The dream of salvaging our dear nation to the haven of hope-where the son of nobody can become somebody without knowing anybody-needs well cut-out tactics for it to materialize. Of course, hardly any warrior has won a battle without adopting strategic actions. And more often than not, it is not plurality but effectiveness that makes strategies work. After all, according to Josh Billings, life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you have well.
In the context of Nigeria, number is a crucial factor in bringing about the paradigm shift we hope to see. It is a game of numbers! It takes more than celebs, more than the educated, and more than the politically inclined to build the nation. All hands need to be on deck. In essence, a key strategy is to bring people, in droves, to the train of a new Nigeria. Do not allow your neighbour to be a doubting Thomas at this moment. Persuade the nay-sayers. Convince as many people as possible that we need them to realize the dream of a new Nigeria. Number is something we cannot but use to our advantage. When an election comes, complacency from anyone will double the time it takes for Nigeria to convalesce from her maladies. Everyone old enough to vote should not hold back at election time. No more I don’t care attitude! Also, when it is time to hold the government we put in place accountable, let us all, not just some activists, hold our leaders responsible. We have a dense youthful population; let us utilize this number judiciously. “None of us alone can change the nation or the world. But each of us can make a positive difference if we commit ourselves to do so.”-Cornel West
Come to think of it, we are where we are today because we have always entrusted our salvation to the hands of politicians. We have often ignored to do what only we, the people, can do for all of us. America is great today because 19th and 20th century Americans, majorly entrepreneurs like Henry Ford, dwelled on what they could do for America instead of waiting endlessly for the government to make things right. Indisputably, Nigeria is home to many of the most enterprising people on earth. Although the likes of Shola Akinlade and Ezra Olubi of PayStack, Allen Onyema of Air Peace, and Mike Adenuga of Globacom are a beacon of hope in a landscape with lots of factors that wants Nigeria to be perpetually moribund, more entrepreneurs need to rise up now than ever, notwithstanding. If you need to acquire a skill, now is the time to do it. And if you must learn a trade, please do it now. Farm a land. Start a business. Feed a child. Help a neighbour. In every way you can, add value to society. This is how to build a strong nation: everyone brings value to the table. Society only listens to those who have value to add. Although, yes, only the lazy youths can expect to be silenced by the government without consequences, people who add value will always have a voice.
Today, technology is, perhaps, the most powerful tool at our disposal. What can we do with it? A lot! One, we can grow our economy with it. Two, we can leverage the power of social media to engrave the idea of a New Nigeria into the consciousness of all and sundry. Three, we can use existing technologies to facilitate social amenities for all. The list is endless. The possibilities are limitless. Technology is the bane of the 21st century, and we can only hope to win a 21st-century war with a 21st-century weapon. Glad enough, Nigerian youths are at the forefront of using technology to create a life of ease in Africa. A few names come to mind: Olanrewaju Emmanuel Akintunde, an Android engineer; Odunayo Eweniyi, the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of PiggyVest; Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, Founder Flutterwave & Co-founder of Andela. These and many other youths are creating social values via technology. Perhaps we have reasons to rejoice but no reason to relent. We can do more in our numbers! We can be more intentional in using technology to affect the status quo in Nigeria.
This is the summary: Run for election in the coming election if you have what it takes to make things better, and otherwise use your votes to put the right people in power. Technocrats, use your trade not only for personal profits but also for the good of all and sundry. ” No one should be discouraged by the belief that there is nothing one person can do against the enormous array of the world’s ills, misery, ignorance, and violence. Few will have the greatness to bend history, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events. And in the total of all those acts will be written history of a generation”-Robert F. Kennedy
Johnson Oyero 