Port Harcourt State

I was to travel to Umuahia in Abia state for my cousin’s traditional marriage ceremony and I boarded a bus from Jibowu park in Lagos state. I got a seat beside a beautiful fair lady with curves at the right places. She had a velvety smooth skin that glowed under the early morning sun. I was so happy and excited to have such a beauty as a travel companion but I knew it could come at a cost which I was willing to bear even though I knew it would have an adverse effect on my spending schedule for the trip. Cost notwithstanding, I made up my mind to do all within my power to get acquainted with her. Please do not preach to me because I am still single and searching though  broke (story for another day).

We got talking as I had planned and got along very well. There was a general discussion in the bus going as the journey progressed which centred on the Igbo secession demand and Biafra in general. While some supported Biafra, others were against it and gave their reasons. It got heated over time and a man in the bus mentioned states that were expected to form the new country and then he mentioned Benue state to which a Tiv man in the bus vehemently opposed it and the arguments continued.

My beauty queen turned to me and said, “I heard that Rivers state will be a part of Biafra, what about Port Harcourt?”

I turned around to look into her face so I could catch the joke but she was putting on a very serious look and before I could recover from what I heard she continued, “I heard the governor of Port Harcourt state has insisted that they are not a part of Biafra.”

I was shocked beyond words.

This goes to tell the level of political awareness of most of our youths. Social media and celebrity gossip has filled up most of the knowledge space in the minds of youths. You find out that  many of our political appointees, elected leaders and other government officials can barely recite the national anthem and/or pledge and a larger portion cannot even mention the 36 states that make up the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I have once been asked the distance from Aba to Nigeria.

A lot of people who claim to be political gladiators do not know names of places outside their immediate environment apart from Abuja. The structure of the country remains a mystery to so many minds. So many youths are clamouring for the #NotTooYoungToRun bill yet they do not understand the political landscape of our dear country. Amaka cannot tell the difference between Ondo and Akure, Halima does not know if Imo is actually a state or a social media app and Ronke thinks Benue is a Hausa speaking state all because it’s referred to as a North central state.

Sometimes I do not blame the youth because it is only a filled stomach that will worry itself with gaining knowledge and understanding its environment. Other than that, it is pre-occupied with activities aimed at ensuring its survival and well-being.

The best most youths can come close to in tems of political  and federal structure knowledge is zoning which was introduced by the former ruling party of Nigeria which wields the colourful umbrella. For the youths to take over the political terrain, it is imperative that we equip ourselves and not just participate in political debates on social media but as well understand and study the environment, get registered as a card-carrying member of any political party and effect the desired change.

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