We all know the existence of threatening poverty and high unemployment rate courtesy of the senselessness of those in leadership. We are aware of what is expected from those in authority and those close to those on the corridors of power. We have been witnessing several Kannywood drama series on how leaders, trade unrefined lies just to deceive the gullible to believing falsehood for enslavement as support.
We have seen how community leadership claimants misuse their trusted positions to shortchange the gullible and the pauperized. We are witnesses to how leaders build empires with sleaze funds and foolishly expect same shortchanged to remain loyal to their whims and caprices including dirty jobs of intimidating opponents and election rigging at the expense of their lives.
When talking about electoral rigging, no one bothers to talk of party primary elections because that is the reserve for the highest murderers of party democracy with slash funds.
No responsible politician worth the name will readily commit hard earned wealth into contest meant for the highest bidder not for the most credible just to fly the flag of the party.
Democracy offers several avenues for engaging the people, particularly the youth population most productively and positively to develop transferable skills towards ensuring that the society positively progresses. In doing so, the future is likely to see the youth taking over the affairs of state and continue to build on the bequeathed legacies of adorned leaders.
For instance, in Plateau State, when talking of adorned leaders one quickly remembers respected personalities the likes of Joseph Deshi Gomwalk, DB Zang, Jeremiah Useni, Azi Nyako, Solomon Lar, Yahaya Kwande, Joe Garba, Ibrahim Nasiru Mantu, Bagudu Hirse, Sule Rabo Wase, Muhammed Abdullahi Wase, Fidelis Na’anmiyap Tapgun, Ladi Nimlan, Sale Bayari, Sadiq Bako Aladire, Sale Hassan, John Kum, Isa Garba Wase, Abubakar Agege, Prof. Dimis Mailafiya, Damishi Sango, Hannatu Chollom, Pauline Tallen, Akaso Adudu, Sani Minista, Jibrin Zololo, Sulen Jebu, Amb. Suleman Yero Wase, Garba Pasali, Amos Gizo, PD Pwajok, John Kadiya, Justice Yakubu Idris, Ishaku Gomna, Ali Kazaure, John Wash Pam, Alhassan Shu’aibu, Micheal Danbaki, Emmanuel Magnin, John Shagaya, Jibrin Zololo, Silas Janfa, Cosmos Niagwam, George Baba Hoomkwap, Danliti Gamandi, Inuwa Ali, Muhammadu Uchin, Ahmadu Arabi, Bot Mang, Na’omi Jugu and few others.
Sycophancy from different views can never be of any good to any society that desires progress be it state-sponsored or individually motivated.
In recent times Plateau State and its people in particular, have witnessed an unprecedented boom in a shameless display of sycophancy to the highest level. Sadly, a segment of the society deems this archaic and primitively insulting and annoying attitude as sponsored either by government or drowning politicians with filthy wealth. This is but a scary development that must be abhorred and rejected by sensible minds irrespective of which side of the political spectrum one belongs.
A liberal democratic society is always expected to educate its young population on every aspect of acceptable growth. This can be in pursuance of economic interests, political ideologies, and technocracy. The youth in most parts of Plateau State with particular emphasis to those in politics are known to be actively involved in several national and state-wide socio-political organizations. They occupy leadership roles and serve impeccably, but there is a need for a coordinated effort by all to stand firm and challenge the prevalent sycophantic boom ushering retrogression and laziness.
If indeed the present administration in Plateau State is focused on enabling environment that supports the youth to self-reliance, then there is an urgent need for self correction.
Programs and projects must be put-in-place to facilitate and support the teeming youth wasting with all the necessary skills and capital or, let micro and agro-allied industries be established in place of white elephant projects to employ the youth than transformation to cheap propaganda machineries (data boys), political touts (thugs) and commercial motorcycle operators and at best, drivers of tokunbo vehicles popularly known as ‘Delete All’.
For instance, if the government is genuinely willing to support social media influencers or digital and photojournalists to compete with their peers globally, they must have to be trained and given the necessary state-of-the-art equipment to establish themselves as proudly initiated by Bauchi State Governor, Sen. Bala Muhammed in his quest for resourceful youth. The initiative was also implemented by a serving member House of Representatives, Ahmed Idris Wase.
Selected youth from his Wase federal constituency were sponsored for training at the NTA Television College Jos as part of his responsibility for the benefit of idling youth.
While setting the pace, Governor Bala Muhammed provided over 20,000 hectres of virgin land for National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) project. The once idling youth have since engaged themselves in modern commercial farming for a legitimate livelihood than idling away praise singing and involved in thuggery.
It will not be difficult for NALDA programme to be implemented in all the local governments of Plateau State if there is the will because NALDA has vast farmlands in virtually all the local governments which were in use years back. They can be reactivated and reorganized for the benefit of those idling youth turned to war machines.
But what is prevalent in Plateau State like in other places today is youth exploitation by shylock politicians and their hangers-on in the trade of election rigging and other unruly behaviors.
For the confidence of the people in government to be restored, sycophancy must be discouraged, discarded and abhorred as no responsible society can willingly set up to damage its future wet-asset for the, transient benefit of selected logs.
Therefore, it is pertinent for the youths to wake up and understand what politics entails and participate fully, actively and with courage and determination based on nurtured positive ideologies that may tally with any brand of socialism anchored on self-confidence and fearlessness no matter the challenges and associated consequences.
The youth must not be cajoled with crocodile offers of some insignificant government appointments to facilitate access to a bowl of akamu and akara, or at best a loaf of bread. They should instead, demand for what rightly belongs to them from those enjoying their mandate. They need economic empowerment and skills acquisition to prosper not only engagement in civil service that seems unreliable and tilting to self-enslavement.
History of successful industrialists and entrepreneurs shows that no employer of labor ever made legitimate fortune through civil service, unless through stealing what belongs to the people or from proceeds of corruption while in service. Such illicit wealth doesn’t last and doesn’t give comfort and pleasure.
It is not a matter of gainful employment from government but a matter of building a reliable future from legitimate means, career in the civil service is getting unreliable. Civil service is fast turning to corrupt practices training centre that should be avoided by decent minds.
It seems, majority of those rushing for civil service, have a hidden agenda against sincere service laced with intent of corruption for ostentatious living without sweating for it.
Not all can be employed in government service but the majority can be supported to build a bright future independently to be employers of labour in the near future.
The youth must not be pushed to unholy acts for survival while their leaders are living in opulence and ostentatious living with their wards pursuing education in safer climes abroad, their spouses attending the best medical facilities in the world and leisure destinations for shopping with sleaze funds.
A great government and privileged individuals in politics aim to create genuine job opportunities for its teeming youths, and by so doing, the rate of dangerous sycophancy, especially on social media platforms will reduce drastically. Town criers and their brothers, the street and dark corner praise singers (data boys), will fizzle out automatically for the good of the society.
Sadly and unfortunately, praise singing of politicians has become the order of the day as a ‘condition’ to access any Greek gift or federal government employment from the shylock and gluttonous parasites that survive on our common patrimony masquerading as leaders, particularly those who belong to the ruling parties. When you consciously transform to a clown, jester or thug, and mortgage your integrity, then you may access what ordinarily belongs to you with ease from the bigger clowns in power.
After all, majority of the people hold a view that politicians are responsible for their woes and the existing hunger, dilapidated infrastructure littering the states including artificial poverty, insecurity and unsubstantiated health challenges that have defied medical attention and research.
And to the people, particularly the electorates should understand the simple fact that being sycophantic, amounts to self-enslavement, mortgaging a future and the future of coming generations. This should be taken as a clarion call to note that sycophancy unabated can never be part of the solution to your problems no matter how minute the problem. It is a problem that destroys integrity, credibility and family reputation if any from the onset.
Youths must stand up and be involved deeply in politics as major players not for errands. Let them take active part in all the political processes, wobble their ways to occupy political party leadership roles, contest for all elective positions, try to form government always or be part of the serving government as shareholders not only stakeholders. Once in the right position through struggle and perseverance, you can build a tomorrow with confidence than wasting in praise singing and dancing Omologo, Ozanta and Makosa and defending failure for a bowl of porridge.
As it stands today, it’s only the PDP that has a level playing field for youth active participation in politics than any of the other parties that are replicas of dictatorship.
Muhammad is a commentator on national issues
