It’s 2011, and it’s our time!

 
In 25 days, our nation will head to the polls again in a process that has happened every 4 years for the past 12 years.
Before these elections, average young Nigerians were carefree about the process as it is widely believed that votes do not count in our country. This has left our dear nation for dead in the hands of corrupt, bungling and miserable politicians who have continued to destroy the very essence of our nationhood over the years.
Our economy is a mess with companies closing shop by the day; the education system is in a sorry state; affordable and quality healthcare is out of the reach of an average citizen; electricity and other infrastructure can only be compared to that of failed states like Somalia, to name a few challenges. 

In 2008, our country of 150 million people was 68th in a list of countries ranked by electricity production with just a little above 2000MW while South Africa, with less than 50 million people ranked 16th with over 24,000MW of electricity output. The political class in our country has taken us for a ride for too long, partly because of our lack of positive participation as the youth of the nation. Now is the time for change; it’s 2011 and it’s our time!

The future of our nation is in our hands as young Nigerians, however, the position of respect and recognition by the elders is what we have to earn and do all we have and devising all our energy to upstage the mendacious elders who have refused to leave and have successfully turned our country into a dungeon of corruption and a place of misery for the common citizenry.

The cost of the world’s biggest dam with about 20,000MW output capacity is $24.65b, however more than that amount of money is claimed to have been spent on Nigeria’s ailing power sector in the last 12 years, even as darkness persist all across our nation. It is no doubt that a huge percentage of the said monies might have ended up in private bank accounts all across the globe from Switzerland to London and from New York to Beijing. The politicians will rather see a thriving generator industry rather than putting power in our homes and offices as clearly stated by one of them a few months ago, forgetting that electricity is a basic right of the citizenry. But I tell you, that has to stop, the time is now for us as young Nigerians to take control of our destiny and begin to reshape the destinies of those coming after us. It’s a call of duty for our generation from the generation that’s to come, for us to say no to bad leadership in our nation. It’s 2011 and it’s our time!

Unlike what obtains in developed and even many developing countries like ours, most of the wealthiest individuals are those currently in leadership positions and those who have been there at some point in the history of our country. These group of corrupt past and present leaders have embezzled unprecedented levels of wealth for personal gains at the expense of good and quality education, quality and affordable healthcare, infrastructural development, security of lives and properties and of course, national prosperity. The actions of these ruthless leaders have put our country on the brink of collapse, and so I say to you this day, this bunch of political miscreants must be stopped this time. It’s 2011 and it’s our time!

Enough is Enough Nigeria as a coalition of youth-led organizations and individuals has created a platform and kicked-off the movement for the change that we all need. My fellow young Nigerians, with inspiration of what’s possible from Washington to Cairo, from Tunis to Tripoli there is no better time to rescue our homeland from the agents of destruction parading themselves as leaders and politicians who have practically held us hostage for decades, by ensuring that votes count and the outcome of the 2011 polls is no less than the wish of the voters. It’s 2011 and it’s our time!

Regardless of the side we choose, history is written anyway, today, as the youth of this nation we are faced with the choices of either sticking with status quo and continue to be careless and be silent, continue to be afraid and weary of change, or to bravely embrace change by standing up against corruption in all it forms from wherever it may exist; standing up against economic slavery and oppression, inefficient, deceptive and unaccountable leadership; standing up against hypocrisy and lack of representation in government; standing up against godfatherism and favoritism in our political and economic processes. Whatever choice we make today, history will be written and our chapter will be filled.

In a few decades from now, our children will be expected to be here and run the country; the choices we make today will shape the story of their tomorrow. We have the power today to define the moments of tomorrow; we have the power to shape the destiny of those coming after us and give hope to the generation that is yet to be born. We can not continue to wait and watch as the leadership of this country continues to hold us hostage, the time is right for us to act today and take back our country, start the process of rebuilding so we can leave here better than we met it, rather than leaving the country worse than we met it as some of our parents have. Young Nigerians, it’s 2011, and it’s our time!

As a young Nigerian, I challenge you today to do what’s right for your generation and the ones after your. If you have registered to vote, take  your time to select credible candidates in the next 25 days based on track record, position on issues of national importance, substance of personality and ability to perform rather than geographical or tribal sentiments. Go out to vote on election days and be ready to work and partner with Enough is Enough Nigeria to learn more about how to protect your votes and be prepared to do so with all your heart. Log on to www.eienigeria.org, sign up as a member, wait for information and be ready to be part of history.

We as the youth of Nigeria have the power to set our country on the path of glory and national prosperity once again if we put our minds to it. Lets get to work people! It’s 2011, it’s our time and there’s no better time. 

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria!