by Arit Okpo

Can I confess that I sometimes get overwhelmed by Nigeria’s issues? Today there’s a video of soldiers assaulting a disabled person, yesterday it was the Senate refusing to pass a bill granting women equal opportunities, tomorrow it might be the lack of transparency in much of our government processes. It gets me very depressed because, this is the only country I have and I really don’t want another one.

I hear and read a lot about the youth of today and how poorly prepared we seem to take over leadership. I hear stories of our post-colonialism leaders who claimed (some by any means possible) power in their late twenties and early thirties. If I am to judge by the young people of that age on Twitter, Nigeria’s biggest problems are women who don’t cook for their husbands, wailers and non-wailers and discovering who has (or has not yet) been paid to whitewash (or demonise) the government(or its opposition).

This is why my TEDLagos experience was such a refreshing eye opener (no I am not being paid to hype it, it really was that good). I listened to people, many of them quite young, talk about the various things that they are doing to change their immediate space, and by extension, their country.

Obianuju Ndaguba spoke about using community radio to empower people in the rural areas. Stephanie Busari shared her responsibility to share verified and correct information following the confused narrative that affected the rescue of the Chibok girls. Ada Umeofia shared about combining her training in design and love and frustration for Nigeria to create solutions that are inherently Nigerian, simple and groundbreaking. Modupeola Fadupa has created a game that walks through our educational needs on the continent and the options that we must consider to develop that sector. Yvonne Mbanefo talked about creating Igbo learning materials – her bit to ensure that languages do not disappear in the wave of Western languages on the continent. Samson Ogbole shared the gospel of aeroponics; planting crops in the air and the ways that it provides an imminently simple solution to the issues of hunger and food security.

Now there were many more speakers, all powerful and sincere. These ones I have mentioned are just a tip of the iceberg that gradually submerged the sadness that almost overwhelmed me recently. They reassured me. They assured me that all hope is not lost, and that I have no right to lose hope. I was reminded that while nation building can be a communal process, it is also an individual process of creating and influencing change in one’s immediate circle.

In addition to all the amazing people (TED and non TED speakers alike) doing great things, let me share some more places where I would like to see our young people develop growing influence.

• Our trade unions. I don’t know about you but I no longer see Nigerian trade unions as pressure points for positive change. In a world where unions are powerful enough to change policy, ours seem not only compromised, but antiquated. Imagine young people working their way up the ranks to change the tide!
• Our civil service. See! I am tired of hearing young people go into government so that they can have flexible hours and an assured income. Government might be the captain of the Nigerian ship but ministries are the sails that make them turn. Our civil service can do so much more. Imagine policies and structures created by young people in touch with global realities and with an eye on the future. Imagine the possibilities!
• Not special assistant roles, but grassroots government. I want to see young people run for local government councils and state houses of assembly. Why? Because the political powerhouses you see today started as underlings 20 years ago. They played the waiting game, took advantage of opportunities and created powerful alliances. Politics is not an “enter today, succeed tomorrow” job. I would love to see young people flood our political parties and start to disrupt the status quo.

Things might be bad…actually, they are terrible. But they don’t need to stay that way. It’s a beautiful thing to be able to declaim and condemn on Twitter, but when we are done, let’s put down our phones, look around us and then, let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work.

Arit is a highly versatile Content Producer, Presenter, Writer and Speaker. She currently produces and presents The Crunch, the flagship news show for the Ebonylife TV platform, where she discusses and analyses current affairs issues and stories. Arit has also presented travel show Destinations Africa; politics show Naija Politics and cooking show Chefrican, also on the Ebonylife TV platform. She is passionate about telling the African story from a positive and powerful perspective.

Op-ed Editor