#ReformThugNG is one war that Nigerian youths must conquer if we indeed want a better Nigeria for ourselves and unborn generations.
Having seen so much in my few years since birth, there is a weakest link between real hustling youths and real dawdling youths. What is the difference between the two?
Real hustling youths go all out to make ends meet, push until something good happens; while the other does but in a negative and destructive way. The latter are the thugs we have in our society.
While the former are educated, learned, exposed and focused; the latter are less educated and careless about what the future holds. Yet, none can do without the other. What then should be the solution to this menace that has eaten deep into our society, thence causing disruption, destruction, vices and other related challenges?
Let’s not forget that this category of people belongs to the same society we live and work in. They also have their families and businesses mostly which are illegal. Most of them involve in drugs, alcoholism, violence, rape, vandalism and lots more.
Offline Beings
These people are not technology inclined, nor aware of the happenings of evolution around the world. They are offline. Most of them don’t operate at the levels at which their counterparts are, yet we expect them to behave well and be of good character? I doubt it.
We also need to understand their environments, associations and vital needs before we begin to cast the stones at them. If we look closely at their lifestyles, we’d discover how far they have gone with their wayward life and sometimes, their will to make a change is imminent but no opportunity for that change.
In fact, some of them wish for a better life, but some strong factors and forces beyond them pull them over and conquer their vague desires of transformation.
We don’t see the potential in them because they have been bastardised by higher forces and powers such as desperate political leaders who entice them with chicken feed or stipend.
They hire them to cause chaos and mischief in the society before, during and after any electoral process. These thugs, who have not been to the four walls of any formal education setting, see no wrong in these vices; hence, accept to be used as instruments of political mayhem and thuggery.
In the process of all these, some of them lose their lives, families and properties in the cause of fighting for their so-called earned income. My finding has revealed that these thugs have a particular mindset about life and how it should be. Their mindsets have been wrongly influenced by those who hire them, the vices in the society, wrong environment and bad association among others.
This is why I decided to feature a consultant psychiatrist at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Yaba, Mr. Dapo Adegbaju, who shares a similar view about this subject – #ReformThugNG as a matter of urgency.
Read Also: #EndSARS: Blog Letter to My Fellow Nigerian Youths
TPB: As a psychiatrist, do you think this set of people (Thugs) in Nigeria require mental reformation?
The thugs in Nigeria are a reflection of our society. Their emergence is multifactorial; from poverty, poor education, lack of employment, erosion of moral values, politicians arming them, substance abuse amongst other factors. The whole country needs a Reorientation and some of them might require Reformation.
TPB: What values can they inculcate and system adopted to achieve #ReformThugNG?
The values that can be inculcated in them is that “Good name is better than Gold or Silver” . We need to imbibe this in our children right from an early stage. Our society is one that now thrives on getting rich no matter how.
And our leaders in this country need to be selfless; put policies in place that will employ a large percentage of the Youth. Our politicians should stop arming the thugs; they forget that the weapons they give these youths after getting to power and such weapons will be used by these people too to get what they want.
TPB: What aspirations can be envisioned in an individual to abate him from thuggery with this new agenda of #ReformThugNG?
To stop all these thuggery, the following should be put in place: Effective Birth rate control, Free Education at Primary; and Secondary School levels, Creation of jobs for the youths, and Stop all forms of favouritism.
Politicians should put in place policies that will help with jobs; social security and they should deemphasize money.
More so, all political posts holders should be on a part time salary. This will prevent get there all cost syndrome. This will aid the use of money for social services.
This is a long shot but I will prefer we scrap the Presidential System of Government we are practicing, it is too expensive for us.
Dear Reader, would you say the government contributed to this menace?
And do you think the #ReformThugNG will help cultivate this ill in the society?
Kindly drop your view in the comment section below.
