The headline of this piece is a question I want millions of Nigerian youths to ponder and answer in their silent moments.
Growing up, I heard the often repeated, but now despondently out of fashion saying by a former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela that “Children of today are leaders of tomorrow”.
And as I heard it being reiterated over and over again, it filled me with a deep sense of responsibility and great hope for the future, especially on my part in shaping my own country, but I can’t say the same for over 70 per cent of Nigerian youths who have deepened themselves in drug and substance use either to get high or joining drug syndicates to get rich and live the “la vida loca” lifestyle mostly fueled by peer pressure from other youths.
An average Nigerian youth is active, vibrant, smart, and has great potential. However, as sweet as these attributes may sound, if the youths are not well trained and equipped, involving themselves in this demon called drugs makes all the above-listed positives become negatives.
These same youths can become notorious, desperate and disastrous. It is, therefore, no surprise that the NDLEA every week always has in its press releases the arrest of youths between the ages of 20-45 years involved in drug peddling just because they are so desperate for money. This further brings us to the question of whether or not our youths are ready for the future. Of course, the answer is not farfetched. The youths who are supposed to be holding key positions in the country in about 27 years from now are sadly today constituting a major part of the nation’s problem with a series of illegal and corrupt practices being ventured into daily: theft, hooliganism, kidnapping, to mention but a few, all of which are the aftermath of drug use.
A lot of people who we see as role models today began when they were youths and served the country well. Late Mathew T. Mbu became a Federal Minister of Labour at 25; David Mark, became the military governor of Niger State at 36; Gen. Buba Marwa who today is the Chairman of the NDLEA became a military governor of Borno State at 37 and the list goes on. However, the reverse is the case today for this age bracket that has deepened itself in drug abuse and now being used as election consultants, social media foot soldiers and political thugs.
The NDLEA today is arresting drug kingpins in every corner of the country and recording gigantic seizures. Just recently about 1.2million pills of Tramadol were seized and heroin consignment was intercepted at the Lagos airport, with over 34 drug barons arrested in 24 months, a number enough to form two football teams, while thousands of others have been counselled and rehabilitated all in a bid to have a saner country and people with the positive thinking mindset, who can be leaders come 2050. Therefore, it is necessary to give kudos to Gen. Marwa and the officers and men of the NDLEA, as an agency that is helping our youths today realise their dream come 2050.
I, therefore, call on President Muhammadu Buhari to continually support the NDLEA in cleansing our country of drug abuse with their constant War Against Drug Abuse sensitizations across communities and schools as well as their fight to cut down drug syndicates and reduce drug supplies. This is the only way can we say that vision 2050 is achievable because being a leader is not just about being in a commanding position; it is a lot about being a role model.
• Olufemi Fadahunsi writes from Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State.