Our Creator has perfect plans for everybody. And He does this without prejudice toward none. In the womb of divinity’s precious plans is a consideration for that poor man who, today, is hopeless and helpless as he daily fights with the demon of poverty to keep his head above turbulent waters.
The beggar I saw recently at Tejuosho main market in Lagos is also in God’s plans. Despite his crippling disability, the young man is still pushing hard, begging, and sweating with fervent hopes splashed on his face that one day, the sunshine of joy and fulfilment will beam big on him. God’s plans don’t leave out the forgotten millions of young people in remote places like my hometown of Imesi-Ile where the only available opportunity for many young folks is to deploy their bare hands to till and dig the ground in farming. God’s plans include men and women from every creed and colour, every tribe and tongue, and everyone and all. As you read this treatise today, believe this submission that you are also in God’s plan.
There are billions of people across the earth space with big aspirations in their spirits. They are in their millions in Nigeria. These are beings who, over the period of existence of the nation, watch presidents and men and women with the gavels of power and political authority raise their hands swearing to an oath of office; a dream I believe some of them may also be dreaming for themselves. They have watched these ceremonies with resurging and burning hopes that one day in their lifetimes; they too will step out to be honoured by the world as president, governor, or senator in Nigeria. The future may look uncertain for many in a terrain that is not essentially enabling, but the aspirations possess unfading breaths.
But where is a man’s dream without God? And where is a vision without guts? Readers, when I express about God, I refer to the omnipotent and omniscient one who made the dreamer, and who alone also makes all dreams come true. When I refer to guts, I allude to a man’s hard work and persistent pursuit of a life dream without giving up one inch of the land of hard work to frustration and disappointment that often threaten to knock us off the ring as we fight hard to survive. Intestinal fortitude. Determination. Courage. Boldness. Daringness. Dauntlessness. These are all GUTS. So, my friend, it takes GOD and GUTS to have an aspiration hit the big stage of manifestation.
The work that I do has connected me to thousands of young people of different races and nationalities and from all over the world as I speak to them in diverse fora. These young men and women are passionate and relentless in pursuit of fulfilling their aspirations. Many of them know where they are heading in life. But they may not know how to get there. I identify with them. As a young man, I once lived in the world they presently live in. Recently I met with a few young men in the Nigerian music business whose main intestinal drive and aspiration is to leave the country and explore possibilities of success in America. That is the perennial voguish frenzy today in all the nooks and crannies of Nigeria.
The old and the young are boiling with the desire to seek respite abroad. I will not join the league of those vile voices discouraging anyone from finding their place of rest and restoration abroad. My job is to break down stark realities of what they will surely face when they arrive in a strange land; and how they can make their dreams stay afloat and alive. In my candid conversations, I discovered that a few of them erroneously believe that all that is required for anyone to succeed in America is only to ensure that the soles of their feet kiss up with the American ground. They are clueless about how the system works. I took my time to educate them. Every move in life begins with a desire and aspiration. But dreams are not realised through these only. If you are wise, you must know that every desire, no matter how lofty and good, must be followed by a wise action.
Human aspirations are fulfilled only when you pursue them with God and guts. The summation of my counsel to these young people is that it takes God and guts to survive the biting harshness of any land. There may be a young man or woman with a powerful dream somewhere in the nook and cranny of Nigeria reading this article on this day. You hunger to lead something and impact your family and community. But you must be prepared for that journey that will take you through bends and straight roads. You must be prepared for the ups and downs, twists and turns, and crinkum-crankum that come with the terrain. It takes God and guts to fulfil an aspiration.
Please permit me to dish out the same admonition for those who lead Nigeria today. If real and impactful change will take place as often loftily spoken by President Bola Tinubu in his many recent speeches, it will take God and guts! Let’s take a careful look at the following statistics about the educational sector of Nigeria’s economy. About 80 million people do not have basic literacy skills, and 10.5 million children are out of school. Thirty-three per cent of people aged 15 years and above cannot read or write in any language. The primary school completion rate at the national level is dismal. Only 47 per cent of children have access to secondary school (69.3 per cent urban, and 37.5 per cent rural); as many as 43.4 per cent expressed dissatisfaction with their secondary education. By 2030, Nigeria is estimated to be one of the few countries in the world that will likely have a bountiful supply of young workers. Out of a current projected population of 200 million Nigerians, young people under age 30 account for over 49 per cent of the population. What this means is that young people in the country are close to 100 million. Our youth, more than crude oil, could be Nigeria’s asset or liability in decades to come. This narrative is not only scary but also disheartening. It will take God and guts by those in charge of government to change this narrative.
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