Written by John Delano
Buhari is the last hope of his generation. The final voice of our erstwhile elders. What we are seeing, is the closing scene from a generation of Nigerians who inherited much and squandered much. Let’s hope and pray that they will have a good ending. However they end up, one thing is certain they will not have the opportunity to correct their legacy after this. But what of us?
Us. My generation - the over 40s. I think we are last generation that recognizes that there once existed civility and order in Nigeria; that there were an abundance of good schools; that utilities like pipe-borne water and Electricity were normal; that Nigerians were a people who valued meritocracy. What will we teach the next generation of young Nigerians (and Africans) seeking to make their own way in an age of fast-speed internet and mobile telephony.
It is an important question because by 2025, it is estimated that Nigeria will have a population of 250 million people. 60% of those will be under the age of 30. In other words, we will have a massive workforce of young people on our hands. If their creative and entrepreneurial instinct is not nurtured, we are heading for economic melt-down and social calamity.
Call me a dreamer, but I think it is the duty of my generation to prepare the next generation because we experienced a life and an education from Nigeria that they did not inherit. I think we should foster a new kind of civilization through creativity and much of that creativity is expressed in the explosion of Art music fashion and lifestyle of the youth and the young at heart.
John Delano
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