“If we are to build a better world, we must have the courage to make
a new start. We must clear away the obstacles with which human folly
has recently encumbered our path and release the creative energy of
Individuals. We must create conditions favourable to progress rather
than “planning progress”.” Friedrich A. Hayek
It started as a mere thought but insightful. Even with an obvious evidence of my absence I could imagine the experiences of our fathers dated ages back to how it is now, the economical, political or social progressive development so far and the satisfaction of our mind to what we are experiencing nowadays. Liberty! We all need liberty, a chance for freedom, freedom of our mind and actions, a progressive society…Libertarians will agree with this. We are really insatiable, I don’t blame us, I don’t. Most will say “this is not development”, “we haven’t gone that far”, “we are still lagging behind in most facets of human life”. The rate at which we grow either progressively or depressively virtually depends on the policy we lay down. Now, who are we to blame? Or better put how can there be a positive wave of change? In Nigeria, we can say we now practice democracy but I am afraid, there are still a lot of regulated policies hindering our growth in all facets.
However, actualizing liberalism in our society shouldn’t be farfetched if we grow this seed among our youths and expect it to mature. Now, from many published analysis, a great percentage of Nigerians live below the average means of livelihood, this portends to the fact that poverty is very eminent in the land. Even our culture had taken the norm of “how things had always been and we cannot change”. This doesn’t give a chance for development but indicates a recycle within a particular point. Liberalism cuts across several facets of life, among which are political, economical, and religious plus other relevant. Yes! I comprehend the fact that cultural values advocate things that bring about the peaceful coexistence between individuals when there are some that don’t make a difference if the norm is being altered. Individualism comes into play in this sense. It brings about the pursuit of personal happiness and independence. I’ll rather say individualism is born out of liberalism.
Liberalism should not only involve a written policy but it should be an imbibed attitude amidst the society. This can be achieved for instance by establishing an independent students’ owned group based on liberal ideologies which is supposed to empower students to be liberalist. This same group as well organizing seminars and symposiums, radical campaigns but peaceful, against any injustice in the Campuses (activism) and several other relevant and effective ideas. That’s inducing such attitude in an individual from a young age. Youths are more represented population-wise in the higher institution than at other educational levels.
More so, if attention is well focused on students of the higher institutions, great will be achieved in this campaign. This is not to say other levels shouldn’t be focused on as well. I had always been against some of the ideologies behind the establishment of some of our private higher institutions we have in Nigeria. The policies regulating the dress code of students, the entry and exit of students in and out of the campus respectively, the routine blackouts at the hostels enforcing students to sleep at a particular time and several other things are acts against individual freedom. At such a stage, the student is expected to be matured enough to make good decisions invariably, having come from a lifestyle that had been streamlined through the primary and secondary school. Added to these, in some Public higher institutions, where the Student Union is almost not given a political will to operate freely but being dictated to occasionally by the School Administration suppresses self determination by students – imagine the enforcement of dress codes for instance. To allay this feeling and to harness to its cart, the best way to create an environment conducive for learning in adults or better put, in matured individuals is a craving for freedom of decisions.
If well in place, this will bring about the attitude of liberalism among our leaders thereby making it a growing trend in the sciety. This is supposed to be geared and learnt among the Youths because it is this same ones that turn out to be leaders in the nearest future.
..To be continued.
by
Ibukun Oladunjoye
Follow me on twitter @hiibekay
tokunbooladunjoye@yahoo.com