Build The Youth Build The Nation

 The Youth Must Stand Up, fight and Deliver The Future of Umueri

“Each generation must out of relative obscurity discover its mission, fulfill it or betray it” -Frantz Fano

We live in a generation where youth have constantly been misunderstood, manipulated and looked at as young people who cannot make any decisions either by themselves or for the rest when it comes to matters affecting the society. When they try to offer meaningful help, nothing is done to ensure they too take part and those who try to be nice are just reminded to be patient because they will be leaders of tomorrow.

As a result, a significant number of youth whether gone to school or living in rural areas enter the adult challenging field of life while having an inferiority complex. This makes them (the educated) shy away from risk on fulfilling adventures in life and others enter while not being ready to take up life changing tasks at workplaces and jobs. The uneducated mostly end up waking up drunk to get drunk, resorting to betting in order “to make free money”, lazy and unproductive.

Thus, the debate that such youth who according to the demographics, comprise of more than 73.4% of Umueri’s total population will lead Umueri’s future to prosperity is a debate which can never end. It is only when that such group of people who feel disoriented are perhaps reminded and inspired of the roles they can play in nation building that they will understand why they are a special group of people.

I believe Umueri youth are strong, loving and very productive. We have just been blindfolded by the obstacles within our societies which have made us think We cannot be people who have good minds yet we are the majority of the people making us unique and special who must be appreciated, guided and given audience when it comes to matters affecting us and nation building.

The problem of Umuerians is not the lack of solutions but failure to understand the problem. We the youth need to interpret and state the Umueri we want, get a sense of direction, get an ideology which can unite us into a peaceful revolutionary movement, spearhead revolutionaries by the masses and match to the front line of liberating our destiny because when the future arrives, we will be the ones to face the consequences of what we did and did not do in our youthful days.

The government and the future is us. It is time we realize that we are the nation, the future and we must be part of the government. The future will never come if we keep on waiting for it as some have been waiting since childhood and it has never arrived. The nation is not built by old people but vibrant young minds who unite, get a common agenda to deliver the nation to prosperity and achieve the visions that their forefathers fought for.

History over time has witnessed youth who have helped to build the nations out of peaceful revolutions

Lets seek for the destiny of a new Umueri. A turning point generation where youth stand up and fight for a corrupt free generation, a new life for our mothers who die while giving birth in hospitals, a new dawn for our young brothers and sisters in primary and secondary schools, the community where we have trust in our leaders. A community where we look at each other as a fellow patriot, a brother and sister not as a Onye Nneyi, Onye Ikenga, Onye Ivite or Obodo guy as my Otuocha brother's will term their Enuobodo peers. This is possible because we can! Yes we can achieve! and Yes We Must!

Lets make history and make this the generation we have been waiting for! This is our community and no one else will help in building it. Lets decide in our hearts and believe in Umueri if indeed she is the pearl of Omanbala. The best years of our lives are the ones in which we look at our problems as our own by not blaming them on our parents, the ecology or the government by realizing that we control our own destiny. The destiny of Umueri is with us and we have nowhere else to run to or anywhere else to go and play our role as youth or citizens of such a beautiful community being gradually destroyed by people who don’t appreciate her beauty and importance.

Perhaps, Acquiring more knowledge, getting organised and interacting more with fellow youth on issues governing society can help. Social media and youth groups, were a turning point in the Arab dominated North Africa which came to be known as the Arab Spring. It was engineered by the youth and it ushered in new liberal governments not forgetting opening up the eyes of the people on what roles they can play in society. I do not call for violence all am saying is that instead of using it for campaign of calumny against ourselves and our leaders, it's also not  only for leisure and fun, it can be a platform for change in society.

Using the available platforms to speak about corruption, poor roads and the problems we are facing can help in transforming Umueri. Being armed with knowledge of the very many problems and solutions can not only make our voice to be heard but also our concerns to be taken serious. We need to first understand ourselves and the disadvantage we are in as youth and make the leaders know that we deserve better and can do better. This can never be achieved if our concentration remains on activities of our neighbors but rather unity and direction as youth of Umueri.

Let’s be the Break Through Generation everyone has been waiting for

This may not be the best way but if we can begin with something, perhaps we will be proud that one day we also took part in nation building. The question is, if we don’t will we still blame the next government which will come or betray our generation which did nothing and shall not be ashamed saying out loud For God And My Country?

Comrade Kachi Nzedigwe