CHILDREN: ANY HOPE FOR YOUR FUTURE?
By Taiye Olaniyi
Average Nigerian children detest what Nigeria is as they have met it today.
The impression is they are children of circumstances who ordinarily might not have needed to have been born in this part of the world.
There is that growing impression the oldies have disappointed them as such don't deserve kindness and good treatment in whatever form.
During our childhood days especially in Yorubaland of old, our parents, full of integrities, and pride in ethical and societal acceptance values would chest up to admonish "Remember the Child of whom you are".
This resonates in the minds, hearts, and memories of a number of us as we equally pride ourselves in the transmission of such noble heritage to our children.
The idea, as J. F Odunjo advises that one's parents might be rich and a father with a retinue of horses tied at stake, shouldn't mean depending on such parents but rather in hard work and personal sweat for an enduring livelihood.
In today's world, many parents are spoilers of their children's future just as many children thrive on the stinking opulence of their parents majorly derivable from ill-gotten sources.
Politicians and highly placed religionists, those in the phylum of once golden traditional institutions are now promoters of " rich at all cost, by any means" to the nation's children.
Hence, cultism, gangsterism, yahoo, yahoo+, drug addiction, inordinate political ambitions, and sharp business practices are now the vogue of children of all ages in Nigeria.
Those talented have no backings to trade and benefit from their talents, those dare-devil children of the highly placed politicians in particular, placate the rottenness of heritage they inherit from their parents, parentage, and patronage.
The rich are getting richer as the poor and their offspring getting poorer thus losing hope in the Nigerian nation and playing the tunes for us all as lyrics of life: "In youths, we run into problems, at old age problems run unto us".
In Nigeria of today, " ara ko ro okun, ara ko ro adie", both the old and the Nigerian children can no longer stay, and live in peace or tranquillity.
The question then is, "Who will salvage the future of Nigerian children"?
No American Joe Biden of this world, as the number one man, or his country America as the number one nation of the world. shall help emancipate the already mangled life and living in Nigeria.
No periodic emigration to Israel or Saudi shall make Nigeria a holy land for Nigerians. No president in either executive or legislative capacities shall help spread the message of hope that is universally acceptable and no political parties nor their politicians shall be able to make and mold the lives of our children in these their hypocrisy of " do as I say not as I do" syndromes.
Only God within the individual heart, mind, and soul shall so help build the individual child to His glory and purposeful life and living.
Therefore, check in your own heart, find the God within, call on Him, and exhume from your creative talents seeking expression, and the Divine purpose for why you were created in this part of the world, our God's own country, Nigeria.
Bank not on your parental affluence nor the non of such for only you and you alone shall live to give account to your Creator, here on earth and hereafter.
Is it, not a truism the statement of the sage of old while again questioning, "Today is Yesterday's Tomorrow, have You Moved Forward in Thoughts and Conducts?"
Those of us parents are mere channels to and for our children and as the Yorubas would say, "Owu ti Iya gbin ni Omo o ran", whatever cotton you sow so shall the child spin and weave.
For those empty but earthly rich parents, those that have made but mar Nigeria to this level of rottenness and discordance to youth aspirations for a vibrant country, the time is fast approaching to download the karmic signal that resonates the age-long dictum:
" When conscienceless power rules over powerless conscience, it is the former that first laughs but the latter laughs last and laughs best.
God Bless Nigeria.
Taiye Olaniyi, a retired Postman of the Nigeria Postal Service, is based in Lagos