NIGERIAN YOUTH LEAGUE PUBLICATION

 “Independence Day Article”

 Author: Daniel Bankole Afilaka

Date: 28^th Sept 2008

We dare put it to all the members of the literati and intelligentsia in Nigeria that we are all to blame for the dastardly state the federation finds itself at this juncture in our history. We can imagine the laudable articles that are being written at this moment by our contemporaries in the world of the enlightened; however we don’t think all our writings reach the people that really matter for the rejuvenation of the Federal Republic of Nigeria!! Nigeria is 48yrs old today and where are we!? We are probably in our comfortable living spaces not too far from the slums of the ghettos in our various environments, yet we believe that we are living the life of kings in this our beloved country!! Is it a surprise then that we have ghettos and “favella” looking slums right beside the affluence of the minority in Nigeria? This independence should be a judgment call of the literati since we are the best critics of the status quo. Then maybe it is high time that we are criticized and this article should act as a kick up the posterior for the so called intelligentsia in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Maybe we are speaking and not communicating or just waffling and expecting the populace to latch on to our innuendoes without following it up with adequate actions to show the real fervor for a greater Nigeria!!

On this Independence Day we really want to do away with political correctness and lay it down as it is. The first critique of the antics of the literati is that we are very fond of talking and not following it up with proactive action. A general notion in populist oriented movements is that action has always and will always speak louder than words. We noticed whilst going online alone that a lot of ideological transactions take place between various members of the intellectual class however in reality those transactions don’t mean anything to the general populace. The general populace needs us to lead them out to the promise land and stop quibbling over spilt milk. The spilt milk is the current state of Nigeria and as such for every article that is written by any wisecrack out there you are expected to follow it up with at least a year of incessant action. The non-stop nature of ones active involvement in the polity is what really translates into positive measures being taken by the relevant authorities. It is now common knowledge that the literati are not worth any political clout hence the polity is being run by glorified touts.

On this note of political war faring we find that the intellectuals in the polity are too clean cut to get involved in the real issues that lead to real politicking hence governance. My question to the literati is that what is the point of documentation in the hands of a tout? All your ideological rhetoric is worthless in the hands of a hooligan in the state house or any other executive office in the land. A policy is only as good as its implementation. There is a saying in the Yoruba land that “Olowo n soro talika ni oun ni idea” which translates as “when the wealthy are speaking the poor man claims to have an idea” in essence he is advised to stay mum as ideas are not worth any socio-political clout. The idea referred to in this sarcastic adage is that the ideologues are worthless in the polity. Should we stand and fold our arms and conform to the above norm? I say unacceptable! We stand as one, we speak as one, and we write in one accord whilst moving as a coherent body towards achieving the greater cause of a greater Nigeria!!

Our second critique is that how many of us will actually come out during elections? This is virtually impossible because on that fateful day the touts rule!! The most important day for elections in the Federal Republic of Nigeria and touts rule! Is it then a surprise that we are disempowered in the polity! We are tempted to flow with the hooligans in the polity as it appears like they have a upper hand in matters of state. Whilst the elections are raging like a battle, we are busy writing our various pieces criticizing the electoral commission, electorate and anything worth criticizing besides ourselves. This is surely a pity!! A notable young musician sings that “they forget say ogbon ju agbara lo” in translation this means that brain is better than brawns!! In Nigeria however this is not the case. It appears like the brawns have the upper hand whilst the brains are given a backseat to go on National television and speak big grammar which is already obvious to the populace. The issues we speak about in rhetorical grammar is experienced by the electorate on a daily basis. We need to translate this state of affairs to coherent and understandable communication if Nigeria and my generation in particular are to enjoy the real fruits of a greater Nigeria for the unborn generation.

The intellectual class in Nigeria is systematically being disenfranchised by the powers that be. Mis-education of the masses is an imperative of the elitist class in Nigeria. A disenfranchised population will never rise up to ask for its rights under the constitution as it doesn’t even understand the language the constitution is written in. We the literati complicate matters for the populace by further using larger than life words in describing simple terms. We write for the masses in the language of the elite. Are we really communicating to anyone but ourselves? I duff my hat to Fela Anikulapo Kuti for his unique way of reaching the masses with his simplistic pidgin English Maybe the literati needs to take notes from Felaism to understand how best to sensitize the populace regarding matters that will make their living and livelihoods easier to achieve. Probably its time we start ditching the colonial lingo with which we are accustomed, and begin to face the reality of our literacy rates in Nigeria. This will not be the first time that this is done in an African polity. Ex president Colonel Gama Abdel Nasser of Egypt was reputed to have connected with the masses by using street language in communicating and getting his points across without grammatical hindrance. Please do not let us suffer the “Soyinka syndrome” by using big grammar that lacks any communicative information! This is essential as we owe it to the future of this great country to educate the people against all odds on global issues as well as local issues that will affect their lives for the better.

Nigeria is 48yrs old today on the 1^st of October 2008 and we are over the hill that we are still one entity. We are moving to the next phase in our history as recent upheavals in the country are signaling a purge that is necessary for the inevitable renaissance of the Nigerian super class. We believe that this super class is definitive of a generation ordained by God for this specific purpose. I implore the literati, intelligentsia, and intellectuals to assist the ushering in of this super class that will bring in the necessary hyper-development required for Nigeria to move in leaps to achieve its defined goals. For this ideology to take a foot hold the educated and literary geniuses must drop their pens and start coming out of their shells whilst screaming out loud for the emancipation of the Nigerian populace from its shackles of economic and intellectual bondage! We owe it to ourselves, the uneducated as well as our unborn children to carry this cross as we are nothing but custodians of the land and resources so as to leave a lasting legacy to generations yet unborn. I pray that when we are old, weak and can not wield the pen as wily as we can today that our Grand children do not ask us the intrusive question “what were you were doing when the country was entering a state of disrepair”. We hope we never see the day but pray to see the day when you are telling the stories of how the literati of the Federal Republic of Nigeria managed to usher in the Golden age of Nigerian renaissance under extenuating circumstances! This is our vision that wil definitely be achieved by hook or cook!!!

God bless the Nigerian Intelligentsia!!

God bless Nigeria!!

The opinions in this write up do not constitute the official line of the organization but the opinion of the writer. If there are any queries regarding the article please send an email to Daniel@nigerianyouthleague.org and he will answer you promptly.

Robot  # 1 | 29.09.2008 07:47

We dare put it to all the members of the literati and intelligentsia in Nigeri...Read the full article.

Dewdrops  # 2 | 01.10.2008 05:35

=Robot;274878>We dare put it to all the members of the literati and intelligentsia in Nigeri...Read the full article. Still looking for something to smile about today. More tears to shed I believe.

denker  # 3 | 01.10.2008 05:48

Quote: Arise, O Fools, show Ass to Nigeria Arise, O Fools, Nigeria's call obey To serve our fatherland With Hate and Sleaze and unfaithfulness The labour of our Villians past Shall never be in vain To serve with heart and might One nation bound in bondage, war and disunity. Oh God of creation, misdirect our dishonourable cause Guide our ruler wrong Help our youth the truth to ignore In hate and dishonesty to grow And living injust and falsehood Great lofty heights attain..:p:D To build a nation where war, starvation and injustice shall reign. Arise, O Compatriots, show Nigeria your Nyansch..!

akuluouno  # 4 | 01.10.2008 09:39

Regards to Dewdrops, Haba Denker, Na waooh for waek. Happy 48 years. This year our greatest achievement is that we are one nation after 48 years of nation building and policies. Then by 2020 we will be the 20th greatest. A nation that prides itself as the giant of Africa, conqueror of apartheid, the greatest black nation in the world, ( no wonder blacks are in trouble globally) and other grandoise epithets. The whole issue reminds of the woman who got an F in Sex. A child kept pestering the mother about her age and weight and height and the mother kept parrying the poor girl. One day this girl found her mother's driving license tucked away somewhere, perused it and got all the data she needed to confront her mother:D:D:D:D:eek::eek: Mother, Nkechi said one quiet day as both were driving to Dominion Primary School in Wuye, Utako, Abuja, Nigeria. You weigh 67 kilogrammes. Ada answered yes, you are correct. Nkechi continued, you are 5ft 2ins, correct Ada chorused. You are 35 years, Nkechi continued. Haba Ada motioned, how did you find this out:icon_ques:icon_ques and You also have an F in Sex, Nkechi continued ignoring Ada her mum:cool::cool:and that was why Daddy left you for Ugonmma, Nkechi added for effect.:D:D:D:D I think FRSC found Ada's car below Berger Bridge in Abuja, but luckily both mother aned daughter were alive:eek::eek::eek::D:D:D I think Nigeria really scored F in Sex and her Mojo to boot at this 48 anniversary. Regards to all surviving villagers and may your hearts, livers and kidneys keep serving you even beyond our 100 years anniversay. Amen:D:D

ELAWALO  # 5 | 01.10.2008 10:58

Dear All We all have various ideas, reasons, why we are below par as a nation. This leads to my Wisdom Question ? - What do we do next ?? Following on from there - Where do we start ???

ttonjo  # 6 | 01.10.2008 11:02

God bless Nigeria and SHAME ON WAR MONGERS AND PROPHETS OF DOOM. Nigeria we hail thee. Happy 48 Independent Anniversary. All haters should go to HELL.

ezyvic  # 7 | 01.10.2008 11:11

The choice is up to the leaders, followers, you, me, everyone. We have ALL contributed to the failure called Nigeria, no matter how minute the contribution is, and there is enough blame to go round. Analyse the past, consider the facts of the day and project into the future. Way forwards pls:arrow:. http://www.nigeria2025scenarios.com/ http://nigeria2025scenarios.com/downloads/2025b.wmv http://nigeria2025scenarios.com/downloads/2025c.wmv http://nigeria2025scenarios.com/downloads/2025d.wmv http://nigeria2025scenarios.com/downloads/2025e.wmv HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY TO ALL !!!:exclaim:

Uwaa Sef  # 8 | 01.10.2008 11:12

God-forsaken country!!!! Later

ttonjo  # 9 | 01.10.2008 11:23

Arise All Compatriots, Nigeria calls obey. To serve our fathers' land With love and strenght and faith The labour of our heroes past Shall never be in vain To serve with heart and might One Nation bound in freedom Peace and unity. And to all our DETRACTORS, HATERS AND WAR MONGERS TO HELL WITH YOU ALL YOU CAN GO TO THE OCEANS AND DROWN NO ONE WILL MISS YOU NIGERIA IS HERE TO STAY FOREVER. HAPPY INDEPENDENT ANNIVERSARY.

Ewuro  # 10 | 01.10.2008 11:45

=Robot;274878>We dare put it to all the members of the literati and intelligentsia in Nigeri...Read the full article. This is a joke! We the Literati, intelligenstsia! Who are these people? Afilaka, you delude yourself. Is there a group like that in Nigeria? The Fela that you mentioned said "My brother make you know follow book o, you common you your sense... FOLLOW .. FOLLOW His cousin Wole Soyinka that you derided as not speaking the language of the people never uses book sense and he is not one of your follow ... follow literati inteliigensta. He is that original that he uses appropriate language for different audiences. This is why he could broker a deal for the release of those who are kidnapped by Niger-delta activist and secure a release. Wole is one individual, that the garage tout in Lagos, Ibandan, benin, warri, Onitsha, enugu, Port-harcourt would feel at ease to listen to over a calabash of nice palm-wine. You, afilaka must be the only 'literati inteligestia' who did not know that as far back as 1965 Wole Soyinka held up a western Nigeria radio station changed the speech of the unpopular governor and inserted a popular speech for the people. He was of course tried and acquited. Is that not a practical language. Do you ever comtemplate taking any action from the comfort of your house where you write nonsense! Was it not Wole Soyinka, despite the dangers of the time who vonluntered to to travel to the east just before the Biafra war to persuade the secessionist toward a more peaceful solution. He was incacerated for thirty months for this. What other methods of expression do you want. If you are too lazy or unprepared to understand his literary work, despite your claims to the litearti or intellesgtia that is down to your inadequacies. The musical album, 'opera wonyonsi' - I love my country, I no go lie is a classic well understood by garage touts whether in Mushin, Molete, Onitsha or Malali in Kaduna. Yes we have instances of people- like Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, Late awojobi etc who have developed their arts, philosophy and actions and their are true intellectuals. Sadly we do not have an intellectual class. On the contrary we have pseudo-intellectuals in university campuses whose stock in trade is to harass young women for sex and sell handouts in a manner not too different from the carry-ons in Molete by Adedibu. This is why Ganiu Adams OPC is more influential than your Literati "class".

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