THE news sounded completely bizarre: one Oludare Alaba, a graduate of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Oyo State, stormed his alma mater, returned his certificate and asked for a refund of the fees paid to the school till he graduated. His grouse: his certificate had brought him nothing in life. According to Alaba, his misery had been compounded by his inability to feed his wife and kids and respond to the needs of his 90-year-old father. Oludare, who claimed to be an award-winning entertainer, said he intended to use the refund to build on his talent and live a meaningful life. He said: “I am an entertainer and even won the MTN talent hunt award during my service year in 2016. I have continued to struggle in life, such that the opportunities I am getting is to do money rituals but I don’t want to do such. I want to be useful to Nigeria, my family, myself and God…I want to pursue my entertainment career. I don’t want my career wasted.” Naturally, security personnel at the vice chancellor’s office told him that he needed to write formally, requesting a meeting with the vice chancellor, but even this basic routine process infuriated him.
In a subsequent interview with this newspaper, Alaba gave further insight into his misery. He said: “I tried to do something. I cultivated about seven acres of land and we lost the farm when cows invaded it and destroyed our crops. The man who helped me with the farmland also lost his farm to cows. The man arrested the cows and took them to the police station but instead of treating the matter, the policemen detained the complainant and released the cows. I also ventured into the sale of cow hide. I processed the skin and sold it. I sold a piece of land and invested the money in the business but it failed. I tried to do a few things but they failed. If I should kill myself, would Nigeria not continue? But I cannot kill myself because this life is beautiful and I still have a lot of help to render.” Happily, the LAUTECH Alumni Association came to Alaba’s rescue, gifting him the sum of N500,000. An excited Alaba said: “I hereby seize this medium to express my deep appreciation to the global body of LAUTECH alumni as outstandingly led by the president, Hon. Onilede Solomon popularly known as LIMO, the Board of Trustees and the Oyo State chapter of the association for their presentation of the N500,000 cheque to me. May Almighty God continue to be with you and all members of the association for their show of love and support.”
If Alaba’s case illustrates anything, it is the fact that Nigerian youth are frustrated with the situation of things in the country. Many of them have become despondent, being unable to cater for themselves in the face of the continuing downturn in the Nigerian economy and the accompanying growing unemployment, and others have in fact taken to crime. To say that most of the youth are frustrated and angry with the country and its leadership is to acknowledge the reality of the way that many perceive the uninspiring performance of the political leadership across all levels in the country and the destabilising effects of such sub-par performance on the lives of the youth. As a matter of fact, some have taken their dejection to the point of committing suicide and in Alaba’s case, it can at least be said in his favour that he resisted this drastic option and spoke out about his travails. It is also significant that as a graduate of agricultural extension, he did in fact set up a farming enterprise, an endeavour sadly truncated by the nomadic herders who have given Nigeria a prominent spot on the Global Terrorism Index with their murderous and genocidal activities.
This point is worth bearing in mind, if only because over the years, the fad in governance circles has been to encourage Nigeria’s young population to engage in farming. However, with only a few exceptions, including the defunct Olusegun Mimiko administration in Ondo State, the government has not been able to equip young farmers with the tools to practise mechanised and modernised farming. There is an overarching need for the government to make life livable even in villages. That is a sore point that has to be addressed to advance this conversation.
The foregoing is, of course, not an attempt to justify the rather limited mental capacity that the graduate in question has shown. Granted that he had been a victim of marauders, but what is the relationship between his failure and his certificate? The fact that he chose to return his certificate to his alma mater questions his ability to properly apprehend his situation and evaluate his options. Having been awarded a certificate, a graduate is expected to stand on his/her feet and seek to conquer the world as it were. This is not to say that challenges, especially in an abundantly blessed but poorly managed entity like Nigeria, cannot engender frustration.
We commend the monetary gift by the LAUTECH Alumni Association meant to help Alaba to take a hold of his life. Properly managed, this sum can be the springboard for a turnaround in his situation. Still, the point cannot be over-emphasised that individual gifts cannot replace the overarching need for the government to make the economy more conducive to productive life and living for citizens everywhere in the country, including villages. Evidently, the Nigerian situation is very frustrating and governments at all levels must hearken to the complaints of the people and provide a more congenial and productive environment for them to thrive. The government must address the pervasive insecurity in the land and the abiding lack of infrastructure in order to give fillip to the productive intentions and engagements of the people. Contemplating progress while ignoring these amounts to living in fantasy land.
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