the coming generation scares me

THE COMING GENERATION SCARES
ME...REAL
HARD!
While we have been busy talking about
Nigeria of today, I wonder if we have spared a thought about how
this country
will be in the next TWENTY-FIVE years. On
October 1, 1979, when Alhaji Shehu
Usman Aliyu Shagari was sworn-in as
president, Goodluck Jonathan was just a
22 year-old undergrad of University of Port-Harcourt. Shagari was
54 years old.
Ayo Fayose was 19 years old. Bukola
Saraki was 17. Yemi Osibajo was 22. The
generation of the likes of Shagari,
Richard Akinjide, Adisa Akinloye, Sabo
Barkin Zuwo, Ifeanyi Nwobodo, Ume Ezeoke, Akin Omoboriowo,
Olusola
Saraki, Sunday Awoniyi, Garba Nadama,
Awal Ibrahim and so on has gone for
good! Some of us in our 40s and 50s,
when in school, either in the university or
secondary school, had lofty dreams, both personal and societal.
We were always
motivated by nationalists and inventors
who had impacted positively on the cause
of humanity. We were voracious readers
of novels and other books. Nelkon for our
Ordinary Level Physics, Lambert for Chemistry, B.O ADELEKE and
Goh Cheng
Leong for our Geography, Phebean
Ogundipe for Practical English and others
like that. We were always flaunting our
knowledge of current affairs.
Inter-school quiz competition was the in- thing. Fast forward 35
years on and you
are shocked and disturbed. Have you ever
spoken to or engaged a 20 year-old boy?
Ask him what motivates him and he is
likely to mention music, hip hop to be
precise. He has hundreds of downloaded songs on his phone. He
can sing all of
them off hand. He know all the singles of
Nice, Neato C, Timaya, Davido, Whiz Kid
off had. But he does not know anything
about history of nationalism in the
country. Ideas about good society, responsible family and good
conduct do
not motivate him. He just wants to make
money because his friend who does yahoo
is rich and rides a good car, an SUV! The
things that interest him are things that
do not add value. He has google but never uses it for
advancement of knowledge but
to download porn and other inanities.
Yet, in TWENTY years time, they are the
ones that will be contesting to become
governors, senators, Reps members and
even president. They belong to a generation that does not care
about
morality. They belong to a generation that
is motivated only by money and
its acquisition. By 2035 to 2040, they will
be our senators, Reps, governors and so
on. I wonder if we have ever spared a thought how this country will
look like
under them. I told a man recently and
these are my words:
IF A GUY WHO IS IN LAGOS COULD USE
FALSE PRETENCE TO OBTAIN $20,000 FROM
SOMEONE IN UNITED STATES, WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL
HAPPEN IF SUCH A GUY
BECOMES A STATE GOVERNOR AND IS IN
CHARGE OF AN ALLOCATION HE DOES NOT
EVEN HAVE TO OBTAIN UNDER FALSE
PRETENCE? WHICH HIS STATE IS
STATUTORILY ENTITLED TO. I am worried, deeply worried. Are
you? .........