The convener of the ReadingCafe 2024, Lechi Eke and other Intellectuals, have called on the government at all levels to provide the right leadership that will give the required opportunities for the youths to invest their talents and energies in the country and excel as well as avoid going abroad in search of means of livelihood, jocularly called japa.
They also urged the governments to inspire them that they can succeed in Nigeria.
They spoke on Tuesday at the University of Lagos, (UNILAG) during he ReadingCafé 2024 with the theme: Salvaging Africa through Literature. The programme was organized by Finishedwork Enterprises and National Association of Students of English and Literary Studies.
The Assistant Director of Programmes, NTA Lagos, Channel 10, Peace Isaac-Yerokun, said there is the need for the reorientation of Nigerians, especially young people.
She urged them to believe the right things about Nigeria.
She said: “You can see what is going on in the country; young people feel the only way they can make it now is to ‘jappa.’ A lot of young people can actually change the narrative and begin to look inwards.
“What is spectacular about us? They should take time to look at themselves, and their mates, the ‘Gen-Zes’ abroad. What is special about these people?
“What is about them that they cannot achieve because the truth is: whatever colour, whether you are white, black or whatever, God made all the same. We have the same ability. There is really nothing a white boy can do that a black boy cannot do.
“So young people should begin to look at themselves that they have all it takes. They can make it even while here. They should look at what they can do even while here. It is not by carrying placards, it is not about being volatile, lazy and looking at cheap or easy ways of achieving a purpose.
“No! They can be great even here. They have the ability and all it takes. They should believe in themselves and abilities and look inwards.
“Young people should begin to embrace the culture of hardwork and not look at easy ways of achieving success. They need hard work to be successful.
“There are opportunities in Nigeria. Why are foreigners coming in? A lot of Nigerians are selling off what they have, including houses. Somebody told us that some Nigerians living abroad are buying off all the houses in Nigeria that those Nigerians are selling off.
“The person has been abroad over the years, so he knows what it is but he is coming back and buying all the properties here people are selling.
“The question is: what is it that he is seeing that we are not seeing that made him to be buying properties in Nigeria even though he lives abroad?”
A lecturer at the Department of English, UNILAG, Dr. Fola Alimi, said the ReadingCafé is part of the culture of UNILAG to engage the town and gown in order to open the space for students to relate what goes beyond the forwards of the university.
He said: “This is the ninth year that we engaged in the Readingcafé, we have other programmes before these final year students, we have a special year for the final year students. This particular reading Café is a special one.
“It is the flagship of the Department of English and by extension the university. It is something that the university appreciates and encourages as part of the culture of learning and building character and the future of the students.”
Eke said the ReadingCafé is an avenue for training prospective writers and teaching them to use their skills to salvage society from the ills that beset it.
She said it is aimed to promote literacy among youths, raising young people of great thoughts who will develop writing skills and write themselves out of obscurity and lack.
According to her, it is intended to revive interest in books thus bringing reading back into the activities of young minds.
She added that it is also for the promotion of a cultured society for Arts refine man teaching him to shun violence and use communication, language, dialogue, to resolve issues thus creating a healthy and a more secure society.
Eke decried the ills of neo-colonialism in Nigeria and other African countries, adding that it has robbed the continent of many benefits of its great endowments.
She said: “Right now, slave trade is still going on, so is neo-colonialism, as well as transference of country’s natural resources to non-indigene control. The rot in leadership has taken a new dimension.
“So, how do all these concern writers, fledgling writers and book lovers? I will tell you. Book lovers try to choose books that present the African situation. As book sales rise in this genre, authors would be encouraged to produce more of such books.
“Writers, write about Africa and the ills that ail her; fledgling writers, please, look into this matter too. Enough of love stories, or let the love themes be woven into the problems of Africa.
“Let new readers who are going to be leaders tomorrow meet these things in love novels, thrillers, plays, satires, poems, etc.
“Let us gradually begin to create an awareness of these ills proffering solutions on how Africa’s new leaders can avoid the traps of western civilisation including the economic colonization of China and others. This is one of the purposes of Literature, and this way Africa can be rescued.”
A lecturer at the Department of History and International Studies, Anchor University, Lagos, Dr. Nnanna Iroh, said corruption is a serious problem in Nigeria and that it is found in every sector of the Nigerian society.
He also identified another national developmental challenge as ethnic conflicts in Nigeria, which he said also have corrupt tendencies underlying them.
He said: “You look at the economy. The economy is so bad today because of the corrupt tendencies of our leaders. There is a high level of corruption in Nigeria. Nigeria is in a sorry state even with abundant natural and human resources.
“We have failed to actualize a potentially great nation which Nigeria is. We have not achieved the greatness. Nigeria is potentially great but not yet great and that is because of corruption.
“The way Nigerians excel in many parts of the world, most of those were struggling here. The same thing they did there, they were doing it and whatever knowledge or experience they have that made them excel in those parts of the world, they acquired them here.”
He added: “Hunger is another factor. A situation whereby if you throw a seed of corn on the ground, it will germinate to show how fertile our land is.
“Why should there be hunger in such a country? But because the right people are not in the right places to make food production a priority,.we continue to wallow in hunger such that many people go to bed without food.
“To make young people to be instruments to addressing these challenges, we need good leadership. Achebe pointed out that the trouble with Nigeria is bad leadership, that is because we have wrong people in the places that they should not have occupied.
“Somebody had looted this country in the past and he comes with the money he has, buys the electorate and goes back to power and impoverishes the nation further and nobody cares about what he has done.
“All they are after is who he gives money to. Whoever that benefited from that administration will be satisfied.
“The young ones can only salvage the country through writing by portraying the situation in the country through their writings, rejecting it and deciding not to be part of the situation and not to be part of the wrong way things have been going on.”
A novelist, Dr. Eghosa Imaasuen urged young Nigerians to have faith and confidence in the county, adding that they can succeed in Nigeria.
A media practitioner, Kehinde Okeowo, said there are opportunities in Nigeria.
He said that digital media is a very good opportunity, adding that is what youth are tapping into.
He also said there is the need to salvage the nation’s electoral process.
Okeowo said: “If you do not elect the right leaders, you are not going to get the best leadership. So we need to salvage our electoral system.
“We were on that until INEC during the last election told us that those digital content we were supposed to guide against transparent election did not work. We need to have confidence in our election.
“We have to think properly when we are bringing policies. When you are not in charge of your exchange rate, for instance, and you are floating it, at a point you may not be able to control it. If you do that vis-à-vis, and take away the fuel subsidy, then you may not be able to control it.
“I think that is the reason for today’s inflation. The fact is that we are doing the two at the same time. I expected that we would do one and then consider the impact before the other.
“Maybe you remove the subsidy, you leave the regime of forex the way it was, then when you are producing in the country and you have control, you can then do the other one. Doing the two at the same time, I think is the bane of today’s economy.
“I want to encourage young Nigerians to have hope in the country. I think they can take advantage of the digital economy, digital media, sports and singing; there are so many things they can do and do well even if the person is not employed.
“All these can provide gainful engagements. I think that once you have a means of livelihood, your life will get a normal direction and from there, you can aspire.
“You can even be President. Young people should not all be looking at leaving the country. But again, I will ask our leaders to encourage young people. Let them see the light after the tunnel.”
