10 other matters that are angering our youth which also need to be addressed with the same seriousness as police brutality

Ayo Akinfe

(1) The jumbo pay packages of our lawmakers are an affront to any decent society

(2) The impunity with which corrupt people are running the country. Orji Uzor Kalu was convicted of fraud by a court but remains a senator, while Abdullahi Ganduje was caught red handed receiving bribes yet remains a governor

(3) This government has divided Nigerians along ethnic lines more than any other in our history. Its nepotism is so blatant and divisive that it harms many cross-ethnic relationships built up over decades

(4) The impunity with which this government encourages the growth of armed militias is highly offensive to most Nigerians. Boko Haram, Macban, Armed bandits, etc, all know they are secure as long as this government remains in office. Insecurity is a matter the government is not interested in addressing because it appears to need these Janjaweed-style militias to deal with political opponents

(5) This government has made it crystal clear it is not interested in handing economic power to the federating units. Our youth are not stupid and know it is impossible to diversify our economy or achieve any growth so long as everything is managed from the centre. Until the states start generating wealth, Nigeria will remain the poverty capital of the world

(6) The offspring of our politicians are so callous in the way they display their squandermania of our common wealth. They ride our presidential jets, throw lavish parties at our expense, purchase expensive motorcycles from abroad and even get foreign healthcare funded by the public purse. I am yet to see one politician chastise his or her kids for such insensitivity

(7) This penchant for flying abroad for medical treatment is an affront to the Nigerian medical profession. Medical tourism will guarantee that we never have a working healthcare system in Nigeria. If you are elected into public office in Nigeria, you should be prepared to die in Nigeria if you fall ill

(8) We have been debating this power crisis for too long. Our government is simply not taking the matter serious enough. Our youth can all see how countries like Egypt and Brazil have recently addressed their own power crisis

(9) Rainy seasons affect all tropical countries. How come the roads in nations like Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, The Philippines, etc do not become impassable rivers during the rainy season

(10) Why do all our public facilities like libraries, clinics, stadia, etc all fall into states of disrepair within a few years. In other places, such buildings are thriving 100 years after construction

Unless all these issues are addressed, our youth will be back next year with a vengeance. Today the catalyst was police brutality but the rest of the malaise remains in place!