A BLEEDING NATION - CHAPTER 6: YOUTHS WITHOUT HOPE

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP684EQvZRE

Chapter 6: Youths Without Hope

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxuNJH04sG7

The future was supposed to be brighter than the past.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM6vLE4Y7QH

At least that was what Daniel had always been told.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5lEeMxvG5s

His teachers had said it.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHtCbnvbW1L

His parents had believed it.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEuSSZReu5v

Even the politicians repeated it during every election season.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlwZ6sR8bQ0

"Education is the key."

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡia9s9VuTWz

"The youth are the leaders of tomorrow."

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡECoasJGq40

"The future belongs to you."

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYNln67do5F

Daniel remembered hearing those words throughout his childhood.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaPmdqVc9to

He had believed them.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLt6BVE8eV4

Millions of young Nigerians had believed them too.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2K7kwNh6HK

They studied hard.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKivLc2Gr7k

They passed examinations.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvgiCum4dm

They sacrificed comfort.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMGHgpIZVSo

They endured sleepless nights.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz2A7GEgo9W

They dreamed of success.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX5G2ua7Zpr

But dreams alone could not create opportunities.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGJax2iH29R

Reality was different.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡng8sSjjQPU

Very different.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeUnyKCxsut

Three years after graduation, Daniel was still unemployed.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5aqR88JHkn

Three years of applications.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk7uOJgcqTg

Three years of interviews.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMH89ZjW3sl

Three years of disappointment.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ86vEPHCVbc

Every morning he left home carrying hope.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGVtn1EFeNg

Every evening he returned carrying rejection.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA8qTi0yC7w

His certificates had become papers without value.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJPv6h8hsUh

His dreams had become burdens.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZBJ28tC3R7

And he was not alone.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjFKc8nZTGA

Across the nation, millions of young people faced the same struggle.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBj1c45GB3Y

---

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7xjYSInpBS

One afternoon, Daniel met his university friends at a small roadside restaurant.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUZFOGQ4dPf

It had been months since they had gathered together.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡByKYTBESmP

The reunion should have been joyful.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡScQiXcJ57l

Instead, it felt like a meeting of survivors.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6h4lr0WEBo

Each person carried invisible wounds.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ69nhavpU8T

Michael studied Engineering.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvfETNHXbOq

He now sold phone accessories on the street.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJkHR6QEfvv

Aisha graduated with First Class honors in Accounting.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyIBha90oCt

She worked part-time at a supermarket for barely enough money to survive.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfs4LIX5GBH

Tunde studied Political Science.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeuW6r4NgUd

After years of searching for employment, he had become a motorcycle rider.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP49PctffpB

None of them had imagined this future.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGzdxKYXmp9

They had entered university full of hope.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqkkPht2BqR

Now they sat together discussing survival.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0PLOK1f0jV

"What happened to all those promises?" Michael asked bitterly.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6c5qS7dEn7

Nobody answered.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOqAxco8aPR

Because everyone knew the answer.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCpOxELaGkk

The promises had vanished long ago.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk5B2H11nsy

Like many things in the country.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIA5W8cd6oJ

---

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQcDAzEWugX

As they talked, a luxury convoy sped past the restaurant.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMSzi972EQZ

Expensive vehicles.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMJUxVCQGh4

Armed escorts.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2GH49CLQfb

Tinted windows.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb3TKECMqvC

Power.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0MxzJHbzeT

Wealth.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq1JjEg5ZGL

Privilege.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAiDEZIoMH0

The contrast was painful.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9fVf5BDb56

On one side of the road sat young graduates struggling to afford lunch.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSlqiVG5j6Y

On the other side passed leaders who spent more money in a day than many citizens earned in a year.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTgEKetL1Rr

Daniel watched the convoy disappear into the distance.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ocGGZqGbK

Something felt wrong.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLgD3rbvm98

Terribly wrong.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV3DNR7Xg4O

How could a nation produce so much wealth yet leave so many of its young people behind?

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmuNL84Gv5d

How could leaders celebrate progress while millions remained trapped in poverty?

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWDKamKD3jr

How could opportunities be reserved for the connected while talent was ignored?

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMYtFwzRGkR

The questions filled his mind.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpuzOadH8Ns

But answers remained difficult to find.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsHWgc2QOso

---

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj3ElsfPSNo

Weeks later, tragedy struck again.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNlcvl34Nfl

A young graduate named Emeka took his own life after years of unemployment and financial hardship.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmGmOTSTTIx

The news spread rapidly.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzevSBglKU8

Social media exploded with grief and anger.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ju9FpigPF

Thousands of young people shared similar stories.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdSLDhB9vj2

Stories of hopelessness.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdPQbYZHSxz

Stories of rejection.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tYr3Ta1X0

Stories of dreams slowly dying.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡapnUZw3yAI

Daniel read them all.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG3kItKXx6i

The pain was overwhelming.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm3HNT1eAJo

An entire generation was losing faith.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIpSg9KBB0W

Not because they lacked ability.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwxqhYyHy3s

Not because they lacked ambition.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdqb1XmaH5Y

But because the system seemed determined to crush them.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXuMw7CYg60

The nation was not only losing jobs.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwx8aO2bGBz

It was losing hope.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzCXTQl1hYI

---

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPeQkfQ7dRw

One evening, Daniel visited a public school where he had once volunteered.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmuiL7ftHco

The classrooms were overcrowded.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh6OVHXgsYv

The desks were broken.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo7nGCVudit

The teachers were underpaid.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ58Vc9e3NYK

Yet the students remained hopeful.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ebiOjglo0

They raised their hands eagerly.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKitK7oBPXE

They spoke about becoming doctors.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡumcYXFztPB

Lawyers.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9rw4GjC5zL

Engineers.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB6YsSIKzpf

Scientists.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5sNKE7CYzj

Pilots.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdA6DRcV5hs

Daniel listened quietly.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg3gwCDUPp7

He admired their optimism.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHWUdPlJHX9

But deep inside, he felt fear.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCONY0QoQDs

Would these children face the same disappointments?

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjOmWNvCPW0

Would they spend years chasing opportunities that never came?

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMxToa8dQwO

Would they also become victims of broken promises?

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDwqoBK6anr

The thought haunted him.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu4VnW87EZq

---

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzSy7Qu8GY6

That night, as rain fell across the city, Daniel sat by his window.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoo8Xz4dUcJ

The streets below were nearly empty.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHjp0XeK5GF

Only a few vehicles moved through the darkness.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOUyeAufgXY

He thought about his generation.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIDMEyUfwG9

A generation full of talent.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxkpZsYrcXl

A generation full of energy.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeDbTx0hFBl

A generation capable of transforming the nation.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSeC2NHkISd

Yet many were unemployed.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX9jWjbxVum

Many were struggling.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeaDBfUdXw6

Many were leaving the country in search of better opportunities.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGyMqQeAwRz

The nation was losing some of its brightest minds.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGTN61u9d0b

Not because they wanted to leave.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjbfQW1wEFN

But because they felt they had no choice.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGNpJttAAFr

It was a silent tragedy.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDYeeYIWzJf

One that rarely made headlines.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmBYRo2usu5

One that destroyed dreams without spilling blood.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6de1vtKjk4

Yet the damage was enormous.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoBx2w4J3kN

A nation cannot thrive when its youth lose faith in the future.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtlLuQv7AjR

A nation cannot grow when opportunity becomes a privilege instead of a right.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPpLCffy5C5

A nation cannot prosper when talent is ignored and corruption is rewarded.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMkF3jN1OwH

Daniel stared into the darkness.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxhu7qtCqUu

The future of the nation depended on its young people.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7CWTyDVam4

But who was protecting their future?

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7nOodhd8ZB

Who was fighting for their dreams?

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXtP1xGeaXe

Who was listening to their cries?

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2KkZdKIrUO

The answers were unclear.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlolktoPi34

Yet one thing was certain.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJqROKimRL

The bleeding of the nation was not only measured by violence and insecurity.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡibfcgvmXI5

It was also measured by wasted potential.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbhtsLLrliE

By broken dreams.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd1DIKTPu1r

By unemployed graduates.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhVzTuERhjt

By talented young people forced to abandon their ambitions.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgSD9wl9UqQ

By a generation slowly losing hope.

5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRncLhSAqHi

And as long as that continued, the wounds of the nation would never truly heal.5Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVTFhrwa0RK

ns216.73.216.175da2

Reading Theme:

Font Size:

Line Spacing:

Paragraph Spacing:

Load the next issue automatically