Nigeria's cycles of poverty and violence mirrored in 'In the Ghetto'

Muyiwa Adetiba, writing in Vanguard, uses Elvis Presley's 1969 song 'In the Ghetto' as a lens to examine Nigeria's enduring cycles of poverty and resultant violence. The song's narrative of a child born into destitution, forced to learn to steal and fight, and ultimately meeting a violent end, resonates deeply with the author's observations of social conditions in Nigeria.

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people, don’t you understand, this child needs a helping hand or he will grow up to be an angry young man someday. Take a look at you and me. Are we too blind to see? Or do we simply turn our heads and look the other way?

Adetiba points to the stark reality of impoverished children on Nigerian streets, begging and chanting prayers, who should be in school. He argues that these children, denied education and support, are inevitably steered towards a life of crime. The song's poignant lyrics, 'people, don’t you understand, this child needs a helping hand or he will grow up to be an angry young man someday,' serve as a direct appeal to the conscience of society.

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Are we in Nigeria too blind to see those poorly clad kids carrying begging bowls in their hands and chanting prayerful songs on the streets? Kids that should have been in school?

The author directs sharp criticism at leaders and the general populace for their collective inaction. He describes a pattern of leaders 'pushing the can forward' and a public that 'simply turn our heads and look the other way.' This societal neglect, Adetiba contends, is directly responsible for the rise of 'angry young men' who now inhabit forests and disrupt lives in villages and cities – individuals who were once children denied a helping hand.

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Leaders, who are supposed to tackle the social disorder in the different ghettos of our country, are unfortunately among those who have simply turned their heads while some are pushing the can forward to the next set of leaders.

Furthermore, Adetiba condemns those who actively enable and perpetuate this social disorder for personal gain, often under the guise of religion or culture. He laments that the consequences of such enablement are starkly visible, yet the cycle continues unabated. The piece serves as a powerful indictment of societal apathy and leadership failure in addressing the root causes of poverty and crime.

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The saddest and most condemnable part belongs to those who continue to enable and perpetuate this social disorder for selfish gains under the guise of religion or culture.