By Hon. Ogbobe Chidera Stanley
It is an affront to our collective dignity that the Nsukka zone, a land of rich heritage and intellectual prowess, is increasingly being weaponized as a theatre for political hostilities.
Our land should be a ground for ideas, development, and progress, not an arena for the settling of political grudges imported from elsewhere.
The conscription of our young men into the ignoble role of political thuggery is both reprehensible and destructive.
These are vibrant, capable youths who should be the architects of tomorrow, yet they are being reduced to pawns in dangerous games that leave their futures uncertain.
In the process, they are stripped of the potential to contribute meaningfully to society, their energy wasted on violence instead of innovation, and their destinies mortgaged for the short-term gains of political actors.
Rather than arming them with weapons of violence, those in positions of influence should be equipping them with the tools of empowerment, such as education, vocational skills, and gainful employment opportunities that will uplift their livelihoods and secure their futures.
The resources being spent on political violence could, if redirected, transform our communities through infrastructure, entrepreneurship, and sustainable job creation.
Equally disturbing is the deliberate exploitation of our most vulnerable sons and daughters, reduced to the demeaning role of praise-singers for political actors whose only interest lies in self-preservation.
These leaders know that dependency breeds loyalty, and so they manipulate economic hardship to turn our own brothers and sisters into permanent cheerleaders for mediocrity.
Such manipulation corrodes the moral fabric of our community.
It diminishes our voice in the political space, replacing the bold and independent spirit of Nsukka with a culture of subservience.
It perpetuates cycles of poverty, dependency, and underdevelopment, all while those responsible continue to enrich themselves at the expense of the very people they claim to serve.
The time has come for Nsukka to awaken from this induced slumber.
Our silence and passivity have only emboldened those who see us as nothing more than tools for their ambition.
We must reclaim our pride, reassert our political agency, and set clear boundaries that our land will no longer be a playground for political feuds.
We must reject, without compromise, the commodification of our youth.
We must insist that our energy, talent, and collective strength be invested in development, empowerment, and dignity, not in manipulation, violence, and servitude.
The message is simple yet urgent: Nsukka must wise up, rise up, and protect its destiny.
Nsukka, wise up.
