Let’s face it, we are not growing. Not economically. Not socially. Not politically. And it is not because our young people lack ideas or ambition. It is because the system around them is built to frustrate growth and reward dependence.
Across Ondo State, we have talented young people with dreams bigger than their environments. Yet, what do they get? N50,000 here, N100,000 there as Salary for being their Media Aides. And even that comes with drama, media coverage, and photo ops. We have been conditioned to believe that a cash drop is empowerment. It is not.
Real empowerment gives you tools to rise. It gives you knowledge, capital, mentorship, and opportunities. It does not stop at giving you fish. It gives you access to the river, the net, and the boat.
But what we see here is different. Leaders take multimillion naira constituency projects meant for this land and hand them to people who have no ties to us. Some are girlfriends in Lagos, others are contractors in Abuja. They collect the funds, execute poorly or not at all, then come back and give our people peanuts to share and celebrate.
Let us ask, where are the projects meant to lift our communities? Where are the thriving businesses backed by public funds? Where are the success stories?
They are nowhere, because no one is building a system that allows youths to grow. Instead, our leaders hand out survival money and call it empowerment. But six months later, the so-called beneficiaries are back in the same place or worse off.
No youth in Ondo State, South most in particular can boast of receiving even N1 million from any political office holder to build a scalable business. A business that can employ others, expand, and transform a community. And yet, we have leaders controlling billions in allocations and project funds.
We cannot build a future on handouts. We cannot build wealth with occasional giveaways dressed up as empowerment. We must break this cycle.
Let us stop clapping for crumbs. Let us start demanding investment. Let us ask for systems that work and not favours that silence us.
Empowerment is not a one time payment. It is a process. A structure. A strategy to lift people and keep them rising.
We are not lazy. We are not entitled. We just want the same kind of opportunities others are getting in other parts of Nigeria.
This conversation is not over. We continue tomorrow.
