Nnaemeka Oruh: Omojuwa, And The Path Nigerian Youths Must Now Toe
I do not think that there is any other Nigerian youth who constantly splits opinions as much as Japheth Omojuwa does. His frontal opposition to the former president of Nigeria Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan drew for him a large number of enemies from various sections of the country. But he remained steadfast in his campaigns; his opinions remained scathing and blunt and in the end, what he and many others fought for materialized.
It is essential to clarify that I do not know Mr. Omojuwa personally. So my opinions about him are only drawn from an objective analysis of his professional life. However he lives his private life, I sincerely have no idea. While I respect him as a professional, there are some things he does professionally, that I also do not agree with. I believe that the fact that we often take opposing paths clearly affirm that my views may be tilted towards portraying him as a bad person. Yet, anybody who knows me well enough will affirm that I always try to be objective in my analyses.
The first thing to say is that I do not necessarily agree with his style when it comes to addressing people. I think that even though as a person you have the right to say things the way you want to without caring if it turns out to be insulting to the next person, you lose that right when you commit yourself to serving the people( or should I say when you become a public figure). When you serve people, and your opinion can shape people’s actions, you need to learn to be more diplomatic; restrained in your outbursts; and generally treat as many people as possible gently. It is in this regard that Mr. Omojuwa needs to borrow a leaf from Don Jazzy. Omojuwa to me, still talks like a private citizen and the truth is, he is no longer a private citizen.
The above is about the only place I see that he needs to work on(not that he must work on it)! But the greater picture lies in studying how this young man has consistently fought for the things he believes in, over the years. When he believes in something, no matter the little space he has, he pushes in all his energies and tries to expand the space so that he can be better heard. One can only imagine the number of sleepless nights he had passed through, the level of persecution and threats he must have faced. But Omojuwa does not bow down to pressure or threats. He is constantly using whatever available platform to make his voice heard, and champion causes which he believes will bring about a better situation for himself and his countrymen. It does not matter if his beliefs are right or wrong, what matters is the singularity of purpose with which he moves mountains. Today, Omojuwa is the grand commander of a large section of Nigerian youths and with this ‘army’ at his disposal, he will continue to shape opinion, influence policy decisions, and generally play a largely important role in the shaping of the future of Nigeria and Africa.
Sometime ago, somebody on twitter made a comment to the effect that “nobody would have known Omojuwa if not for twitter”. I thought it was a very stupid statement. Would anybody have known Lionel Messi if not for football? Or Bill Gates if not for computing? The young man grabs whatever little opportunities he sees, creates enough space for himself and others, and continues to play important roles in the society. The question is; ‘what have you done with the little space that you presently occupy?’ This is the question that Nigerian youths should be asking themselves today.
The disposition of most Nigerian youths to situations reminds me of the “Principal” and students in MI’s last album. Majority of us are like those other students who immediately backed down to the Principal’s threat of “You will never make it, monkey!” . Omojuwa on the other hand reminds me of the guy(Jude), who despite all the threats stayed true to his beliefs.
The example of Omojuwa tells all Nigerian youths that in this age and time, there is no justification for standing by the side and watching others move the wheels of the future. His story tells us all that we should all strive for the greatness of our country by contributing from wherever we are, and with whatever platform we are on. The power to shape our futures in whatever sector is in our hands, and this eminent son of Nigeria has lit a torch and is leading the way. It is this path that we must all now toe.
One hundred years from now, Japheth Omojuwa may not still be alive, but his example will continue to resound. As a young man, he has laid down a very solid marker on the path that Nigerian youths must now toe if this country is to be great again.
Credit:Omojuwa
It is essential to clarify that I do not know Mr. Omojuwa personally. So my opinions about him are only drawn from an objective analysis of his professional life. However he lives his private life, I sincerely have no idea. While I respect him as a professional, there are some things he does professionally, that I also do not agree with. I believe that the fact that we often take opposing paths clearly affirm that my views may be tilted towards portraying him as a bad person. Yet, anybody who knows me well enough will affirm that I always try to be objective in my analyses.
The first thing to say is that I do not necessarily agree with his style when it comes to addressing people. I think that even though as a person you have the right to say things the way you want to without caring if it turns out to be insulting to the next person, you lose that right when you commit yourself to serving the people( or should I say when you become a public figure). When you serve people, and your opinion can shape people’s actions, you need to learn to be more diplomatic; restrained in your outbursts; and generally treat as many people as possible gently. It is in this regard that Mr. Omojuwa needs to borrow a leaf from Don Jazzy. Omojuwa to me, still talks like a private citizen and the truth is, he is no longer a private citizen.
The above is about the only place I see that he needs to work on(not that he must work on it)! But the greater picture lies in studying how this young man has consistently fought for the things he believes in, over the years. When he believes in something, no matter the little space he has, he pushes in all his energies and tries to expand the space so that he can be better heard. One can only imagine the number of sleepless nights he had passed through, the level of persecution and threats he must have faced. But Omojuwa does not bow down to pressure or threats. He is constantly using whatever available platform to make his voice heard, and champion causes which he believes will bring about a better situation for himself and his countrymen. It does not matter if his beliefs are right or wrong, what matters is the singularity of purpose with which he moves mountains. Today, Omojuwa is the grand commander of a large section of Nigerian youths and with this ‘army’ at his disposal, he will continue to shape opinion, influence policy decisions, and generally play a largely important role in the shaping of the future of Nigeria and Africa.
Sometime ago, somebody on twitter made a comment to the effect that “nobody would have known Omojuwa if not for twitter”. I thought it was a very stupid statement. Would anybody have known Lionel Messi if not for football? Or Bill Gates if not for computing? The young man grabs whatever little opportunities he sees, creates enough space for himself and others, and continues to play important roles in the society. The question is; ‘what have you done with the little space that you presently occupy?’ This is the question that Nigerian youths should be asking themselves today.
The disposition of most Nigerian youths to situations reminds me of the “Principal” and students in MI’s last album. Majority of us are like those other students who immediately backed down to the Principal’s threat of “You will never make it, monkey!” . Omojuwa on the other hand reminds me of the guy(Jude), who despite all the threats stayed true to his beliefs.
The example of Omojuwa tells all Nigerian youths that in this age and time, there is no justification for standing by the side and watching others move the wheels of the future. His story tells us all that we should all strive for the greatness of our country by contributing from wherever we are, and with whatever platform we are on. The power to shape our futures in whatever sector is in our hands, and this eminent son of Nigeria has lit a torch and is leading the way. It is this path that we must all now toe.
One hundred years from now, Japheth Omojuwa may not still be alive, but his example will continue to resound. As a young man, he has laid down a very solid marker on the path that Nigerian youths must now toe if this country is to be great again.
Credit:Omojuwa
