BAYELSANS AND THE FALSE SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT SYNDROME
"I
cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution
which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of
benevolence, the money of their constituents."
James Madison
The hay days of the Governor DSP Alamieyeseigha exposed Bayelsa youths to what I term the begging syndrome, 'I AM LOYAL' became a catchy phrase that would later come to describe the political jingle of a decrepit house. Not much thought was given to merit based entitlement, morality was almost a deadly sin.
A certain official in the Government house reduced the average Bayelsa youth to a beggar such that you must show you are loyal to "his" government otherwise you get no reward. Politicians quickly latched unto this principle of rewarding praise singing youths with cash gifts, free drinks and other disempowerment schemes. The consequences of that wasteful spending was to haunt Bayelsans a decade later with unemployment rate at an all time high.
Today even graduates are kneeling before Politicians to get pittance with the same catchy phrase 'I am loyal'. For those ones identified to be lucky or loyal, they get the much sought after cash gifts only to come back the next day for another round of I am loyal begging. The unlucky and disloyal ones are to use the words of Finte "choked". This dehumanising practice has given rise to a new breed of Bayelsa youths who believe that it is their right to get money from politicians especially from LGA Chairmen, House of Assembly members and other Government House staff. Many have resolved to live on the benevolence of the political class, you see them drive fancy cars and wear fanciful clothes. Commercial enterprise is a taboo to this class of youths and they feel those who work are fools!
Yes, workers are truly fools! Fools whose taxes repair the roads you damage and pay for the healthcare facility your family goes to when they fall ill from avoidable cholera and Thyphoid. Let me also add here that these class of BIG BOYS & GIRLS are on a PERPETUAL TAX HOLIDAY.
Those who created this monster are still in the corridors of power, the current administration is also falling into the same pit by its empowerment initiatives. Notable among which is a Youth Directorate without a clear roadmap of what they are to achieve, thereby increasing the wings of the unemployment monster. The danger of this is that there will come a time when the growing number of unemployed will see this as the only veritable tool to get income and it will become an industry in itself.
In addition to this fiasco is the seemingly nonchalant attitude of government ministries, departments and agencies in proffering durable solutions to the challenge of youth disempowerment. Some are actually profiteering from chaos in the system. We have heard of youth benefit schemes that end up in paper. Not much thought has been given to indigent students who struggled to pass through the higher institutions and today need a push to develop their potentials.
The government needs to act fast by re-orientation through sensitisation campaigns, job creation and award ceremonies for indigent students at all levels. This is a worthy initiative that will drive healthy competition as compared to the hosting of AMMA and other irrelevant promotion exercise that will not evolve our cultural habitat into a tourist attraction business.The current Education Trust Fund also need to be very open to explore territories outside the comfort zone of the cabal at the Government House in Yenagoa.
The time to act is now before we face what Lagos State faced under Bola Tinubu's administration with the increased "baba o boys".
Yours Sincerely
Sami F. Okpolagha-Abel
James Madison
The hay days of the Governor DSP Alamieyeseigha exposed Bayelsa youths to what I term the begging syndrome, 'I AM LOYAL' became a catchy phrase that would later come to describe the political jingle of a decrepit house. Not much thought was given to merit based entitlement, morality was almost a deadly sin.
A certain official in the Government house reduced the average Bayelsa youth to a beggar such that you must show you are loyal to "his" government otherwise you get no reward. Politicians quickly latched unto this principle of rewarding praise singing youths with cash gifts, free drinks and other disempowerment schemes. The consequences of that wasteful spending was to haunt Bayelsans a decade later with unemployment rate at an all time high.
Today even graduates are kneeling before Politicians to get pittance with the same catchy phrase 'I am loyal'. For those ones identified to be lucky or loyal, they get the much sought after cash gifts only to come back the next day for another round of I am loyal begging. The unlucky and disloyal ones are to use the words of Finte "choked". This dehumanising practice has given rise to a new breed of Bayelsa youths who believe that it is their right to get money from politicians especially from LGA Chairmen, House of Assembly members and other Government House staff. Many have resolved to live on the benevolence of the political class, you see them drive fancy cars and wear fanciful clothes. Commercial enterprise is a taboo to this class of youths and they feel those who work are fools!
Yes, workers are truly fools! Fools whose taxes repair the roads you damage and pay for the healthcare facility your family goes to when they fall ill from avoidable cholera and Thyphoid. Let me also add here that these class of BIG BOYS & GIRLS are on a PERPETUAL TAX HOLIDAY.
Those who created this monster are still in the corridors of power, the current administration is also falling into the same pit by its empowerment initiatives. Notable among which is a Youth Directorate without a clear roadmap of what they are to achieve, thereby increasing the wings of the unemployment monster. The danger of this is that there will come a time when the growing number of unemployed will see this as the only veritable tool to get income and it will become an industry in itself.
In addition to this fiasco is the seemingly nonchalant attitude of government ministries, departments and agencies in proffering durable solutions to the challenge of youth disempowerment. Some are actually profiteering from chaos in the system. We have heard of youth benefit schemes that end up in paper. Not much thought has been given to indigent students who struggled to pass through the higher institutions and today need a push to develop their potentials.
The government needs to act fast by re-orientation through sensitisation campaigns, job creation and award ceremonies for indigent students at all levels. This is a worthy initiative that will drive healthy competition as compared to the hosting of AMMA and other irrelevant promotion exercise that will not evolve our cultural habitat into a tourist attraction business.The current Education Trust Fund also need to be very open to explore territories outside the comfort zone of the cabal at the Government House in Yenagoa.
The time to act is now before we face what Lagos State faced under Bola Tinubu's administration with the increased "baba o boys".
Yours Sincerely
Sami F. Okpolagha-Abel
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