Saturday, August 25, 2012

“Government alone cannot Fight Boko Haram, Youths must join hand’

 

Abdullahi Abdulmajeed is the President Nigerian Youth United Action Coalition NYUAC and Convener of the First Multi-stakeholders dialogue summit, spoke with selected Journalists on why Governmnet alone cannot tackle insecurity among other youths related issues, AYODELE SAMUEL was there for Peoples Daily Weekend.



As a youth what are your major concern about Nigeria?

As a youth of this country, I  continue to feel the pain of seeing fellow citizens suffer untoward distress; physical and psychological torment while the country continues to lose precious lives daily,as a youth of this country, am saddened when i see the outcome of long years of hard work and huge monumental investments being destroyed daily, namely; schools, hospitals, bridges, institutional buildings, private residences, investments and various industries, As a youth of this country i feel aggravated by the sight of colossal and apparent signs of the disintegration of our dear country manifesting in startling proportion daily.

Uncertainty and despair is fast becoming commonplace in most parts of the country and the people are crying out for peace. As a group of youths united in action, we stand amongst a large and growing community of young people who have committed time and resources to the imperative task of re-examining what really are the underlying factors responsible for ethno religious crisis and insurgency in Nigeria. This review has left us appalled at the web of contradictions, the fragile "evidence," the accountability denied and the seeming inability to tackle the menace of violence and terrorism.

I have come to the conclusion that a mass citizens support and participation in the collective quest to rid this country of all factors and elements of under-development will definitely reposition the country and its people firmly on the pathway of sustainable development.

We are aware that development is grossly impossible in the absence of peaceful coexistence and harmony. We are appalled by the seeming willingness of some people in this country to accentuate the status quo (with little more than a whisper of criticism), a deeply troubling indication as to the state of our Republic.

What will you say is the problem of our Nation getting to this alarming state of insecurity?

Under- development and poverty is getting accentuated at an alarming rate. It is instructional to note that Nigeria as a country has gone through difficult moments, characterized by the prevalence of ethno religious violence and of course political destabilization crisis that has resulted in the loss of thousands of precious Nigerian lives, separation of families and the destruction of economic and social infrastructures.

The reoccurring crisis amplified by the emerging trend of insurgency and terrorism has compelled thousands of Nigerians to abandon their places of domiciliation to seek refuge in their towns of origin or in neighboring states. While the country battles perennially with ethno religious and political crisis with the quantum of dismal and far reaching consequences on innocent citizens unabated, a new and more dangerous dimension of hostility and bloodshed has suddenly resurfaced in the annals of Nigeria affairs. Militancy, insurgency and several acts of terrorism are fast becoming the medium adopted by different segments of the country's population to register some form of discontent, reservation, cry of marginalization or alienation of their ethno-religious groups or regions. Our major concern is that young people who are also the most vulnerable to the aftermath effects of these incidents are mostly used to power the uprisings ignorantly. This crisis is gradually destroying our social fabric and threatening to paralyze our economy.

Since the October 1st 2010 bomb blast and the ethno-religious crisis that followed the 2011 general elections in some parts of the country, peace has remained elusive for our country. The rise of militancy (South and West) and insurgency (North) that is threatening to snowball into full-scale terrorism or/ and civil war if unmitigated is alarming and detrimental to our continued coexistence as a country. An ominous cloud of suspicion has increasingly colored our culture of fear, as wide spread and reoccurring violence, misinformation, sharp division and disagreement at all levels have suddenly become the order of the day.

Mass killings in the name of religion resulting in mutual distrust and hatred across ethnic and religious lines is seriously impeding the growth and development of this country thus rapidly pushing it unto the precipice of a full blown civil war and state of anarchy.

Many Nigerians across all divides are beginning to contemplate and even hold firm belief and reliance on the disintegration of our country as the only cure for all the ills presently witnessed in the country. This is a negative proposition that urgently needs to be suppressed with concrete words and action in the interest of all the peoples of this nation.

You're organizing a summit to bring the youths together to talk about peace, what gingered this action?

Basically, first and foremost, Nigeria belongs to all of us. And youths happens to be the most populated sector in the country, if this country works, it works for us and we will benefit even more than those in government and if this country fails, we will lose more than they lose.

This uneasy  calm that will have in some part of the country, it is obvious that there are a whole lot of problems. These are problems that government alone cannot resolve and it is in view of this that we brought together stakeholders who can complement efforts of government and other institutions to secure solutions to the problems of Nigeria.

As a preliminary effort to lay a foundation for the proposed national dialogue to consult widely and integrate the input and opinion of all stakeholders into the summit agenda, the summit group has decided to host a final pre-summit conference after the regional grassroot conferences with leaders of all major youth organisations, civil society organisations and faith based groups in order to ensure that the proposed multi-stakeholders dialogue summit is all inclusive and encompassing of every diverse interest in the country.

What will you describe as the objective of this summit?

The Nigerian Youths Multi-Stakeholders Dialogue Summit Group have convened to unfold the possibility of the power and beauty of united action with mutual understanding; tolerance and trust across every ethno-religious divide in this country as a most fundamental asset and foundation to strive towards the sustainable development and growth of our dear country, Nigeria needs peace.

 

The activities of the Boko Haram and insecurity in general had been causing disunity in the country how do you think the youths can come together to fight insecurity?

I will lend my credence from certain consultations in the cause of the grassroots mobilizations. As I speak, I have visited about 26 states of the country in the course of this programme alone. I have held geo-political zone consultations discussing with real youths. In the course of speaking with the people, we discovered that we have youths who say see if Boko Haram come and recruit me to go and throw bomb somewhere, I will throw bomb if they will pay me good money, I don't have a job and am even useless so what is my life about. We can understand that reason while this problem keeps on in the air aside political undertone is socio-economic inequality. People are not empowered, not engage, they cannot even provide food on their own table. They get enemies of the state recruited easily, that is why we are coming on the government to engage the youths so as to get holistic solution to the problems of the country.

Do you think Jonathan government is doing enough to tackle the insecurity in the state?

The government is spending resource in tackling the challenges of socio-political crisis, insurgencies and militaries but little is being done to attack the underlining constant factors that are responsible for these problems that we have. We do not have appropriate constitutional settlement, the youths are largely unemployed, they unengaged and not empowered, a lot of mutual disgust in the air, we required national reconciliation, integration, social harmony which government have not delegate required resource to. The youths should stop making noise on the streets it will not take us anywhere. The youths cannot ordinarily leave the street, to say we want to engage the government to identity what are our problems, until the government show some sense of sincerity and ensure this people are empowered. Spending so much money on security is done just to contain it temporarily. But at the long if the youths can be well taken care of, obviously, the country will be at the cross road of violence. Yesterday it was NigerDelta, today is Boko Haram, tomorrow may be another sect from the kagi dam, hydro-power producing communities may be agitating to cut off power from the country.

Do you back the call for the National Sovereign Conference?

Yes, I backed, the call for the national conference, but the word Sovereign is the major challenge that as make the conference difficult for the government to convene. What we are saying is that take the sovereign away and call it a national conference that will bring people of the different ethnics call Nigeria together to decide how they want to co-exist and appropriate way to live together as a country.

And the youth say ‘We Are Frustrated’

 

The roundtable started as a newsstand argument between some 'street boys' before retiring to a tree shade at Ogba Bus stop in Lagos, Ayodele Samuel who witness the scenes reports.

 

 

Sunday 12th of August was a day set aside by the United Nations as International Youth Day, to many young people it's just another jamboree but in Ogba it turned out to be revelation of frustration.



While commenting on the news at the free readers stand, Ayokunle Oloye walked into the group of young men and the unplanned debate about corruption and state of the Nation got started amidst noise and counter arguments.




Taking turns to express their frustration at the level of corruption in our country, the meeting became more rowdy as time passed until the vendor suggested a free Taxi Park behind as venue for us to continue our meeting.




The youth, attributed the closure of many manufacturing industries in the country to growing insecurities saying an idle hands will remains the devil workshops.




"if there's no work for us to do we will take up to crime, many of us here are graduates with BSC, HND but we are veteran Okada riders, we are here shouting, nothing will change if this government does not provide jobs," one of the discussant said.



 

Many others expressed sadness over the way the country was being run, saying that their future was being toyed with.




Drawing attention to the theme of the 2012 International Youth Day,, "Building a Better World: Partnering with Youth" Oloye suggested that a movement should be convene from the meeting called "The Frustrated Nigerian Youths".






The spectators appointed Oloye who was trying to coordinate the process as the convener, and Mr. Paul Mbagwu, as Co-ordinator, suggesting that the debate should be taken to social networks (Facbook)  after which the youths said the future of the nation was bleak.

In a declaration issued after the meeting signed by more than 50 youths who register with the newly created movement, said "The youths, the hope and future of the nation, are living a frustrated life which is evident in our day to day activities, the conditions the Nigerian Youths are subjected to in their own country where milk and honey flows unabated to the coffers of their ruling class is degrading, demeaning and appalling!"

The declaration reads in part: We have the resources but our wasteful leaders and government has continue to plundered our future into irreparable states, playing politics at our detriment, We are rejecting this.

Our education system has completely crumbled and has become a disaster, churning our graduates who realize they do not fit into the scheme of national building, and are a shadow of what the classes attended make of them. 

More than 50 million of us remain jobless because our manufacturing industries have closed shop due to bad business environment orchestrated by those whom we regularly entrust our lives and resources to.

Out of frustration our youths have taken to crime in the society; more hopelessly hundreds of our youths are committing suicide on a daily basis, engaging in detrimental ventures in a quest to fill up the gaps created by a system that has refused to attend to their basic needs.

The sad part is that corruption has eaten deep into the very fabric of the society. It is in the homes, the schools, the offices - everywhere. We are thieves in some way best known to each of us. Integrity and honesty are rare commodities in these part of the continent. Several of us already have the predisposition to also enrich ourselves if, by chance, we get into an elective office or some parastatal or agency.

Good roads are not PRIVILEGES, they're our rights! Good education, good health care delivery systems, decent accommodations, pipe borne water - all these are rights! Government is obligated to provide them!"

It would be fair enough to say we don't have a government because, you generate your own electricity, buy your own water, you are your own security, etc. 

A lot of Nigerian Youths have lost every sense of decency. They have become as barbarians, quite unconscionable and in plain terms, wicked! The national psyche has been battered so hard by decades of rapacious leadership, government and deprivation that we have now turned on ourselves, rather than on our oppressors, and are now devouring ourselves like wild beasts.

There's no such thing as free freedom. If we do not pay the price for freedom today, we will all leave the task to our children and God forbid that they do not loathe and curse the memory of very existence when they view places like South-Africa where their  forebears fought and won freedom from repressive elements for the enjoyment of generations yet unborn."
The youths however affirm that, "No matter what is going on in Nigeria, there is hope! We have raised our hope and we are working to build a Nigeria of our own; a government where the people's interest will prevail the interest of our selfish political and economy leaders."

The newly created group said talks will been initiated with uneducated, educated, political expose and local traders across the country on the need to stand for good governance.

The group in its demand urge Federal Government  to brace up and bring a lasting solution to the state of insecurity and an end to Boko Haram insurgency .

The group also calls youth involvement in policy and decision making process in  Nigeria.