THINGS FALL APART AS THESE MEN ARE LEAVING

"...Our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart.".... Chinua Achebe

Death, we know is an inevitable end, a phenomenon common to all Humans irrespective of social status. Before I proceed, let me quickly clarify one thing; 'this piece is not written to mourn Chinua'. In my own opinion, Achebe should be celebrated because he lived a worthy life.

Hmmm.....that said, there is actually cause for us, myself especially, to mourn. So, if I am not mourning the literary collosus, then, who/what am I mourning?

In the last few years, our Nation has lost most of her versatile and 'true' leaders and 'World figures' such as Gani Fawehinmi and his likes, and now Chinua Achebe. This situation has increasingly expose Nigerians to serpentine leaders, who are not just primaveral in their thinking but also insouciance to the well being of our Nation. (ff @akinralph11)

As the generation of the Achebes and their likes gradually phases out, the question is, does the current generation of Youths have the wherewithal to step into the shoes of these great giants? I saw on twitter how #thingsfallapart is trending World over. When are we going to have another Achebe, another Gani? From my introductory quote, it is note worthy that the present crop of leaders are doing just that......they are putting a knife on the things that hold our NIGERIA together (Economy, Education, Social Infrastructures,Politics etc) and now, things are falling apart. (ff @akinralph11). Who will SECURE OUR GENERATION?

It is very disheartening that our present generation of Young Men and Women prefer to seek other means of attaining Fame and amassing wealth, many of which are crooked. This is leading us to a pool of intellectual bankruptcy; little wonder the President and his aides (Reuben Abati most especially) could insult the intellectual capacity of Nigerians at will with their 'white lies' and verbal recklessness.

As Youths of this Nation, the onus is on us as a people and as individuals to restore the Nigerian glory....the days when #1 equalled $2, when every Nigerian could afford 3 square meals, the days of FREE education etc. The wealth of this Nation can gracefully see all these through, but, who will go for us? Who will secure our generation so that things will eventually not fall apart?

I must not fail to pay my respect to the great Man at the centre of this piece, Prof Chinua Achebe. Rest on Sir, the World is missing you already. May light perpetual shine upon you.

In all, let's remember, there is the need for us to Secure our Generation even as these great MEN ARE LEAVING.

Adieu Achebe!!!
Long live Nigeria!!!

Akinte Raphael Abiodun
Securing our Generation
(ff @akinralph11)

A NATION SITTING ON A TIME BOMB

I greet you with lowliness of mind and profound alacrity....

Sometimes I just sit and ponder on the kind of future that awaits our Children, a generation which we are meant to secure. But then, it grieves me to recall that our present crop of leaders are those this Nation's treasury was judiciously expended on in the 70s.

I was made to understand that the first student oriented ALUTA in this Nation took place in 1973 because the students were served Turkey instead of. Chicken. If this is true, then shouldn't the present crop of Nigerian Students cum UNEMPLOYED YOUTHS burn down this Nation as a result of inhumane educational and economic policies? I laughed in Swahili when I discovered that the Minister of Education was a former SUG President. Need I say that this sheep in wolves clothing know exactly, the degree of pain they are causing an average Nigerian Student...if u are one of their relatives, tell them they are sitting on a TIME BOMB whose adverse effect will be greater than that of a nuclear reactor.

Maybe you do not understand my pains yet....80% of graduates will continually be jobless even with increasing economic breakthroughs. Permit me to furnish you with this:

According to a recent publication, about 67million Nigerian Youths are jobless while 80 per cent of them do not possess a university degree. Coincidentally the poverty level in Nigeria is rising with almost 100 million people living on less than $1 a day despite strong growth. The two indexes is enough testimony that Nigeria is in for real volcanic migraine headache...then the question is, why won't terrorism thrive? With Ansaru and Boko Haram, and the percentage of unemployed Youths, then Nigeria is truly a Nation sitting on a time bomb.

Ironically the official unemployed Nigerian Youth today, March 2013, is higher than the populations of 18 countries in Africa (67,915,039) put together: Cape Verde (429,474), Mauritius (1,281,214), Sierra Leone (5,867,536), Lesotho (2,171,318), Sao Tome (159,883), Rwanda (10,624,005), Burundi, 8,382,849, Gambia (1,728,394), Togo, (6,027,798), Mauritania (3,459,773), Namibia (2,283,289), Equatorial Guinea (700,401), Djibouti (888,716), Liberia (3,994,122), Guinea (9,981,590), Swaziland (1,186,056), Benin Republic (8,662,086), and Seychelles (86,525).

Data released by the National Bureau of Statistics, Monday, February 13, 2012 indicated that while Nigeria economy could be growing it has been projected that the poverty level is likely to get worse as the gap between the affluent Nigerians and the majority poor Nigerians continues to broaden.
Ironically North-East and North-West, where the Boko Haram sect originated, 76.3% and 77.7% poverty level respectively. Sokoto score is 71.5% and Niger States with 71.5%, topped the list of the poorest states in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Does this not point to you and me that our Nation is SITTING ON A TIME BOMB?


Every now and then, we keep decrying the killings of innocent Nigerians such as witnessed in the Kano bomb blast, yet we refuse, as a Nation and as a people to tackle the root cause of all these menace...POVERTY.


Greatest Nigerian Students, Scholars and Activists!!! From the aforesaid, it is glaring that the gap between Aso Rock and Ajegunle will continue to widen, that the one between the Presidency and our common streets may never be abridged. This will continually spell a doom for our Nation if not addressed.Some Families are been affected today, it could be anyone's tomorrow. Our Nation is sitting on a time bomb, WILL YOU COME TO THE RESCUE?


Solidarity Forever!!!!

Akinte Raphael Abiodun
Securing our Generation