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The current situation in Nigeria also challenges the media both print and electronic. The current situation in Nigeria where the media is biased and unwilling to cross muddy waters pinpoint the failures of the media, and highlights the lack of journalistic integrity in contemporary Nigeria. Our media houses and journalists have failed us as gatekeepers and agents of social justice.
There is no doubt that the Nigerian media is recovering from the fear of many years of oppression by previous military dictatorships in which legitimate media houses were closed, journalists perceived as traitors to national security arrested and imprisoned and freedom of the press stifled. Our current political dispensation promises that the media will not be harassed or subdued, so the onus is on our youthful journalists to engross themselves in a more investigative journalism poised at exposing government officials whose nefarious acts of corruption and other social and economic injustices today present a bleak future for Nigerians, born and unborn.
The call for an alliance of all well-meaning youth-led organizations in Nigeria is growing. Together we can achieve more than we can individually. Our goals and aspirations for Nigeria share a common background and rooted in the ideals of peace, progress and prosperity, but our ideas are challenged by the fragmentation of our agenda, coupled with limited human and material resources.
We need to help build a Nigeria where poverty and despair for the majority of our population are challenged with the resources we have; we need to help build a society where our youth are not constantly harassed on arrival at foreign countries because they are by default deemed criminals or flight risks; we need to help build the generation that will build our nation. Our youth could help build sustainable democracy and democratic institutions. The Nigerian youth could foster the election of individuals with democratic legitimacy and shy away from short-term gains and long-term losses involved in supporting individuals with questionable character.
For most of us, our role models are our parents and elders, but unfortunately this generation has for the most part failed us, meaning we have to develop our own model of problem-solving and critical analysis of the contemporary reality facing the youth. We cannot remain complacent of the reality of a typical Nigerian youth who is faced with the quagmire of whether to eat, cloth or find adequate housing. In the land of plenty, in the land blessed with enormous human and material resources, the youth should not be faced with the challenge of sourcing clean water, health care, education and non-existent employment opportunity.
The challenges facing the Nigerian youth and indeed Nigeria is growing, and with crude oil recently reaching the $100 dollar mark in the international market, we need to begin to mobilize ourselves and develop a unified voice that could question the idea of business as usual among our elitist politicians. We need to fight for a safer society that will discourage brain drain and help build sustainable economy and democracy. It is by challenging the status quo that women today are able to vote across many countries; it is by challenging the status quo that racial segregation was ended in America, and it is only by challenging the status quo that change can come to Nigeria. By the youth coming together across Nigeria with a unified but non-violent voice, change could be brought to our beloved country Nigeria, and posterity could be assured of a better future.
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Writer Profile
Pedus
I was born in Nigeria and was educated in Nigeria, USA and Australia. I am the founder and president of Christina-Mae Recruitment Consortium Australia and the author of the book "When Things Go Wrong: Concepts of Change". I am also the co-founder of Child Aid Survival and Development International (CASDI). As a freelance journalist, I have contributed to a number of professional journals and newspapers, as well as worked in a number of e-journalism projects. I have traveled extensively and currently call Australia and the USA home with extensive involvement in African Human Rights issues.
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Comments
kwara state. oyedeji kayode | Jul 10th, 2010
good-day, my names are oyedeji kayode. please how can we be a great member of this org. and how can we inform everybody in kwara state so that they will be involved. i know you guys aim is to change the situation of this nation and take off all those greedy leaders we had in Nigeria. thanks.
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