We waited patiently for governor Isiaka Adeleke of Osun state at the Ife city stadium when I was in my primary school days, and the boy more younger. My grandma had taken her time to shape out the creases on my school uniform in competition with other pupils, who knew we could be favoured to be given an award for neatness. We were more than eager to meet the governor as Mr Fasogbon, our head master had already raised our hope that we would become leaders of tomorrow.
The sun was dealing with us, and just as i bought ten kobo 'lolly' (our own form of yoghurt) to quench my thirst, the governor arrived. If not for the escort siren, we wouldn't have believed the announcer because he had deceived us for more than four hours that the governor was close by.
His speech was inspiring and reassuring that we would become leaders of tomorrow.
Over two decades now, it seems we are farther from the tomorrow than before. What have we not done or what should we have done on our part for the tomorrow to have materialised? The present leaders are the ones that have been leading us since independence and they have not seen any reason for us to handle affairs except being used as thugs for elections.
Similarly, i was returning to lagos from school for christmas. I had five hundred naira left on me for fare to my house and the balance budgeted for my sister's 'dodo ikire' (sort of spiced-fried plantain), she wouldn't forget if i did not get it, so, no 'jupiter' could part the money with me. And then a young beautiful fulani girl, approached the bus and started singing 'eni odun ba l'aye o ko korin ope' by Niyi Adedokun. I had not recovered from the shock, as i wondered how she could speak yoruba fluently, when she changed it to Wasiu Sodiq's song. And then she started begging for money after she intimated us with her dream of becoming a lawyer. Maybe she was lying but all i could do was to hand over the money to her, forgo my sister's plantain and shook my head for the nation...When would her tomorrow come?
What is the way forward because many youths have entered their graves without experiencing their tomorrow.
Getting tomorrow must be systemic and not solely on prayers. It is sickening praying to have electricity in my home after a tiring day. Our night is 'night fall in Soweto', sleeping sound is not sure for high level of insecurity.
No political party can give us desired future. What we just need is a working system where there will be laws to punish sabotage of our collective efforts and where every leader is accountable. System where electricity, transportation, education, housing and all sphere of our life are brought to life. When they are fixed, the blame would then solely be on the youths for our own woes. For many of us, we can hold our own even though governmental mud is dragging us back and struggling hard to kill the tomorrow we have designed for ourselves. This directionless course, like an aircraft that disappeared from radar must stop now!
As we call upon God to heal our land, that which we ought to do as leaders and citizens must not be neglected. Policies that will liberate people should be made at all time and given urgent accent. These will increase the chance of living in our tomorrow. And then our unborn children will learn how we stood for their tomorrow even as we realised ours.
Odunmorayo Olalekan Matthew
Author and speech writer
for: Global Purpose Network & purplethoughtsnow.blogspot.com
BBM: 7B2788AA.
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