Alaibi Nnana Joseph

The #Rivers2050Vision is a story of young men and women across the political spectrum who have dared to dream of a better Rivers State. We refuse to be limited by the challenges of today because even in the word impossible, there is a reminder that “I’m possible.” Young people are not just the leaders of tomorrow; we are stakeholders, innovators, and drivers of change today. Our voices must shape the conversations, our ideas must influence policies, and our energy must drive the transformation we desire. We must move from the margins to the centre of decision-making. Our future is non-negotiable! We are building beyond our generation, for our children yet unborn and for a legacy worthy of inheritance. Rivers 2050 is more than a vision. It is our collective responsibility. We must dream it, shape it, build it, and own it!

I watched the interview Rufai and Abati had with Chijioke Ihunwu, and honestly, nothing about it was funny. I felt ashamed and shocked. I couldn’t bring myself to laugh. What I witnessed was ruthless public humiliation. But we must not treat this as an isolated incident. The way Abati and Rufai treated Chijioke reflects a perception many people hold about Rivers people: a people to be beaten, disgraced, conquered and left with no choice. Over the years, I have watched people who stood with me on the same political platform and shared the same ideology barely three years ago, some even just months ago, move to the very side they once spoke against. I don’t hate them or think less of them. I see people who have become exhausted by the struggle, defeated and perhaps resigned to their fate. They tried to resist, they were beaten, and eventually, they joined what they once opposed. Sometime this year, I attempted to reach out to one of the political actors through a member of his family to persuade him against returning to the coalition. That meeting never happened. Perhaps fate, perhaps otherwise. But much of what is unfolding today, I anticipated, and I believe there is more to come. Now, my charge to Rivers youths. I understand that you are tired of losing, tired of being beaten blue-black and constantly finding yourselves on the losing side. But pause and think. After the political contest, what next? How has the victory improved your life? How has it secured your future? What have you gained beyond the excitement of winning or seeing someone else lose? Perhaps we have approached this struggle the wrong way. It is time to rethink our strategy. But reflection alone is not enough. We must move from reflection to action. • Stop fighting other people’s political battles blindly. Demand to know what is at stake for you. • Build a united youth platform across party and political divides. Our common identity must be bigger than our political differences. • Demand accountability from every political actor, whether in government or opposition. Support must be earned, not assumed. Invest in our capacity, skills, businesses and economic independence. We cannot remain perpetually dependent on political patronage. • Stop celebrating the humiliation of our own people. We can disagree without wishing one another disgrace. • Develop a Common Rivers Youth Agenda with clear demands on employment, education, healthcare, security and opportunities. Present it to every political platform seeking our support. What is our greatest strength? UNITY. Not unity around a political leader, party or structure, but unity around ourselves, our collective interests and our shared destiny as Rivers people. We must move from being a crowd politicians mobilise to becoming a generation politicians must listen to. From being instruments of political power to becoming stakeholders in the decisions that shape our future. Let us organise, engage, build, question and hold people accountable. Let us negotiate from a position of collective strength. The objective is not simply to defeat one political camp or secure victory for another. It is to build a generation that cannot be intimidated, manipulated, divided or taken for granted. Rivers youths must stop asking only who is winning and start asking what Rivers people are gaining. Rivers State must be bigger than any individual. Our future is worth more than the temporary satisfaction of political victories.