Desmond Elliot is back in the headlines and this time, he is on about erosion of culture on the part of the younger generation in the wake of recent protests.

The Lagos House of Assembly member opined that Nigeria would cease to exist in the next five years if youth were allowed to get away with certain habits. Such supposed digressive bad behaviour, according to the thespian-turned-lawmaker, include hateful expressions from the youth on social media, their involvement in looting and vandalisation and apparent disregard for culture.

What could be deduced from his argument, was that the youth should be taught how to use social media or be regulated for them, be respectful on social platforms and continue to tolerate whatever is thrown by their leaders and the older generation.

In this light, Desmond Elliot needs to be reminded that the youth have as much right as any age group to ask questions of their leaders and demand good governance.

In an era where the Not Too Young To Run law exists, the import of culture at a time when votes are not needed appears convenient for the politician.

Second, Honourable Elliot should be reminded that it is the quality of governance being served that has attracted the so-called ‘hate speech’ from people. Does he expect anybody, not just the youth, to pat the government on the back when security agents opened fire on peaceful protesters at the Lekki toll gate plaza? 

No tier of government has accepted responsibility for the #LekkiMassacre but it appears that Desmond Elliot is more concerned with unnecessary calls for undeserved patting on the back than the survival of the Nigerian state.

Looting and vandalisation, though condemnable, was inspired by bottled up wariness for the country’s leadership and its alleged hoarding of COVID-19 palliatives. However, one of the reasons given by the forum of governors was that political leaders were expecting a second wave of the pandemic – even if people continue to die from the economic implications of the first wave.

While the outrage from Desmond Elliot has expectedly attracted a barrage of criticisms from Nigerians, he needs to be reminded that he represents the people and not the other way round. The youth, obviously, are getting tired and he should expect that there will be increased participation.

Above all, the current mess he’s accusing the youth of is the making of Nigerian leadership that he’s now a part of. The blame-shifting is a regressive move.

Kola Muhammed

Kola Muhammed has imprint across local and international media. He is passionate about trends in the domains of culture, communication and technology.