The Youth and the Wi-Fi Revolution

 

By Abioye Tosin Lawrence | Oriontimes Online

They rule like ancient gods of thunder, men who still think power is a staff, not a system. Their portraits never age, only the citizens beneath them do. In their minds, eternity is a policy.

Across Africa, presidents cling to office chairs as if they were sacred relics. Paul Biya has been president since typewriters were trending. Yoweri Museveni still governs as if Wi-Fi were witchcraft. The Bongo dynasty turned Gabon into a family business, until soldiers finally pressed Ctrl + Alt + Delete.

And yet, these rulers still hold conferences on “youth empowerment,” while the youth empower themselves on TikTok.

The Age of Caves and Codes

Once upon a time, kings ruled with fire and fear. Today, the fire has gone digital, it glows in screens, not torches. But some leaders haven’t noticed; they’re still shouting decrees into the cave wall, waiting for echoes of obedience.

They censor the press, block the internet, and jail citizens who dare to post the truth. They forget that the digital age has no gatekeeper, and that hashtags don’t need visas to cross borders.

Somewhere between “order from above” and “shutdown the internet,” they lost the plot, and the people.

The Youth and the Wi-Fi Revolution

Africa’s young no longer wait for permission to speak; they livestream revolutions in real time.

They tweet manifestos at dawn and design apps by dusk. They are the new opposition, coded, connected, and uncooperative.

Governments still issue statements through fax machines; the youth issue verdicts through memes.

When a minister lies, they turn it into a skit. When a policy fails, they remix it into a soundtrack.

The rulers may have the guns, but the youth have the gigabytes, and they’re winning the war of relevance.

In the analog age, power was measured by how loud your convoy siren was.

In the digital age, it’s measured by how many tabs are open on your laptop, and whether you can keep up.

Yet, the old guards still think Twitter is treason, innovation is insubordination, and every idea younger than them is a threat.

They hold summits on “digital inclusion” ,but can’t find the mute button on Zoom.

Africa doesn’t lack leaders; it suffers from leadership software that refuses to update.

Our future will not be saved by men who still fear email attachments.

Because you cannot rule digital citizens with analog thinking, and you cannot build tomorrow’s nation with yesterday’s mindset.

 The fire has moved from stone to screen. Those who can’t see it will remain heroes only in history books written by themselves.

Sent from a country where leaders never log out.

— Abioye Tosin Lawrence