EMPOWERING THE YOUTH FOR A BETTER TOMORROW

EMPOWERING THE YOUTH FOR A BETTER TOMORROW

The youthful age is an eagles age, an age of strength required for any nation’s development therefore, Any nation that refuses to invest in her young does that at her own risk. This is because youth characterises the foundation of any society. By demographical classification, Nigeria has a large youthful population. Hence, the need of collective work by parent, government and the youth themselves is very necessary since youth empowerment has to do with the triune accord basically.

Generally, Youth Empowerment is misconceived, ill-defined and wrongly perceived by parents, the youth themselves and even the government. Parent as major factors in this task often perceive youth empowerment as the sole responsibility of the government. Youth themselves don't see themselves as factors that could implement it, thereby neglecting self development and relying on jobs of white collar; while the government sees it as an avenue to initiate policies and programmes which are nonetheless impactive as it is not fully implemented.

For a clearer picture of this article conceptual analysis is therefore necessary. The duo terminologies to be considered in this write up has myriads of definitions. However, any definition given herein would be limited to the scope of the write up and not be the best.

The national youth policy defines a 'Youth' as citizens between the ages of 18 and 35 years; while United Nations defines it as any individual within the age of fifteen and thirty five years irrespective of gender or sex. Herein the formal would be considered in it scope. More so, the 2012 National Baseline of youth survey report has stated that the population of youth (15-35 years) in Nigeria is estimated to be 64.1 million.

Empowerment is a term that has become popular in the recent decade with few operational definition. Still lacking a definition, the word has become common political rhetoric, with a flexibility of meaning so broad that it seems to be in danger of losing it inherent meaning. However we simply confide to "the act of giving power or authority".

While Youth Empowerment according to Varus and Fletcher in their 2006 edition of guide to social change define it as an "attitudinal, structural, and cultural process whereby young people gain the ability, authority, and agency to make decisions and implement change in their own lives and the lives of other people, including youth and adults". The causative agent of this could be their parents, themselves or the government other private groups and bodies may be involve.

URGENT CALL

Is it not a truism that where struggle for survival is acute, values become secondary? From what I have observed so far, I have never seen a demographic group so marginalized and disillusioned as I have seen here among Nigeria’s youth. It is even worsening when youth are being used as canon folders by some unscrupulous politicians who were once youth. In fact it is a recipe for disaster if the politicians do not realize that reversing the trend in favor of the nation’s youth is crucial, because as the saying goes an “idle mind is the devil’s workshop.”

The Nigerian youthful population is contending with myriads of limiting factors, which include but not limited to, unemployment, illiteracy, electoral,religious and tribal violence among others. This is, though, not denying the fact that there is a percentage thriving in various career and other aspect of life but it could be more if the Nigeria government is youthful friendly.

If youth are the leaders of tomorrow then government should be fast in feathering our nest. No wonder St. John Paul II Pope challenge the Nigeria government and Church during his 1998 visit to assist the young in "overcoming the obstacles which might thwart their development; illiteracy, unemployment, idleness, drugs." Given the increasing plight of Nigeria youths, is the time not overripe for concrete responses to these challenges? The situation is bad though, but it has not out run remedy. Hence, it requires an iron cast resolve from all stakeholders that is; parent, youth themselves and indeed the government to ameliorate and such resolve should be jet speeded. Instead of using the youth as "Trojan Horse" for violence we should be used instead to ravage poverty, cleanse the society and indeed the government.

We need to begin to imbibe tolerance as in the halcyon days, when the value of tolerance was actually a norm. When youth positioned themselves as a beacon of hope and strong voice of the voiceless as it is made manifest in their struggle against societal repression. Their combating of societal injustice as the constitute themselves as unstoppable fire in fighting numerous ills besetting the society.

OUR FUTURE TOMORROW

In Nigeria, the youth have been playing prominent roles in nation building from time immemorial. They were, for instance, active dur­ing the anti-colonial struggle. This patriotic tradition of Nigerian youth continued in the independence period on several occasions. For ex­ample, in 1962, it was Nigerian uni­versity students who prevented the Nigerian government from signing a secret and unjust agreement with the British called the Anglo-Nigerian Defence Pact, which would have allowed the British to leave their soldiers permanently on Nigerian soil despite our indepen­dence. However, in recent in the last two decade the youth have lost its relevance by issues which I called man made clogs because this age bracket where once functional and active in the Nation building. In the words of Prof. Oluwole Soyinka I echo " Where do we go wrong."

Thank God for the former president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan for at least re-awakening the sensibility of the youth to the core values of nation. There should be a deliberate and systematic process of value orientation and social re-engineering with particular emphasis on the youths to avert the moral cataclysm staring us in the face. If Nigeria government would have paid great attention to they youth then, youth empowerment would have been a dead letter not find it selves in our lexicon and the youth would have been in arcadian life. Hence, the present administration should cleanse Augean stables so that the change would be in praxis and not just a barmicide's feast.

The day is bright perhaps for the elders but our tomorrow is not yet ripe our future is still blinking. Our modern world is changing, and everyone is busy blaming the youth of today; But how can you blame the future, when it you who made their world this way. Even though we sang in our elementary school that 'we are the leaders of tomorrow', character development in building the future leaders has been more lyricised than actualized in Nigeria. Empowered, the youth can be key agents for development and peace. If, however, we are left on society’s margin, all of us will be impoverished. Let us ensure that all young people have every opportunity to participate fully in the lives of their society because a nation is developed by the wisdom of the old and the strength of the young.

The benefit and outcome of youth empowerment cannot all be consumed in totality. Therefore an understanding of the dynamics of youth empowerment by the government and the general citizenry would salvage Nigeria and will also registered her in the comity of the world economy.