By
Banky W
Benjamin
Franklin once said, “When you’re finished changing, you’re finished”. I’d like
to take that a step further by saying, “We must be a part of the change we seek,
or risk being changed ourselves”.
The
question is no longer “will Nigeria change”… but rather, it’s “will it change
for the better or worse” and “who will lead that change”.
History
is rife with instances of regimes, institutions and societies seeming stable
and unshakeable… but young people being fed up with the status quo, became the
catalysts of Change in their societies.
In recent times we’ve seen young people
all over the world clothe themselves with the “change” mantle and become a part
of the movement. We’ve seen that no matter the society, and no matter the
circumstances of oppression and corruption, change is possible if the people
decide that enough is enough. From Tunisia, to America, to Egypt… young people
are changing the world every day. Nigeria should be no different.
They
say “insanity” is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different
result. We cannot continue the same behaviours, year in, year out and expect better
results. Except for prayer, you can’t do the same thing over and over again and
expect things to be better. And even with prayer, you actually have to get up
and do something after all they say heaven helps those who help themselves.
Things
young people can do:
1)
Be involved in the political process:
a. Register
to vote
b. Actually
Vote for the right candidates.
c. Or Sit
back and let someone else steal your voice.
2)
Peacefully protest
a. Media: Old
& New
i. Twitter,
Facebook etc – I believe that even though the internet accessibility in Nigeria
is still low, we cannot ignore the importance of such platforms. They serve as
tools that can help in the movement. And things are changing everyday… many
phones today have some internet capability or the other.
b. Efforts
like Occupy Nigeria, Light Up Nigeria, Enough is Enough, etc.
c. Newspapers,
blogs, etc.
3)
Become fully involved in the Political
process.
a. It’s
easier to talk about and/or criticize people that are working than to do the
work yourself. Join a party and try to help influence policy. We can level the
playing field if we all get involved in this Movement for Change. And it’s not
just at the federal level. Young people need to start getting involved even from
the local and state levels in order to
properly influence policy and society.
4)
Use whatever voice or platform you have…
constructively. I’m a musician and so you’ve seen me singing and speaking
publicly about the need for the change in our country… but you can use whatever
sphere of influence you have… be it with family, friends, school, neighborhood,
church or mosque. Everyone has a voice and a role to play.
I’m
here because I’m a dreamer. Everything I have now, that God blessed me with…
was born out of my dreams. I dreamt of becoming a singer; dreamt of owning my
own Record Label company, and other businesses. Dreamt of being able to
influence my surroundings, my city, my state and my country through my work.
But some people stop at dreaming while others actually wake up and set about
trying to make those dreams come true.
I
dream of a changed Nigeria where each child, no matter the background has a
dream of his/her own, and is given access to education, healthcare, and basic
amenities in life to make those dreams come true.
I
dream of a changed Nigeria where the opportunities abound for anyone willing to
work for them; where every man, woman and child is given a fair shot to avoid
poverty and become a success at whatever they set their minds to do.
I
dream of the day in Nigeria where we finally live up to our potential – as
citizens, leaders, countries, and as a continent.
If
our children and future generations witness Nigeria in the same conditions we
have her today, then we would have failed them. That’s why I’d rather be here,
speaking with like minds and putting my hands to the plow, than sitting at home
being an armchair critic.
We’re
all here because we want to be a part of Changing Nigeria for the better.
That’s why we are getting involved. Whether or not each person’s intentions are
pure… only God would know… only Time will tell and only History will judge.
However
I’d rather be a part of the movement for change, than be one of those that are
content to sit back and criticize. I’d rather be a player on the field, or a
coach, or a worker on the team, than be a fan in the stands, or home watching
on TV.
One
of my favorite sayings is, “The best way to predict your future is to create
it”.
We can extend that to say that we must create the Nigeria that we want to
live in. We must all speak up. We must all work for it. We must all stand up
and be counted, if our dreams are to become reality.
I’m
Banky W, and I stand for change. Do you?
R&B
singer, Banky W, gave this speech at the 5th Annual Bola Tinubu
Colloquium, which held on March 28, 2013, at the Shell Hall, Muson Centre,
Onikan, Lagos.
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