By Raphael Christopher, a senior lawyer at EnuguBar

The costs to Nigeria amidst the aftermath of the recent  #endsars protests are unimaginable. These costs includes  loss of lives, loss of livelihoods, damages to business, destruction to national infrastructures; people’s homes and national monuments not to talk about the rising Covid 19 cases.

These costs cut across all states of our country, swathes and strata of society and collectively have negatively impacted our national psyche and its reverberations are still continuing and are still continuing to be felt both here and abroad for many years to come.

Without going into the remote or direct causes of these recent events, where we saw the peaceful protests hijacked by hoodlums and looters and regardless of who was to blame or the different roles played by everyone in this tragedy, everyone is shocked and dismayed at the looting, damage and wanton destruction of properties, courts, banks, public institutions and business premises across our land. We have seen many traders, businesses, lawyers and other professionals have had their offices, shops and properties burnt and destroyed during this #endsars protests and are in despair lamenting the terrible costs they have been lumbered with and the lack of help and support available to ameliorate their desperate situation.

It is commendable that The government have set up panels of inquiry to investigate and bring all looters and lawbreakers to justice and we are hopeful that they will discharge their duties in accordance with the law and their remits.

However, there remains an urgent need to address the root causes of the #endsars protests and its sad outcomes which can be summarised thus – the lack of involvement of our youths in governance and lack of hope that they currently have.

In speaking to these root causes, I believe a five pointed solution is both necessary and imperative to prevent a repeat of these sad events both now and in the future.

My five pointed solutions are :

  1. Include the Youths in all decision-making processes – this will provide them with an outlet where their voices, feelings, grievances and emotions can be properly articulated and acted upon. If this is done across the nation from the highest office in the land to the local government areas – this will enable matters to be dealt with immediately and not allowed to fester. You may recall my previous proposals for law reform by the setting up of Local Government Courts as a drive to make government more local and responsive to citizens needs and voices. That was part of my proposal to establish structures that will bring government closer to the grassroots and so foster an atmosphere where citizens in that local government areas see and feel the care of the government on a daily basis. This will prevent a recurrence of the sad scenes we witnessed a few days ago.
  2. Honor the Youths voice. Our Youths have grown up in a technological savvy age. Their outlooks and conditionings are different from the older generation outlook and conditioning. The Youths needs and desires are different from the older generation. Given the Youth are the leaders of tomorrow’s new world? Why are we not recognising this explicitly? As we know no one lives forever and should we not being mindful of this irrefutable law of life, become humble enough to listen to the Youths voices? We have to implement what we hear subject to the necessary safeguards of experience and the Laws of the land and the best interests of our dear beloved nation.
  3. Understand and implement their honest opinions and ideas. This goes without saying. We must show understanding and then implement their ideas and opinions and not just give lip service to them because they are smart and will see through any subterranean subterfuges we may throw up to obfuscate our refusal to fulfil our pledges to them.
  4. Show willingness to share your adult powers and privilege in order to make our nation a place and a community where everyone – young, youth or old can coexist peacefully and where our children, youths and adults can thrive and find fulfilment. This can be kickstarted by looking to change our constitution to allow young people to enter into politics and contest for National Assembly positions. It is intriguing that the age at which the constitution stipulates that we can vote is 18 years so why do we insist that to hold public office a person has to be older ie 25, 30 or 35 years old. I believe that If a person is eligible to vote at 18 years old then they should be eligible to run for public office from 18 years of age.
  5. Give them hope. Hope is one of the most powerful forces in the human condition. Without hope everything becomes meaningless and frustration and anger sets in. Our Youth do not have hope. They do not see any future for them in our dear country. Their education is truncated by strikes, the fees are exorbitant and they can scarcely afford them. They come out of university with a degree but there is no job. No prospects of any job. Whatsoever. Yet the law of nature demands they have to eat and survive. To such a youth, everything is hopeless. There is no future. Until we address these situations and conditions, it is difficult to see how the situation can be fully resolved.

Given that the under 35 age groups currently makes up over 51% of the population of Nigeria, we need to address their concerns and issues by using the above 5 points as a starting point and if this is done, we shall witness the greatest success and prosperity our nation has ever seen because our Youth have the intelligence, vigour and vitality and energy to ensure Nigeria becomes greater and takes her rightful place amongst the great nations of this earth as is her rightful entitlement.

Thank you.

Raphael Christopher is a Lawyer, Author, Humanitarian and member of EnuguBar and can be reached at [email protected]