THE BROTHER DIED!

I write today's piece with pains in my heart in honour of a brother and a friend.

Pastor Emmanuel Akidi was aged 23years. Studied Industrial Physics and made a 1st Class.

Died in an auto crash a few days ago on his way back to Aba (in Abia State), South Eastern Nigeria, from his place of the so called "primary assignment" (NYSC) in Ibadan  (the capital city of Oyo State) in South-Western Nigeria.

The Nigerian constitution demands that every graduate under the age of 30years MUST give one year of their life to serve Nigeria. Under the scheme, the youth is sent by the Federal government to a very distant and, most times, an unfamiliar region of the country, to work for the government without pay. The youth is entitled to an allowance of about $118/month. I have one question for the Nigerian government, especially our lawmakers, how much can $118 do for a young person, thousands of miles away from home? Is this how much we love the future leaders of Nigeria? By the way, they keep telling the youths that they are the future leaders, and the leaders I started hearing their names as a primary school pupil are still there today as leaders, and my first child is about becoming a pupil himself (he is 4), and they have started referring to his age group as they referred to mine -- leaders of tomorrow.

Emmanuel Akidi is just one of many Nigerian youths who have died in the course of this curse called NATIONAL YOUTH SERVICE CORPS, which is actually now NATIONAL YOUTH SERVICE CURSE. I say SCRAP THIS RUBBISH CALLED NYSC. If it was ever useful it has outlived its usefulness. It's now only enriching greedy pockets and killing our youths. Let Nigerian youths spend the first year after graduation looking for what to do with their lives since our leaders cannot provide them with jobs after years in the university.

Those lawmakers who still have brains should move to scrap this rubbish. If they fail to do this, it's only a matter of time and there'd be a Nigerian Spring, and when that happens, God help them!

Emmanuel Akidi graduated from the Abia State University, Uturu, just like myself. He was an epitome of humility, intelligence, and an excellent upbringing. Above all, he was born again. I knew him personally. We were in the same church at the University.  The only consolation I have is that

I will see him again, alive and perfect, because he loved Jesus, for Jesus loved him first.

Jesus loves you (JLY)


Talk to you later.