By Denrele Animashaun

“We are forced to fall back on fatalism as an explanation of irrational events (that is to say, events the reasonableness of which we do not understand).” — Leo Tolstoy

A young man, who lived near my parents, sent me a message on the social network, some while back. He was a toddler when I left home but he knows of me and we occasionally communicate over the social media.

After the usual pleasantries, he asked me how life was like in the UK. So I  told him  but I had an  inkling that there was more to his  curiosities  and  my inbuilt  flag was flaying madly waiting for the  usual.  And it didn’t  take  long, he told me he needed  some money, that he was saving up  for  a ticket  .

To where I asked him?  He said, to the Middle East. I did what any concerned person would, I asked what were his plans and if he was travelling for studying or meeting family? I knew his parents were deceased and he often stays at my parents or at his siblings.

So I asked him, has he got family in the Middle East? No, was the answer.  Are there any immediate plans or prospects for a job when he gets there? No, he said.  Well, there I was telling the young man that he should not go anywhere until he has a concrete plan and a legitimate one at that.

I told him he may be putting his life in harm’s way and advised him to stay in Nigeria, where he, at least, had family and friends. He told me there was nothing for him in Nigeria. I did try to dissuade him to change or alter his plans or at least have some cast iron plan prior to his travel. I knew this young man’s mind was made up. He is no older than my 24 year  old  son  and I somehow felt helpless to convince him to stay at least protect  him from the  unknown as I  would have my  son.

He already knew and he felt he had no alternative, staying in Nigeria just as millions of other young Nigerians. The future for them is not worth contemplating with interrupted education, shrinking employment market, corrupt officials and establishment of staggering poverty for the majority of Nigerians. It is no wonder that the young Nigerians see their future in Nigeria as dim and dire.

The alternative is not worth contemplating. They would rather take their chances elsewhere. These choices are difficult to make and they did not arrive at it lightly and yet, they have to make these choices every single, waking moment in order to survive or have a future. Two weeks, ago, I heard he has left Nigeria and I am unable to contact him. I  remember what  he told  me that: that  anywhere was better than  Nigeria, I  am inclines sadly, to  believe him.

Last Saturday (15th March), was another dark day in the history of our country for young people. Thousands of job-seekers were corralled into stadiums including one in Abuja, for an aptitude test to gain employment at the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).

Over a million people applied and for 4,500 posts and to make matters worse, they also had to pay N 1,000 each for the  processing of  the form( I have  been told this is actually  the  norm rather than  the  exception in many state and private establishments).

There was only 4,500 posts and millions applied! Each applicant had to pay 1,000 naira which is about £3.5, to take the test.  The department raked in over N6billion.

This is an act that I find disturbing and unethical that such unscrupulous people are cashing in on other peoples’ miseries. Even knowing that these people are unemployed; what  is  worrying is  that  many  more  would have  applied and crammed into the very  stadium if  only  they  could  have afforded the price of the form.

Depending on how many paper and media sources-between seven and over a dozen died in the stampede that followed. Many more were seriously injured. The Education Rights Campaign blamed the NIS for inviting more applicants than centres could accommodate. It said 65,000 people were invited to the Abuja National Stadium that has a capacity for 60,000. So to  make matters  worse the Interior Minister, Abba Moro  had the  temerity  to  blame the  victims  that “lost their lives through their impatience” and  that “there have been “poor handling” of the event by officials, that unauthorised” people who had broken through the fence into the national stadium, Abuja.

One of the applicants, Mohammed Yusuf, recounted that he saw two people crushed to death in front of him, saying it was “very terrible”. And he blamed the officials in charge of the stadium for the deaths, saying that more than one gate should have been opened”

It  seems to me that we all  know  where the  blame lies and that the  priorities was to  fleece more  money  from  people who have  less and the safety  of these applicants  was never a priority. Where was the health and safety protocol or crowd control in a large scale event such as this?

The minister is indignant that he will not resign and that he was not culpable for the loss of lives in this debacle. He instead has  asked Nigerians to be  patient(again) so  that he can  carry  out a robust investigation  as  to  what  went  badly wrong and no, there is no refund.

The federal government has offered automatic employment to families of the victims following the stampede during the recruitment test of the Nigerian Immigration Service last Saturday.

President Jonathan gave the directive Wednesday after the Federal Executive Council meeting and he has directed that families of all those who lost their lives would be given automatic slot for employment. You cannot make this up but I must tell you, I find this very distasteful that you have to lose your loved ones and then be given a fast track to employment. I  do  not  know  who  advises  the  president  but  this is  not  the  way  one goes about solving  a  badly  managed disaster nor  a deeply flawed culture  that sweeps corruption and corporate manslaughter  under the  carpet. It will rear its ugly head again and again. Lessons have to be learnt and people have to be held responsible and if need be, convicted for such large scale crime.

Would we ever get to the bottom of what went wrong?  What do you think? I  would not  hold my  breath and I  will  advise  you not  to hope  for a change of  tact.

Life is cheap in Nigeria, the young seems to bear brunt of this administration’s incompetence. Nigeria is Africa’s biggest oil producer and  with  one of  the  world’s fastest growing economies, what  confidence have  we  in our government to  steer  and utilise the country’s wealth  and potential human resource. With billions of dollars misappropriated, siphoned or unaccounted for, what hope is there for our young people?