Let the young boy be he has done nothing. Do I really need to run away from my nation, or change it in the little way I can? I have read reports about the inhumane treatment given to fellow citizens in diaspora, who probably left for greener pastures. I have also met an enthusiast who spoke convincingly to me about leaving Africa. These thoughts lingered in my head as I talked with my friends who had the same feeling of traveling out.
He is just a young boy and not what you think
They complain of the abuses within the country; the brutality, assaults, forceful arrest, accusations and etc. from the police force. The way one is treated even before the crime is investigated or one is pronounced as culpable. The brutality is unfair! Young boys are hurt and their ambitions are threatened by the fallacious accusations that they are all bad. But no one seems to care!
My friends, neighbors and brothers are not scammers!
These are ambitious growing boys whom I’ve seen struggling to meet ends over time. They are apprentices, full of zeal and creativity. They are boys, in my sphere, who hawk in the streets! These are youths who have toiled night and day exploring opportunities. They are children who started the struggle from a tender age, due to the economy. They are known for smartness, they are educated, therefore empowered for the future. They are future Leaders. Boys in my area are good and promising to the country, and so Leaders, please, see them as good. They have potentials. Otherwise why not? They’re not all bad, it’s out of place to think all boys are Yahoo boys, bad and corrupt. It hurts to see friends leaving or dying to leave the country because the system does not have a place for their creativity and energetic involvement.
A friend said to me, “I am seriously tired of this country, I feel so unsecured, even in my own country”. This country does not believe and regard young boys. I am not confident because of the inbuilt fear of the police and their unlawful brutality. I fear the delay of Justice and the true freedom and transparency of the Judiciary. I fear for those whose cases are swept under the carpet. They are awaiting trials, yet serving the sentence they are likely not culpable of. If I have my way right now, I will leave this country.” But then, again, I hear the voice of a friend saying “the myth of a better life elsewhere”. Isn’t this frustrating? This is the confession of a boy equipped with digital skills, through numerous online/offline courses. A graduate. A hustler, and not a thief!
Who are the Yahoo boys? Are they known for driving cars? How about the one who has worked for it judiciously. Is it the nice perfume, or the family house? How about families who left good legacies for their children? Who say smoking is a metric to classify someone as a yahoo boy, you should advise them about their health not make them to pay ransom for smoking, accusing them to be yahoo boys. Some are mere addicts, influenced by environment! It hurts to see young boys die for nothing, it is bad to arrest them for just a haircut, walking steps, and looks.
As a girl I am allowed to braid whatever I want, any color, I am allowed to walk the way I want and I don’t get suspected at all. The streets are uncomfortable for the boys in my location, why is that so?
…To be continued…
