In a recent interview with Jimi Disu of Nigeria Info, artist Olubankole Wellington, popularly known as Banky W, revealed that “frustration with the plight of young Nigerians” led to his decision to join politics.
Banky W who ran an unsuccessful bid for the House of Representatives in 2019 lamented that the country was not offering its youths a hope for the future. “The Nigerian dream today is one in which you survive Nigeria long enough to escape it. It’s no longer about trying to thrive. It’s just about survival,” he said.
Are youths fleeing Nigeria? In July the World bank released a study titled, “Of Roads Less Traveled: Assessing the Potential for Migration to Provide Overseas Jobs for Nigeria’s Youth,” in which it stated that an increasing number of Nigerian youths were looking to leave the country in search of better economic futures even through irregular means. “Nigerians represented the largest group of migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa arriving in Europe in 2016 and 2017,” the Bank said.
Looking ahead: When asked if he was going to run for office again in 2023, Banky W said, “I believe so…for the same reps.” He didn’t immediately reveal under which political party he would contest.
Dig deeper: Nigeria’s Poverty Problem is a Ticking Time Bomb
