker. This can be true in some other countries but not in Nigeria.
A decent society is one where people are united, patriotic and lawful. It is a society where people speak with one voice in condemning evil. It is a society where the nation’s interest comes before individuals. It is a society where people’s rights and freedom are respected and upheld. A decent society is one where the choice of leadership is by quality and not where you come from or what you believe in. It is a society where quality products are promoted and fake and adulterated ones collectively nipped in the bud. It is a place where the will of the people are sacrosanct and their choice of leaders willingly respected. It is a society where hard work is promoted, respected and encouraged while laziness is condemned. It is a society where election rigging is a crime. It is a society that keeps improving in science and technology.
Unfortunately, what we have experienced from the time of independence to the present day where many Nigerians fall in age range is a society where people struggle to be one and united. A society bruised by war and anarchy; a society where leaders are hoisted on people willy-nilly; a society where people force themselves into leadership positions and through that recklessly plunder public wealth. We have a society where military intervention is so intermittent that people look at it as alternative to democracy. We live in a society where idleness brings so much wealth while hard work is thrown in the trash can; a society where law and order are not respected.
What models did many Nigerian youths meet in the country? What does their ideal society look like? What is their idea of a just and egalitarian society? To the Nigerian youths today, democracy is freedom to do whatever you like. They believe that power belongs to the elected and their cronies. That once you have power and authority, you become lawless and of course nobody questions this. They believe that the armed forces are above the law especially when they put on their uniforms. That is why many people display their armed forces uniforms, belts, and stickers in their cars. Members of the armed forces hardly pay for their transport fares in commercial vehicles especially in Lagos, Nigeria and nobody challenges them. People use armed forces uniforms to commit crime because of such phobia.
They believe that you cannot win an election in Nigeria if you do not have a godfather and millions of naira(or has it gone up to billions?). You cannot be president or governor unless you come from certain area or belong to certain faith organization. You cannot get a job or a contract unless you know somebody or know somebody who knows somebody. It is believed that you cannot pass exams or gain admission in schools unless you grease some palms. All preach hard work but very few really believe in hard work. Many follow the easy way to an end. The best way to revive this country is to begin a re-orientation, not necessarily to be initiated by government but by a few who understand where the rain started beating us.
