| Restoring confidence in Nigerian youth | | | | majority. |
| | | | The Government at various tiers of governance |
| It is often said that a hungry man is an angry man who, | | | | should introduce implementable, development initiatives |
| of course, can do practically anything to keep his body | | | | particularly targeted at youth empowerment and |
| and soul together. Common among other social vices | | | | improvement so as to renew their fast waning |
| which such a man can resort to are armed robbery, | | | | confidence and hope in Nigeria's system. |
| thuggery, kidnapping, brigandage, prostitution, and the | | | | The country's political leadership need to learn a |
| like. | | | | significant lesson from United States President Barack |
| This scenario is, indeed, a metaphor for the | | | | Obama's inference on America's cherished ideals and |
| ever-increasing loss of confidence in the Nigerian | | | | their implication on future progress, when he said: "...the |
| system, as it certainly describes the obvious dilemma | | | | true strength of our nation (US) comes not from the |
| which confronts the average Nigerian youth as of | | | | might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from |
| now. Yet, the young population most of whom are | | | | the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, |
| confused about their future as the leadership, as noted | | | | opportunity, and unyielding hope.... We want our children |
| in successive administrations, seems not having | | | | to believe in the American dream which imposes no |
| anything concrete in store for them to maximise their | | | | limit on what you can achieve, provided you are willing |
| God-given talents and abilities for the advancement of | | | | to work hard." |
| humanity. | | | | However, is there the Nigerian dream in which millions |
| Unfortunately, this has been the plight of many Nigerian | | | | of the nation's youth can believe while making positive |
| youth who are yearly being thrown into hopelessness | | | | impact on the nation's economy? Many think this |
| and uncertainties, as largely fuelled by severe poverty | | | | question remains to be answered. Some self-seeking |
| and unemployment. To worsen their matter, research | | | | Nigerians, either in or out of government, carelessly |
| has shown the country simply lacks accurate and | | | | continue to fan embers of discord among the |
| reliable data for development purposes, including job | | | | Nigerians and sing the usual "zoning", "it's-our-turn", or |
| creation and planning of economic opportunities. | | | | "Federal Character" mantras. Many believe it is no |
| Since the aphoristic saying states, "idle hands are the | | | | wonder that ineptitude and mediocrity persist to cripple |
| Devil's workshop", it is not surprising one bit in the | | | | the system, since competence, patriotism, efficiency |
| country to realise that a great number of both the | | | | and values-based leadership have not been allowed to |
| outright unemployed and underemployed young | | | | take prominence in the nation's affairs. |
| population who have jobs that barely sustain them find | | | | Perhaps, the essence of good governance seems not |
| it heavy-going to make ends meet in these austere | | | | lost on all those entrusted with leadership positions |
| times. | | | | after all. Specifically, Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi |
| The aftermath of this social-economic dislocation | | | | State, Northern Nigeria, in Sunday Champion, a Nigerian |
| among many youth is well-evident in the high rate of | | | | newspaper, while going spiritual in his manner of |
| their involvement in militancy, crime, political thuggery, | | | | warning his colleagues in various positions of authority |
| prostitution, cybercrime, and other debilitating social | | | | against bad governance recently, was quoted to have |
| vices predominantly out of frustration. Yet, this young, | | | | declared thus: "Today, we are faced with the |
| active population is supposed to produce tomorrow's | | | | challenges of nation-building. God will not forgive us if |
| leaders. | | | | we do not make life bearable for those we govern." |
| A handy case in point is the untoward wave of serial | | | | As Nigeria prepares to mark its 50th Independence |
| kidnappings across the Nigerian Federation of recent. | | | | Anniversary, it is quite necessary that certain elected |
| For instance, Mr. Wahab Oba, one of the four freed | | | | and public officers who, by virtue of their positions of |
| journalists and Chairman of Lagos State Council of the | | | | authority mindlessly, cut chunks of the "national cake" |
| Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) earlier kidnapped for | | | | with impunity, for personal use should genuinely reflect |
| a week in Abia State, South-Eastern Nigeria, while | | | | on how gross financial recklessness, as inflated |
| relating their horrendous experience at the hands of | | | | contract sums, 100% increment in personal and |
| their kidnappers on a private television, said the | | | | constituency allowances, phoney projects, outright |
| kidnappers' ages ranged from 18 to 26 years. | | | | stealing, money laundering, and diversion of budgetary |
| Whereas, he added, the kidnappers' informants' ages | | | | allocations into private accounts has nearly ruined the |
| too, were between 8 and 9 years. The desperation of | | | | nation's economy in the last fifty years, and the need |
| these affected youth to make money through crime is | | | | to change for the better. |
| increasing by the day. | | | | Indeed, following a critical glimpse of Chief Anthony |
| Predominantly, the high rate of youth unemployment | | | | Enahoro's 87th Birthday Celebration on a private |
| coupled with the lack of an enabling environment for | | | | television station in Lagos recently, one could not but |
| the growth of small and medium scale businesses has | | | | wonder aloud if this is "Nigeria" the foremost nationalist |
| been cited as a prime reason for this social malaise. | | | | and his late counterparts including Obafemi Awolowo, |
| The situation also, has led many graduates to | | | | Nnamdi Azikiwe, Ahmadu Bello and Abubakar Tafawa |
| continue to seek employment opportunities endlessly, | | | | Balewa among others dreamt of when, against all |
| since starting new businesses seems like a tall dream | | | | odds, he dared to move a landmark motion for |
| to many. | | | | Nigeria's Independence in 1953. |
| The utter disbelief among a greater number of the | | | | Since image is everything in the international arena, as |
| Nigerian youth regarding what is in store for them in | | | | the Re-branding Nigeria Project does advocate, |
| the Nigerian project, and of course, their future has | | | | leaders need to allow the message being passed |
| culminated in all sorts of social disruption. Many | | | | across through the project to make consequential |
| unemployed young ones, male and female, these days | | | | impact right from the top down to the man in the |
| simply throw morality to the winds all in the name of | | | | street by changing their attitude to governance and |
| fending for themselves to survive the taxing times. | | | | doing what is right at all times so that hope could be |
| To further worsen their diminishing socio-economic | | | | renewed in the system. |
| situation, successive administrations in the country, | | | | It is also significant to recall President Obama's timely |
| actually, have not been able to figure out what | | | | reminder to all creditable leaders across the world, as |
| effective strategies to apply in creating realistic | | | | regards leaving a good legacy for their progeny: "Let |
| solutions to the rising youth unemployment. | | | | us ask ourselves: if our children should live to see the |
| Whereas some have made conscious attempts at | | | | next generation... what change would they see? |
| starting developmental programmes and projects for | | | | What progress will we have made? This is our |
| mostly unemployed youth, implementation of such | | | | chance to answer that call.... This is our time –to put |
| usually poorly-conceived ideas has remained a | | | | our people back to work and open doors of |
| hindrance. It should be stated that the successive | | | | opportunity for our kids, to restore prosperity and |
| administrations' failure to engage and integrate the | | | | promote the cause of peace...." |
| nation's youth into promising development efforts over | | | | It is high time the nation alleviated the plight of many of |
| time has been a clog in the wheel of Nigeria's bid for | | | | Nigeria's youth who have been reduced to a state of |
| accelerated economic growth and development. | | | | hopelessness by poverty and unemployment. Leaders, |
| There is no doubt that at this level of the nation's life, | | | | can you do just that? "Yes, we can" ought to be your |
| there is an urgent need for attitudinal change on the | | | | answer! |
| part of all country men and women in all walks of life in | | | | Kayode, a media and communication professional, |
| general and leaders in particular, at least regarding a | | | | writes from Lagos. |
| helpful approach to doing things for the benefit of the | | | | |