You will observe that the question “Why?” is friendly and more regularly used by children than adults. In the process, our children get rich and richer as it brings to them answers and knowledge.

Unfortunately, most adults do not want to ask the question why even when they see things going wrong in the society of today for fear that they might be killed. But our children want to know who owns the land and our lives.

Those who brought about development so far are why people: By the why question, scientists develop a lot of things that make life easy for us today. By asking why, human activists stopped a lot of man’s inhumanity to man. People of charity too, become very kind as the why in them prompt them to give what they have to others. Achievers learn their lessons and use same to achieve solutions to their problems.

On March 1, 2023 the President-elect, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, said among other things, “To you the people, especially the youth, I will work day and night. I will work to the utmost of my ability to make Nigeria better.” Our youths have not forgotten that promise.

Hence, they are asking, “Why should we allow politicians to drain our economy for their personal benefit and abandon us?” We the elders are shying away from asking him why he has failed to keep his promises. If we continue this way, our children and those yet unborn may not forgive us.

Our youths have the courage to ask him by staging the hunger protest of August to draw his attention. To grow, let us learn from our children who are asking “why?”

“He who thinks he is leading and has no one following him is only taking a walk” says an African proverb. Is our President and his cohorts aware that we are not following them? They have no pity on the electorates who are starving because of high cost of living in Nigeria.

God who enriched our country with many valuable natural resources expected us to feel better than many other nations but our rulers hijacked this privilege through corruption. Enough is enough! Stop killing our hunger protesters or face the wrath of God. 

God chose David to rescue his people from Goliath and he later became a king to lead his people. Moses who earlier escaped from Egypt was later chosen by God to lead his people out of Egypt. Jeremiah and many others were also chosen by God for special missions they fulfilled to God’s glory. In our time we have seen how Nelson Mandela fought for the freedom of South Africa from the Apartheid for many years and eventually succeeded. 

Our youths who are being punished because they went on hunger protest should be consoled by Late Mandela’s experience. With Mandela’s background, nobody expected him to fight for South Africa Independence. He was born in July 1918 and lost his father at the age of 12. He was expelled from University College of Fort because of the role he played in the students’ protest.

He was released from prison in 1990 and became South Africa President in 1994 at the age of 76. And after one tenure, he did not insist on running for another tenure. Mandela once said, “As we let our own light shines, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.”

Despite the fact that he was jailed for 25 years, he was able to ascend the throne of Presidency to lay a good foundation for politicians and set his country free from Apartheid. He died on December 5, 2013 at the age of 95. “Nelson Mandela left a legacy of freedom and peace; a profoundly good person; sacrificed his own freedom for the freedom of others; reconciled himself with those who jailed him.

He no longer belongs to us but the ages.” says Barack Obama. David Cameron of England described Mandela as “The hero of our time.”  

Let us pray to God to inspire our politicians to have compassion on hungry Nigerians and allow us to experience democracy. Prayer and fasting for Nigeria in distress without crying to God for intervention may not be enough to change this ugly situation. The Lord Himself has invited us saying, “Now, let’s settle the matter. You are stained red with sin, but I will wash you clean as snow” Is. 1:18. 

Are you destined to be a political leader to lead Nigeria out of the woods? Is your vocation that of a community leader, etc.? In any sphere of life, you can be used by God to better the lives of his people. Your greatness does not depend on your physical structure, riches, position or popularity. What is your disposition regarding your positive contribution to the growth of Nigeria?

Let us pray earnestly for God’s intervention. Asking is the beginning of recovery. We are not going to the ocean with tea spoon anymore: we are going to God to ask for his intervention as we weep and cry sincerely as the oppressed children of a nation hijacked by wicked money mongers who have no value for lives.

“O Lord, how long shall the wicked exults? They crushed your people, O Lord, they oppressed your inheritance. They murdered the widow and the helpless hunger protesters without remorse. ‘The Lord does not see’ they say, ‘the God of Jacob does not care.’ Ps 94:3,5-7.  

Father, the hour has come! You who made the ear and eyes, hears and sees their evil deeds. You who pulled down the walls of Jericho and leveled the Tower of Babel; you who led the Israelites out of Egypt and took them to the promised land, please give us leaders to restore sanity and peace to our nation, Nigeria in Jesus’ Name! Give us democrats to run our democracy. We will praise you and tell generations yet unborn that you saved Nigeria from anarchy and doom. Glory to God!