TO THE NORTHERN YOUTH COUNCIL AND THEIR ELDERS ~ Chibuike Echem

The way and manner youths of Northern Nigeria speak on issues of national interest is most of the time worrisome. The sheer sagacious manner in which they make some statements makes one wonder if all other regions of our great country are visitors or mere spectators.

It is important to note that we all have the propensity of being similarly sagacious as many of us are even better versed in the use of the English Grammar for doing this (even effectively than them). But in our understanding of how we see our nation as a multi-complex and culturally diverse one (indeed this is what it is), taking also into consideration the benefit of our history and how we know unguarded utterances led to massive scale conflict in the past, we know it is wisdom to be mindful of our collective peaceful co-existence and choose to be mindful of our utterances. This is how peoples in modern, multi-complex diversities live together.

But let no region or group think that by this they have monopoly of being the ones to have better vocal control or mastery than the others.

Nigeria is a country made up of many other peoples and regions and not only Northern Nigeria. The Northern youths must understand this inherent geographical architecture and wisdom of the Creator God and respect it.

The erroneous and insensitive utterances from the youths of Northern Nigeria have been going on for quite some time now and even the elders who should naturally call them to order have kept a blind eye to their unguarded utterances.

We wish to respectfully tell our Northern Elders not to give us the impression that their silence is after all a means of support for a script possibly written by them and handed-over to their youths for voicing.

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To us, their continued silence may also give us the impression that they are after all in support of what we consider the “unguarded and unwarranted” utterances of their youth. If the insinuations turn out to be what we had long feared, then we too would have no choice than to come out vehemently in making our own position clearer on the matter and will this time do so in due consultation with our elders who would also speak through us, with us gladly acting as their mouthpieces.

We still leave the avenue open for our respectful Northern elders to call their youth to order, as we too have elders who are watching very closely and know how to speak or direct their youths to speak for them.

It is important to note that the elders with their worldview are winding down and we with a better worldview are coming up, whatever we decide and want that we get as a young generation and a nation, this is what we will get. We should be guided in our utterances.

Prince Chibuike Echem
Vice President,
National Youth Council of Nigeria, South East.

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