I have privilege of relating with appreciable number of ethnic groups in Nigeria by virtue of residence in FCT for close to 20 years and 15 years experience as a union leader in same FCT.
I have observed people of other climes , tribes and ethnic origin send their relatively young men to pick their opportunities while the elderly stays behind to give inspiration especially the Northern.
Looking at the National assembly, they send people between 40 and 55 as Senators and Reps members while we have people of same age bracket as Legislative aides and PA.
A Co Senator of our age bracket will relate with them as a colleague and we will be stopped and cowed down from even contributing in a town hall meeting.
The reason the North representative stand tall oozing with speed, vibrancy and energy advancing the cause of their people and the reason our people get tired after one hour marathon meeting . ( Recall Sardauna sent younger Balewa to Lagos as prime minister and stood behind as premier to strategize)
Coming to strategic placement, in all juicy appointments capable of making many young people powerful and rich individuals, the North push the young elements of 30+ and 40+ while the elders therefrom stays behind as the big man behind the contracts( NNPC,FIRS, TETFUND, PTF, PPR, OAGF, NCR, MARITIME) while our people are busy dunning customised regalia looking for a small space for their children alone .
I have seen this severally and consistently for years in Abuja. Omo awusa o mola towo ko.
The North facilitates juicy contracts for their young elements and shoot them into stupendous wealth within shortest possible time. This is the way it works. He is on allowance or salary as a student from at least Area council, after graduation, he got a juicy placement or mouth watering contracts , thereafter he suspend his job( not necessarily resigning) to pick up political appointment after which he may contest election and may never go back to salary job.
I have met good number of them in the cause of my service at FCT and the story continue . A close colleague of mine who respect me so much was made Secretary of Suleja Area Council from classroom for 4 years and today a strong chieftain of APC in that emirate.
He has come back to his job and still very active in politics of the noble emirate.
In our clime, young people suffered through school and especially the brilliant frustrated with no job and eventually become a useful tool in the hand of our own gerontocractic political leadership who use them for as low as protocol officer arranging campus girls for political gladiators.
I have known graduates of 15 or more years in Oyo state still scrambling for miserable crumbs looking at close to 50 years. This is a deliberate eclipse of a generation but sadly my generation seems to be comfortable defending the reason for their miserable and unfortunate situation as PA media and SA mobilisation.
In kaduna for instance , under 40 are presently DGs and Head of board and parastatals. We all saw the current EFCC boss with boosted CV at the age of 40. We also saw one AHMED , age 40 recently posted as jostling for National Chairmanship of APC.
If that succeed, our elders who felt agitated and deploy bully dogs when we asked questions will go and bend to make a request from a 40 years old chairman of a national party. *They do that a lot in Abuja only to keep people of same age bracket here bullied, abused, bruised and caged.
This is what the North with a clear succession plan did for people of our age bracket.
I rest the case here for a moment to make us REFLECT
ORO RE EYIN ODO, EGBE YE WO!
NJE ODO FE KOYA BI ?
Idris Ismail
E8/58
Ile Ajeja
Oje Ibadan