Effects of Political Thuggery On Nigerian Youths

We’re always calling them “area boys,” those 20-something youths that always spring up to cause violence in our neighborhoods, especially during protests or elections. But the actual name for what they are doing is political thuggery.

This article will define political thuggery, its effects on the youths, and the ways in which you can join NBYF in saving our future leaders from its ugly jaws.

What is Political Thuggery?

It is the intentional use of physical force directed at individuals or groups within a political context. Usually, the aim is to achieve sinister political objectives or influence political processes for the perpetrators’ selfish interests. Politicians orchestrate political thuggery by recruiting thugs to attack other political opponents or even individuals that they believe might be standing in the way of achieving their selfish objectives.

The goals of political thuggery include intimidating opponents, suppressing dissent, as well as advancing specific political and ideological agendas. With this, they can boost their chances of winning elections. Political thuggery could take many, many forms, ranging from threats, kidnappings, terrorism, armed robbery, and harassment at polling units to even ritual killings.

That was a lot of grammar, wasn’t it? Let’s bring this closer home: political thugs are the young people picked off the streets by these soulless politicians and campaign parties to wreak havoc that will serve their masters’ selfish interests. But how does this issue of political thuggery affect you and me, and the millions of youths out there?

What Causes Political Thuggery Among Nigerian Youth?

Political thuggery is becoming rampant in Nigeria for several reasons - some of which are glaring and others not so glaring. However, over time, some reasons have established themselves to be more responsible for these cases of recorded thuggery, including:

• Poverty

The poverty that Nigerian governments have forced upon us as citizens is the biggest weapon they keep using to manipulate us. Too many Nigerian youths are so consumed with worrying over where their next meal is going to come from. That way, anybody who flashes a few thousand Naira notes across their face would earn a right to use them as they wish, without any complaints. This systemic poverty is the major reason why political thuggery is so rampant in our society today.

• Education

Because so many Nigerians are so poor,  they are unable to provide their children with the basic necessities of life, one of them being education. The children grow into ignorant youths who are unaware of their civil rights and human worth and hence become easily manipulated by politicians looking to foment trouble.

• Unemployment

An important question to ask is - why are our youths so poor? It’s simple, there are no jobs anywhere. More than 80% of Nigerian youths are unemployed, and the number keeps growing everyday. Not everyone can work as an entrepreneur, as many youths never took the time, or had the opportunity, to learn soft-skills, and so they easily fall prey to these politicians’ manipulative tropes.

• Remuneration

The unnecessarily fat paychecks that await our politicians once they get into positions of power are another reason why political thuggery is flourishing in our Nigerian society today. Senators who are being paid millions for “hardship allowance” would definitely want to do anything to get re-elected into those positions, or even better ones, and that would increase political thuggery. Elective positions in this country are just too attractive, and politicians are greedy enough to use our youths as political thugs to ensure that these posts don’t slip away.

Effects of Political Thuggery on Our Nigerian Youth

Political hooliganism affects society as a whole in the sense that it absolves our leaders of any sense of public accountability whatsoever to the people who they forced to get them into office. Politicians are certain that their goons would fight for them to be reinstated into office once the next elections arrive and, therefore, feel no need to distribute the dividends of democracy to the electorate. This in turn, repeats the ugly patterns of bad governance that have become so synonymous with Nigerian politics for so many years.

But our main focus at NBYF is the youth, as they are the ones who suffer most from this evil.

For those who are privileged enough not to be puppets of these politicians, political thuggery prevents them from growing into the adults they should be. Imagine being a young adult but being unable to vote because you are afraid of being harassed at the polling units or avoiding peaceful protests for fear of them being violently hijacked by these political thugs. All of this fear and uncertainty alienates them from the thugs, people who are probably their agemates but unlucky to be puppets for these evil leaders.

The youths who are hooligans have their lives at stake the day they become tools for these politicians’ wars. Society vilifies them while they are subjected to all manner of abuse and oppression by the same politicians who make them oppress other harmless civilians. This is not minding the fact that they could be “unalived” at any given time during the course of their “job” because like it or not, these politicians actually pay them for being a nuisance.

Conclusion: How NBYF Can Help

At NBYF, we are aware of how much of an endangered species Nigerian Youths are, and these political thugs, as evil as they may look, are at an even worse risk. But simply analyzing the situation and shaking our heads in pity won’t change anything.

We believe quality education is the key to freedom from all forms of abuse and manipulation, and that is why NBYF is looking to partner with secondary and tertiary institutions of learning to work on slight reductions in fees, and introduce other incentives that would make it easier for children of poorer parents to remain educated. It’s a tall order, but here at NBYF, we believe that anything is possible, and nothing is too much to go after if it is for the betterment of our youths’ lives.

Also, we’re certain that if our youths had legitimate, personal sources of income, they wouldn’t have to be puppets to these evil politicians’ whims and caprices. So, if we can provide our youths with a viable alternative to thuggery, the problem would be half solved. Our focus is to provide our youths with training on marketable skills such as electronics, photography, auto-mechanics, plumbing, carpentry, etc. With that, it can set them up immediately after they complete their training programs or later in the future.

If our youths spend their time gainfully engaged in these activities, then they wouldn’t have any to spare when these horrible politicians come calling. Our plans to solve this problem of thuggery are practicable, but require money. We can’t do it all alone, and that’s why we need your support, your donations. Nigerian youth take up a whooping third of the country’s population. Don’t just watch them get used and abused by these politicians, help them today!