With the recent developments across the country, there is no doubt a new nation is in the making. The Nigeria we used to know is metamorphosing into a New nation, but what is surprising is the strength of the youths, from the North to the South and the East to the West, the youths are not just clamouring for a change but also revolting against an archaic conventional system that has not just plunged the nation into an economic recession but designed to fail.
The voiceless have suddenly realized how indestructible they can be if merged and has since harnessed their tools, while the one percent minority but powerful are wary of this growing voices. It is paramount to underscore and celebrate these voices, while highlighting our collective progress thus far.
Since Nigeria slid into economic recession in the second quarter of 2016, the new administration has made changes to the existing policies or in some cases overhauling the entire system. However, it is important to stress that this administration didn’t start this change, this change begins from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) who laid the foundation and built the biggest telecommunication sector in Africa and one of the biggest in the world, built the modern train networks, restructured the refineries and broadly industrialized the economy.
While it wasn’t a flawless era, it gave birth to the pervasive social media campaign that shifted the power from the minority to the voiceless majority and was a key factor in unseating the incumbent president for the first time in the history of the nation.
Today, Nigeria is not just the largest economy in Africa but also one of the best global investment destinations. This new status has helped attracts people like Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook co-founder and CEO, top global investors like Tiger Global, Omidyar Network etc., and most importantly allowed the youths to find solutions to local problems while creating jobs by building companies like Payporte, Hotel.ng, Paga, Iroko Partners, Jobberman, Konga, Flutterwave, etc.
Also, it’s imperative to highlight the 81 young Nigerian innovators presented N756.3 million grant on Tuesday in Abuja by the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo under the Federal Government’s economic empowerment initiatives to further affirm government commitment to growth and development.
However, all these won’t be possible without voices like Omoyele Sowore of Sahara Reporters, Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie, Japhet omojuwa, my friend Gbenga Aborowa, Seun Kuti, Vibrant TonyeBarcanista, Objective PassingShot, Area father Charle Boy, Femi Fani-Kayode and a host of others that are using their Facebook, Nairaland, Twitter and Instagram platforms to call out injustice and proffer solutions to salient issues.
They’ve not just given birth to a new Nigeria but remain the voices of those still not reached.
Today, April 5th is my birth and I just wants to celebrate our strengths, diversity and future.
