The Nigerian Youth ! Here is a better Declaration

The Youth are  simply powerful, but a person or group can only wield that power and achieve maximum impact if they know they possess it. In 2010, feeling youthful ,as I was then a postgraduate student, I joined the students tuition fee demonstrations in the UK for solidarity.  It was totally wrong and a breach of trust for Nick Clegg the then Deputy Prime Minister in the newly formed coalition government, to rescind on a major campaign promise his party the Liberal Democrats made to the students: to scrap tuition fees if elected. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2010/nov/10/student-protest-fees-violent 

Yes the coalition got their way in the end; raising tuition  fees and cutting state grant for university teaching, and yes the coalition government came to an end  but the Liberal Democrats and Nick Clegg in particular will then suffer the consequences of that breached promise, as future outcomes  of their impact at the polls later showed. In the just concluded June 8 2017 UK general elections, Nick Clegg lost his Sheffield Hallam seat to a young person and 1st time MP, 35 year old disability rights campaigner Jared'o Mara. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/meet-disability-rights-campaigner-first-10594986

Young Jared's victory wasn't the highlight of the elections, but the recorded 72 % surge in young voters in the UK http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/09/young-people-swung-election/. 

This unprecedented mobilization of the youth gave a catastrophic blow to PM  Theresa May and the conservative party on the mandate she was seeking to confidently negotiate the BREXIT. I suspect never again will any political party in the UK take the youth for granted.

 In another clime Nigeria, NO DOUBT IN MOST CASES OUR YOUTHS ARE TAKEN FOR GRANTED. 

I see the same passion in the youth, I see their frustrations to express themselves as their counterpart as described above, and I feel their pain. 

But the Nigerian youth,, the redemption must come from you. You it is, must get your priorities right, get civic education and become active citizens in the issues of national polity , the policies as it affects you!, You it is that must demand accountability and transparency from the government and the institutions of power.  And there are some  of you already doing great and wonderful things despite all odds. More youth must follow suit.

Cultism, thuggery, foot soldiers of the political elites

, militants, and all of these is not the way to get the outcome you desire,it is infact defeatist to your leadership and power quest!  I think its the oneness of your collective voice, defying the divides across, tribe, religion and gender that will suffice. That they have used on all of us too long, you must show a better inclusive streaks.

My candid advise to the coalition of the northern youth groups who have issued their ultimatum to igbos to return to their ethnic heartland, you must not let yourselves bare the brunt of deeper issues that that you know nothing about or better still wasn't even born to have had a hand in.

You have representatives that you have elected who can state this matters on the floors at the parliament,  they are germane issues of concern to you and we must hear you out! But you must gather in your numbers in strength to make these grievances known and stand on it till a desired outcome is reached. 

You must show the rest of us that you have newer thinking for this new age.   Hold our institutions accountable is the best revenge. It is your time, we must acknowledge that whether we like it or not, but be different from the rest of us the old wine skins. We are too selfish. The future is now its your time .That is a better declaration but it is my opinion.