Nigerian Government Playing With Future Of Youths – Mr Macaroni

…EndSARS Protest Opened My Mind To So Many Things

Nigerian comic skit maker and activist, Debo Adedayo, popularly known as Mr Macaroni, has accused the Nigerian Government of playing with the lives and future of its youths.

According to Macaroni, the 2020 EndSARS protest which reportedly led to the killing of youths in parts of the country prompted him to tweak the content of his skits.

He stated this in an Instagram Live interview with Prof. Toyin Falola, monitored by our correspondent on Sunday.

Macaron reminisced about his early beginnings from acting during his school days to getting ‘filler’ roles in movies which made him question his talent and ability.

He also spoke on the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) which has kept undergraduates at home for the past four months.

“It’s pitiable that the Nigerian Government is playing with the lives and future of Nigerian youths. It is sad, the lack of adequate education.

”My only advice is to beg them to consider the future of Nigerian youths if indeed they are the leaders of tomorrow. It’s very disappointing for this particular government that rode on the premise of quality education which is one of their major campaign promises. For months now, Nigerian youths are still at home. I urge them to consider the future of Nigerian youths and retrace their steps.”

The actor was asked to mention the four things he would address if given one term to lead the country as president.

“If I were to be the president of the country, the first thing I would pursue would be education, the people must be educated. A society that is not educated runs the risk of failure as we are currently having. Education is the paramount reward, and when you look at it, it is this lack of education that our leaders from time immemorial have used as a weapon to cease power all of the time.

“If you want the society to be better after education, you need to create an enabling society, a society that gives a level playing ground for citizens of that society to succeed, a society that is not partial such that when I have gone to school and come out I will have the ability to compete, It doesn’t have to be president’s son.

“I will also love to address issues in our constitution, I can’t begin to mention the irregularities,” he added.

The skit maker further explained why he uses satire in his content, noting that his work reflects the issues in society.

He added that the EndSARS protest was an eye-opener and that he decided to use his platform to pass important messages to the government through his skits.

“The society cannot be burning and your drummer does not reflect that the society is burning, because that is where you live. You are blessed by what you see, what you hear, and what you can perceive. Apart from the figment of your imagination, which could be fiction, we’re talking about the raw materials for artists. So, satire is what I have now learned.

Mr Macaroni also claimed that some unnamed persons in power have made some “ridiculous” offer to him to tone down his activism but that he had learnt to place “integrity, personality, and words from my father at a young age” over material things.

On if he would consider relocating abroad due to the state of the country, Macaroni said, “I’m rooted in the country, and relocating outside is not an option for him because the country is a land flowing with milk and honey and we just need to awaken the consciousness of the leaders and the people.”

Asked where he sees himself 10 years from now, he said: “A stakeholder in Nigeria entertainment scene to create adequate opportunities to burden artist to showcase their talents and of course, still using my voice, my platform, not just the platform I have now but the one I would have been able to build in 10 years to continue to speak not only for ourselves but for the greater good of the country for every Nigerian. I believe every Nigerian deserves a good life.”

Macaroni further revealed that he would have been a lawyer if he wasn’t making skits because his first admission to LeadCity University was to study law.

In March 2022, Macaroni disclosed that he studied at four universities before he graduated from Redeemer’s University.