By Yusuf Mutiu Olaitan
Yo! Exactly a week ago, we held Play With Kwara Youths 3.0! Who won? Kwara youths. Who lost? No one! We are people of grace, over the years, divided by the elements of politics, spearheaded by few elites. Reason was largely that we were fed with lies against each others, we were made to look like enemies to each others, we were made to believe we must be political in the things we do. But with PWKY, we have said a resounding NO to division and we have all echoed a kaboom of YES to unity, togetherness, and putting Kwara first!
As expected, staging PWKY 3.0 was with its difficulties, those which I’ll prefer to keep to myself. And of course, such difficulties were expected. Especially when many people had, from experiences, told me such difficulties were only matter of when not if. A friend once told me: Sturaro, anyone out there would have prayed to be the convener of PWKY, hence, you must not care whatever the side talks are, and since then, I’ve been listening to positives, hearing negatives but acting unconcerned.
After all, African China, in one of his evergreen songs said ‘your worst enemy go be your friend’. And I say ‘your best friend go be your worst enemy’. Enough said!
After all the editions of PWKY, I’ve had series of interviews, and one question that is common is: Has PWKY achieve its purpose of creation?! And everytime I heard this question, I’ve always replied with a loud YES.
Come on! Before PWKY, Ibrahim Abdullateef Egghead and Saadat Bibire were always on each other’s neck on social media, throwing tantrums, exchanging invectives, but PWKY has changed that. Even they still hold on to their divers political beliefs, they have been engaging each other with courtesy, not that they both lacked it before PWKY, but PWKY brought such courtesy to the fore!
There’s a Yousaseef who’s a Sarakite and there’s an Abdul Abdul who’s also Sarakite. In every discourse before PWKY, Yousaseef and Abdul Abdul would always be on the same page, speaking in the same tone and manner! Enter PWKY, Yousaseef ‘no gree’ for Abdul Abdul again. Of course, both of them must speak for their respective teams, and guess what, Abdul Abdul had conquered Yousaseef twice, while Yousaseef emerged victorious once. That’s the spirit. We can always disagree without being disagreeable.
Before PWKY; many people had only seen Dr. Olohungbebe, Comrade Ishowo Olanrewaju, Advocate Azeez, Barr. Rufai Ahmed ‘godfather’, Rt. Hon. Salihu Yakubu Danladi, Comr. Tajudeen Habeeb Tallest, Ameliorator Yakub Ishowo, Arakunrin Bolakale, Comr. Sheffy Gold, Arab, Shoboi, Egghead, Dare Akogun, Engr. Rotimi Iliasu, Hajia Fatimah Dikko, Alhaja Sidiqat Taiye Lawal, Engr. Kehinde Alex Bankole, Mallam Sanusi Lafiagi, Hajia Maryam Aladi, Amb. Olasupo Abideen, Hon. Usman Lade, Olakunle Akano, Unique, Mai Buta, Megabyte, Kokobite, Baba Idris and host of others online, but at PWKY, we assemble these personalities on the turf, because they know what PWKY represents.
On the 31st of December, I saw once again, the true spirit of togetherness and oneness in Kwara youths. I saw people who are ready to be with each other. I saw people who are genuinely looking out for each other. And I’m satisfied! If PWKY didn’t achieve anything again (God forbid), what it had achieved under a year, can’t ever be underestimated, uniting the Youths of Kwara, irrespective of the religion they practice or the language they speak is something no association, movement, individual or politician had done before PWKY!
Fortunately, it’s not down to Yusuf Mutiu Olaitan that PWKY has achieved so many even at infant! It’s a thank to the sheer commitment of Kwara Youths across political divides who, from the onset, agreed to the vision of PWKY, and took it even more serious than Sturaro himself. Come on! If it was about me alone, no way PWKY would have achieved this stage of progress, oneness, togetherness and prosperity.
The idea which is SOLELY that of Sturaro may be there but without the support of hundreds of Youths from across Kwara, it would have been a pipe dream! Thanks to everyone who has turned up for PWKY. I am grateful to all and sundry who has made this initiative a reality. While I may have been the one to conceive of it, it is the hard work and dedication of the people involved that has made it a success. Without their support, this would have been nothing more than a dream. You’re the original convener, I’m just a medium!
On the final note, PWKY 3.0 is a week old today and we all must not forget the lesson of oneness, togetherness, harmony and putting Kwara first it has taught us. We are a strong people together. Political elites shouldn’t be the reason for our division. When we come together, we can do much more than we can do individually! We must put Kwara first!
PWKY is the largest convergence of Youths in Kwara outside politics, and that’s to tell you how compassionate we are as a people, the medium is what we didn’t have for the time past!
See you again.
I’m Yusuf Mutiu Olaitan, convener PWKY!