I Saw Him Again, The One Whose Dream Is Being Toyed With

"Hey Aunty, good morning."

I turned to look at him. His face was familiar but I wasn't sure where I had seen him.

"Don't you remember me?" He asked.
"Hmm, your face is familiar but I am trying to recall where..."
Before I could land he responded "the guy that took your pictures"
"Oh, oh, now I remember. How are you?"
He was the one that took pictures of me days ago. He noted that he was fine and made to walk on.

"Are you going to your office?" I asked.
"Yes ma." He turned again. His office is in the same complex as mine but he probably didn't know. "Okay, why don't you join us?"

He was with another young man so I told the Cab man taking me that he and his friend would join us. 

As we journeyed he asked if I had goodies from the festive season for him. I chuckled, I was in no mood small talk.

"I am doing this to pass time until the strike is called off." I heard him say, that piqued my interest. Apparently he is doing Photography until the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) calls off their strike action.

"You are a student?"
"Yes ma."
"Where?"
"Uyo, Akwa Ibom."
"You came to Abuja from Uyo?"
"Yes ma."
"What are you studying?"
"Agro-economics."
"I like that you are making productive use of your time than to sit at home. Well done."
"Thank you ma."
I asked about his plans for the future noting that there's a lot of money to be made from Agriculture. 

As we spoke I considered all the other undergraduates whose future hang in the balance because of the strike action. Some may not be like this young man who chose to work because they may not even be sure of what they want yet.

But should he even have been in Abuja working when he could have been at school? Would a responsible government allow youths idle away?

I recall a meeting where it was noted that there were plans to build more tertiary institutions. A country that is yet to effectively manage the existing ones? Where less than 50% of funds budgeted for tertiary education in 2018 has been disbursed?

Are we moulding youths or discouraging them? Are we encouraging them or killing their dreams?

I graduated 3 months later than I was supposed to because of this same ASUU strike action.

Organised labour has even threatened to go on strike over the statement by the Nigerian Governor's Forum that most states may be unable to pay the proposed thirty thousand naira new minimum wage.

As we alighted from the vehicle, he thanked me for the ride and as he walked on I turned to look at him, the one whose dream is being toyed with.

Let's be serious please and let this nonsense stop in 2019. Abeg!