willieojo@yahoo.com
Pomp and peepshow swept across the length and breadth of Nigeria two days ago during the swearing-in of politicians who were elected in the last elections. Millions of Nigerians who couldn’t be physically present glued to their televisions and clutched onto their transistor radios. Among them must have been little boys and girls tucked far out in the small town of Imesi-Ile; and out houses in the slum of Ohaji in Imo State. These are young people with big dreams in their spirits. They are about 100 million in Nigeria today. As they watched politicians raise their hands swearing to the oath of office, many of them dreamt the same dreams for themselves. The future may look uncertain in a terrain that is not essentially enabling, but their dreams possess unfading breaths. They watched the ceremonies with resurging and burning hopes that one day in their lifetimes, they too will step out to be honoured by the world as President, governor, or senator in Nigeria. I will not call this a false hope; only a fool will. The One who created them all in His image and after His likeness has plans for everybody. And the plans include even those young people who today don’t know what to plan for themselves in a dream-crippling environment.
Bill Clinton, the young boy who later became the 42nd President of the United States of America, was just like some of these Nigerian children who daily dream big about themselves. When Clinton was a little boy, his mother, Virginia, had told him that he would someday become President of the United States. In High School in 1963, Clinton’s School Principal, Johnnie Mae Mackey, recruited the young Bill as her brightest protégé; and under her mentoring, he was sent to Washington, D.C. as one of two Arkansas delegates to Boy’s Nation, an imitation political convention sponsored by the American Legion. Clinton met with President John F. Kennedy at the White House Rose Garden. Young Bill took a historic handshake picture with the JFK. A surge went through the young boy’s spirit. He purposed in his heart that he would become President as his mother had prophesied. Twenty nine years after, Clinton defeated incumbent President George H. Bush and he was sworn in President in 1993. His mother, Virginia Clinton, lived to see her son occupy the White House.
The work that I do has connected me to thousands of young people all over the world as I speak to them in diverse fora. They are from different races and nationalities. They are passionate, and relentless in pursuit of success. Many of them know where they want to go in life; but don’t know how to get there. I identify with them. As a young man, I once lived in the world they now live. The question that I often ask them when our paths cross is what I ask in this treatise today: Are you ready to be president?
The word ‘president’ is used as a euphemism in this piece. Not every young man or woman wants to swing into the murky waters of politics. Not everybody wants to be president. But everybody wants to succeed; nobody wants to be a failure. The overarching question I thus ask is: Are you ready to succeed? There may be a young man or woman somewhere in the nook and cranny of Nigeria with a very powerful dream reading this article on this day. You yearn to lead something and impact your community. What a lofty yearning! But are you prepared for that journey that will take you through bends and straight roads? Are you prepared for the ups and downs, twists and turns, and crinkum-crankums that come with the terrain that lead to success? I salute your desire; but a DESIRE is only a heart attraction to something or somewhere. Every move in life begins with it; but dreams are not realised only through desires. If you are wise, you must know that every desire, no matter how lofty and good; must be followed by an action. The precedent to any action is preparation. Mission and vision are accomplished only when you prepare for them.
The President of France, Emmanuel Macron was born in 1977. He studied philosophy and got a Master’s in Public Affairs. Macron worked as a senior civil servant at the Ministry of Finance; and his training took him to Nigeria as an intern at the French Embassy. Macron learnt a lot about investment and became an investment banker at Rothschild & Cie Banque. He had a political ambition at a tender age, so he became member of the Socialist Party at age 24 from 2006-2009. That gave him a jumpstart when he was appointed Deputy Secretary General to the President by Francois Hollande in May 2012. In 2014, he was appointed Minister of Economy, Industry and Digital Affairs. He founded En Marche, a centrist political movement in April that year; and in August 2016 he launched a bid for the 2017 presidential election. He won the election on May 7, 2017. At age 39, Macron became the youngest president in the history of France. All of Macron’s juggles through experiences prepared him for the destination he finally arrived at. Macron, like Bill Clinton, was prepared to be president. And he did.
If you are not prepared for tomorrow, your life will be impaired today. A life impaired can only be repaired if you prepare. Are you prepared to start a business? Are you studying up on the logistics, the network, and the funds? You want to retire in 20 years, are you prepared for it? Only the prepared wins life’s battle. Power and wealth will not be handed over to you just because you make senseless noise on social media or throw blame at somebody who didn’t help you. Things will come to you of their own accord if you are prepared. You want to stand tall among your peers, get the necessary education. I am not referring to a rigmarole through school; that’s what many Nigerian young people do these days. They ‘pass’ exams somebody else sat for; they acquire certificates they bribed their ways to receiving. This is not education. But I refer to a deft acquisition of knowledge in your chosen field where you pay a price to win the prize. Life does not give you what you deserve; it gives you what you prepare for.
Now that President Buhari and state governors have been sworn in for a four-year term; we ask them to help our young people prepare by creating an enabling environment for success. Education is that bedrock of a nation’s success. In Nigeria today, about 80 million people do not have basic literacy skills; and 10.5 million children are out of school. Some 33% of persons aged 15 years and above cannot read or write in any language. The primary school completion rate at the national level is dismal. Only 47% of children had access to secondary school (69.3%, urban and 37.5%, rural); and as many as 43.4% expressed dissatisfaction with their secondary education. By 2030, Nigeria is estimated to be one of the few countries in the world that will likely have a bountiful supply of young workers. Out of a current projected population of 200 million Nigerians, young people under age 30 account for over 49 per cent of the population. What this means is that young people in the country are close to 100 million. Our youth, more than oil, could be Nigeria’s asset or liability in decades to come. Mr. President, Mr. Governor, Mr. Senator, help these children prepare as Nigeria prepares for her future.
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