By Sulaiman Maijama’a
What challenge is more challenging than the challenges that have been bedeviling our progress in Nigeria, ravaging our country, threatening the fabric of our social structure as a people? In a country where corruption is becoming our norm, insecurity is becoming pervasive, nepotism is becoming our blood, inequality is being normalized, but the poor masses have all forgotten, busy dominating social media content, posting light-hearted banters in the name smile challenge, friendship challenge, partner challenge, love challenge, wanka challenge and all sort of challenges that are not of importance. I was heartbroken when I saw a Professor with all the Degress partook in the trend!
Are we really serious?
A couple of months ago there was “book challenge”, Which unfortunately did not last long, whereby a person would be challenged to post the cover page of their Seven favourite books, without review, in a week time. That challenge is worthwhile; it had revived my confidence that, the reading culture that has diminished would resurface, mainly because the books being posted made easy circulation and recommendation of book tittles. And by so doing, those who are book womb would use that to their advantage and further their reading culture and those who read less would begin to take an avid interest in the sweet arena of reading.
I believe fully that, even those who do not read at all, could possibly give it a trial. Unlike the above-mentioned challenges, book challenge is worthwhile and promising and my mood was more than good when it dominated the Social Media, however, the euphoria in me short-lived just like the trend did.
My assumption was, these light-hearted “challenges” was just for fun which would last for few days, that is why i almost joint the trend but, unfortunately it’s being elongated and the social media content is being dominated. Have we forgotten some people being massacred in Borno? some are being ambushed and kidnapped in Kaduna? Some innocent lives are displaced arbitrarily in Zamfara and Katsina? Why don’t we, instead of being serious about something not worth seriousness, challenge the Government to, as a matter of urgency, do anything possible to protect these lives?
Have we forgotten that the ASUU has been on strike since March this year? Do we take stock of the future of our education? Why don’t we, instead of taking huge time thinking of a challenge we should innovate, just challenge the Government about our existing challenges on ground. I’m sure the amount of social media content on smile challenge alone, if tailored on our real challenges, could be influential enough to compel the Government to swing into action with a view to addressing them.
Until we think long and deep, our challenges hardly can be surmounted. I’m not condemning being light-hearted in spare times.
Maijama’a is of the Faculty of Communication, BUK.
