The glory of the youth is their strength says the Holy Book and one cannot but agree with this, youths are likened to a newly emerging, bubbling and effervescent stream. The sparkle in their eyes gives the picture of people loaded with ideas and the willingness to pursue, they are daring and possess strength to back it up and are not detered easily. All these and more make the youth the backbone of nationbuilding in any land, if these youthful strengths and vigour are properly nurtured and harnessed. Every developed nations have something going for them, such nations have been able to harness the ideas, freshness, vigour, creative energy and strength of youths in a way that these nations are now reaping great benefits.

A look into history further reveals that great conquerors and men of great visions started young. Julius Ceasar the foremost of the Roman Emperors started reigning at the prime of his age; Alexander the great started conquering at the prime of his age; Attila the Hun likewise; Martin Luther King Jr the great visioner of America who had a dream that one day children of slaves and slave owners will be on the same pedestal had this dream in his youth and died believing it. Today we see the dream unfolding before our very eyes as Barack Obama the son of a Negro becomes the president of United States. Developed Nations having come to a deep understanding of the youths being like arrows in the hands of the mighty have put enormous resources into the training of their youths and a casual look into the development of these nations will show the great and positive impact of this investment on youths.  

I have heard a lot being said about Nigerian youths but I can never agree with anyone who says Nigerian youths are bereft of creative energy, ideas, vigour. A casual glance into the music scene, nollywood, even emerging markets and industry in Nigeria reveals the contribution of youths. But the sad story here is that Nigeria with this great potential of youthful energy has failed to nurture and harness this energy for rapid development. Youths in Nigeria have been left to themselves for so long, unurtured, uncatered for, they have become debased so much that they have become a veritable tool in the hands of unscrupulous politicians for violence. In fact it seems that it pays our politician to allow youths become so debased so much that whenever they needed to destroy their perceived or real enemy all they need do is give peanuts to these debased youths and mayhem can be unleashed in a moments notice. Another serious consequence of debasement of nigerian youths is the increase in the spate of armed robbery and the commando style of this robbery shows the involvement of youths. Furthermore, cultism, riots, violence, wanton destruction and raping in our citadel of learning has shown what youths left to themselves and have become debased can do. In fact the behaviour of these youths in educational institutions equally rivalled that of thugs, touts and “garrage boys” majority of who are youths too in their own right.

Another good example of what the neglect of youthful energy can result into is the current Niger Delta struggle (insurgency) which have become bone in the neck of the nation, it cannot be swallowed yet cannot be spit out. The people in the forefront of this struggle are youths and former youth leaders who have been neglected, shouted down and told that they have nothing to say or contribute, now they are forcing the nation to take notice of them. Though the struggle has burgeon into violence, become bloody and is getting out of hand, it only shows that if youthful strength is not properly harnessed, it can cause implosion for any nation.

A simple survey among the youths across our nation will reveal that youths no longer believe in this nation and have become disenchanted to the extent that any opportunity given to them to get out of Nigeria will be grabbed with both hands even if they will have to be stowed away in the hull of cargo ships to get out or pass through the Libyan desert to Spain. That is why a large number of Nigerian youths have ended up in jails, become prostitutes, toilet cleaners in strange or foreign lands.

Nigerian leaders are fond of talking and drawing policies that will never be practised. We have policies on youth development that are not effective, we have youth ministries that are bugged down in bureaucracies and only gather youth together in the stadia during October 1st for matchpast and cultural dance. How many youths are being trained for Leadership roles? A privileged few (the politicians sons and daughters). What happens to the Federal Scholarship scheme? How many youths receive scholarship genuinely from the government in a year? How many youths are sponsored for international trainings in specific areas of development with proper followup to ensure that they come back to contribute to nation building? How many institute for leadership training in nation building and emerging global issues have been established for the youths? How many philantropic organizations do we have which are solely involve with youth development? Few to none.

Robot  # 1 | 10.10.2009 08:08

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