Some friends said I’m an introvert. On this day, i decided to proof them wrong by going to one of our tourist site – the Ibeno beach. It was such an entertaining and thought provoking session for me. I met with old school mates, friends and relatives while enjoying the beach view and many cuisines and drinks available.
The journey was smooth with fairly good roads at some point and very excellent roads at the other end, indeed our Government is trying in road constructions.
On getting to the Ibeno road, I got very frustrated with the number of civilian road blocks on our highway. I must bring the attention of our Government to this, since the many online sycophants have only succeeded in insulting/bullying anyone who tries to constructively criticize with an aim of getting better performances hence hibernating a handful of positive thinkers and speakers who would have long written about this growing menace in our society.
Road blocks were seen at every one minute drive from the Ibeno highway to the beach gate itself with promising youths extorting heavily from tourist. This sought of practice is extremely bad and if not handled on time could reduce patronage to the beautiful beach.
Many who know me can attest that I would rather drive back home than spend my hard earn money on paying criminals on the highway hence these youths were not an exemption to this rule.
I exchanged banters with some sets of these misplaced youths and of course negotiated with the others gently and with caution (Of course when you can perceive Indian herm and see youths with axes and cutlasses at mid-day, you will apply caution when explaining why you cannot pay like others).
At a point I remembered the adage “police is your friend” and wished the police could at least mount their own road blocks on these road. These civilians extorts from a thousand five hundred naira upwards depending on how much they can threaten you. This was just about 1pm. I passed through one extortion point to the other. Some Extortion points even had masquerades to further threaten you the more. I kept moving like Mario and Luigi in my childhood days Nintendo compatible game console, developing different tactics to surmount my obstacles.
Tears dropped my eyes when i saw teenage girls in large numbers in the company of these young promising guys cum hoodlums advising me to ‘settle’ as others are doing or face the consequences. The tears i cried were tears of a wasted generation, tears of shattered destinies, tears of energized promising youths becoming day light robbers, tears of the supposed leaders of today now fending for themselves in a criminal way…..oh….Akwa Abasi Ibom State may the labours of our heroes past not be in vain.
Well, i maneuvered and entered the beach with my crew…..the site was worth the hurdles. After lots of sight-seeing and taking pictures with friends , i decided to sit and have some chilled drinks with the barbecue fishes, suya, and even fresh coconut juices but i went into a state of depression soon after.
I recalled a publication that made rounds on social media ranking Akwa Ibom as the second most unemployed state in Nigeria- The Mother of Africa. I had doubted such statistics believing it was the work of mischief makers because this was a state where we nicknamed our Principal as “Mr Industrialization”, a state where we erected an ultra-modern four point hotel in Ikot Ekpene, a five star hotel in Uruan, a state where we have a tooth pick factory, a peacock paint industry, a syringe factory, an airport with engineering and repairs facilities, A federal and State University, A federal and state polytechnic, a specialist hospital with expatriate doctors, a coconut refinery in the making, etc. Such a state cannot be the 2nd most unemployed state in Nigeria except there is something wrong with our choices of investments.
Seeing the number of youths turning into criminals daily, a case study of the hundreds of youths on the Ibeno highway, i was forced to give that publication a rethink. Could we be this unemployed amidst all our companies and organizations i mentioned earlier? Could we be this poor amidst the abundant of oil on our land?
Where are the sycophants? Where are the writers? Where are the journalists? Are you all eating at the same time? Because i know it's bad manners to talk while eating. Is it what you are doing right now? I do not mean to insult you, but i mean to re-engage you this 2018 to help our leaders by doing your duty of pointing out to them critical areas that need urgent intervention.
Hunger needs urgent intervention. Joblessness needs urgent intervention. Please let us engage our government that we voted into power and still support wholeheartedly positively and encourage them to treat issues of priority first. In a scale of preference, hunger and unemployment ranks top against every other gains/dividends of democracy.
My open appeal to the state Government, NDDC MD, Free Export Zone/Oil and Gas Boss, 3 Senatorial Districts Senators, 10 House of Representative Members, 26 House of Assembly Members, 27 Federal appointees, State appointees, newly constituted Local Government Chairmen and Councilors and other stake holders I have not mentioned is that they should please come together and take Akwa Ibom youths off the streets, take them off Bet9ja stores on a Monday morning, take them off Ufok Akam on a working week, take them off ogogoro shops and safe their kidneys, please take them off playing of draft from morning till night and even Ikong Ekpo so we don’t breed a mad society.
Please leaders of our time, Senator Dino Malaiye said “you speak the truth, you die. You Lie you die” he choose to speak the truth and he is not dead. Today I have spoken the truth and I will not die.
Stop this your Christmas selective empowerment you are doing. It’s a shame on democracy to be giving people who voted you into office bags of rice and onions as a repayment for the mandate you hold. Stop giving those Christmas fishes, rather give hooks and nets to the youths and show them the waters so they can fish from January to December. You can give those IDP items to the aged. They really need them. Not able bodied youths.
May 29 is just 17 months away. Enough of all the infightings. Help Akwa Ibom Youth and God will bless you people.
I always remain
Prince Ntuk
Writing from: The Office of the Citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Hello, I'm a Passionate Blogger, Social Media Consultant and An Engineer by profession...
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