"De Play, Just de Play" - by Samuel Ibok

Coughs...I came to rant responsibly, clears throat! So yeah, this would be a long post! I believe that every young person in Nigeria hears this caption once a week, maybe more, depending on the quality or quantity of their problem. For some, the urgency to post your Aza on your WhatsApp status is heavy, but pride no gree you. Being alive is a struggle, much less being alive in Nigeria! It often feels like there’s a new issue every day. I guess that’s why they say wahala not de finish. As a young person who’s grinding on a daily basis to stay jiggy and sane, I can boldly say that it ain’t easy. Truly, the pressure is getting wersser and it often feels like no one is coming. Honestly, some people in high places and the older folk think we have it easy, yet we are lazy. However, I dare say that they are still hooked on the experiences of the military regime, and they somehow think that what we are seeing currently is something they can handle easily. But hey, the more you look, the less you see. In this digital era, everyone basically has a PC, but there’s a negative perspective among many about those who own systems. The dilemma is tricky, as it is partly because of the few among us who have built mansions by exploiting others on the internet. I mean the famous "Yahoo boys," who shut down clubs and stole our girlfriends. So, if you carry a bag or an expensive phone, you could be harassed by law enforcement officers. It's crazy how we are afraid of the very people who were appointed to protect us. As a young guy in Nigeria, you may not fall in love as money is hard to find. In other words, na who get money go fit love! A lot of young guys have fallen into the pressure of getting the good life by any means. This pushes them to do some very shady things. An example is enrolling for the 6-month internship at Yahoo HQ! Who doesn’t like free education? Some get into pushing drugs or rituals just to get the dough. Quick question: Is it worth it? It's not easy for the ladies either. The patriarchy is already a constant factor that chokes women. The baby-girl life most ladies lead comes at a cost. Either they become the child of the world, as Falz sings, or they get into scamming wealthy men and having multiple partners in order to get multiple streams of urgent 2K! Those who want to hustle right still get pressured by their bosses for sex, specifically in cases where they are to be promoted. It’s basically like the old saying: "You scratch my back, and I scratch yours." I won’t place the issues facing young people solely on the government, but they can do better. We’re not lazy people; we’re probably in the wrong climate or we were born at the wrong time! You’d probably think parents would make things easier, but, my dear, you’re in for a surprise. This reminds me of some lines from Bella Shmuda’s Vision 2020 remix "mama call me say Chinedu is ballingwhat are you doing son you are dulling4 years in LASU is really nothingbetter get that money son we are starving." I cringe every time I hear this song, which is essentially the hustler's anthem. I think parents should do better, and they must know that, irrespective of what they have done for their children, their kids may not be the solution to all their problems. Dear parents, be calming down! We love you, and we are trying to make a paradise out of this wilderness we reside in, but it would take time, and hopefully it happens. Accordingly, seeing our friend’s ball at a young age equally gets to us, and for some reason we can’t get over it easily. It gives me the impression that the line between admiration and envy is blurry. Congratulations to every young person who is working hard, regardless of the pressure to get curvy. I hope we all get the bag before we pass. So yeah, when you feel like you can’t LEVEL UP and you hear that still voice saying de play, just de play, you have to ORGANISE your thoughts, STAND STRONG and focused like a TERMINATOR because OVERTHINKING NO DE SOLVE PROBLEM! LAST LAST, we go de alright! The future is young! Learn Unlearn Relearn

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