A Tale of Two Political Rallies by Two Generations by Hope Obeten

Looking critically at the two political rallies held over the weekend in Calabar, you will see one rally organised by a political generation that have remained in power since 1999 enjoying the splendour and aura of power. Today, young people who are eligible to vote in the next general election were not even born when this men shared power amongst themselves in 1999. They say the youths are the leaders of tomorrow, yet they were in leadership yesterday, are there today, and want to remain there in the future; as such, how much of a tomorrow, as leaders, do the Nigerian youths really have?” Could this be a tomorrow that was used up yesterday?

On the other hand, there was a second political rally organised 100% by young people for young people between the ages of 18 and 40 years. If anything, it is clear that the youths of Nigeria are intent on no longer being bystanders in the fare of governance and how their country is being run, particularly within the purview of the sustained failing of an older power elite that has been described as a “Wasted Generation” (Soyinka: 1986). Contrary to the earlier aphorism, the youths no longer want to be leaders of tomorrow, but those of today.

The youths on Saturday made a very clear statement in their understanding of the fact that being ready means they must rally round themselves by pooling resources together to ensure that they produce youth political representations in 2023.

Politics is fate, as shown in the fairly disparate advocacies of the two generations. Yet, the two show different possibilities.

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