Connecting Nigerian Youths for National Developmen

The youths are always been refered to as the leaders of tomorrow. The youths can be referred to as the backbones of a nation and have higher success rate to change the dynamics so as to have a new model modification in society.

 The strength of a nation lies in the hands of the youths of that nation. These individual characterized power and energy, capabilities and will to support the nation systems, be it in Administration, Politics, Commerce, Religion, Security Agencies, Education, Science Technology and Advancement, Entertainment and Sport, the youths are needed to serve as the lubricant for wheels of change and development of the nation. 

 Who is a youth ?

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, youth is defined as the period of your life when you are young, or the state of being young. Also, Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English described youth as the period between childhood and full manhood. It is the period between childhood and adulthood, described as the physical period and psychological development from the beginning of puberty to maturity and early adulthood.

In Nigeria, one is considered youth when he/she is between the ages of 18-35 years according the Federal Republic of Nigeria National Youth Policy (2019-2023). Youths are dynamic in actions and play important roles in building a nation. The government and the society must see the youths as a tool to creating a smooth developmental atmosphere in order to set the entryway to national growth and development at its altitude.

 Youths must have the ability to make choices that support the pursuit of educational goals and the development of life skills necessary for national and even local leadership positions.

Youths as Tool for Nation Building.

We do not need a bill to know that the youths are the foundation of positive and negative picture of any society. Their energies, inventiveness, character and orientation define the pace of development and security of a nation. Through their creative talents and labour power, a nation makes giant strides in economic development and socio-political attainments.

In all societies of the world, a virile youth is the bedrock on which national integration and development is predicated. The youth are the back bone and the building blocks of any nation. It is a fact that the stronger the youth, the more developed a nation is.

 The role of the youth in the nation-building process cannot be overemphasized as countries that develop and utilise their youth in the right directions seem to be more developed. The energy and brightness of the minds of youth act as torch-bearer for a nation. There is a confirmed connection between the prosperity of a nation and its youth development system.

The youths also form a sensitive age group that harbours objectives and goals for important social changes. The development of nations is fully dependent on the abilities and will of the youths. The power of youths must be positively utilized in all areas like health, education, technology, business, trade, etc. and integrated with moral value education to spread peace and welfare throughout the country.

The late British politician and writer, Benjamin Disraeli, had rightly described the Youths of a Nation as the Trustees of Posterity. It is in the reality of this that many nations have made concerted efforts in galvanizing integrated approach in putting in place youth development structures that have a very high propensity to be a catalyst for their national growth. On the contrary, the countries which fail to realise the importance of the youth lag behind in every aspects of life.

Connecting Nigeria Youths  for National Development

Taking away the willingness and disregarding supreme commitments and engagement of youths in Nigeria development today in all the country sections will have dire consequences which some have been manifesting especially in keeping and maintaining the peace of the country. 

To better understand how to move the youths forward towards national development, there must be a careful examination of rationale for expanding the youth’s frontier for active participation in national development. If youths are greatly involved in national development when I mean the youths, I mean the youths that are from the poor Nigeria homes without having parents or relatives in power to rest on in getting engaged in any sector in Nigeria, this will give a clear picture that their potentials as change agents in the society is being greatly recognized. 

Youths have a better interplanetary in national development space that must be consciously occupied by them, for national development does not only involves the implementation of political and economic policies and action programs that will improve the lives of the ordinary citizenry, but also recognizing the values and other aspects of the state that would act as national catalyst to bind the people.

We as young people in this our modern social, political, economic and ethnic dispensation must work to discover our hidden talents, work out our ideas in every walk of life and set our thoughts rights towards the development of the nation.

 Also, we the youths must be given the necessary opportunities, Equal Opportunities that will not differentiate the youths from the rich home from the poor home or background settings, bidding for engagements either in the government establishments/agencies and in the political space should be free and fair to give equal rights to the youths.

 The youth have a voice that must be heared and attention in an effort to make our contributions in the way we are governed and allow us to play greater role in national leadership and governance so that at all times, we are properly equipped to assume the mantle of authority which is inevitably on its way.

In Nigeria, the greatest challenge confronting the youth today is unemployment which has become a great challenge to national security. Despite alleged success of various youth empowerment programmes across the country, over 54 per cent of Nigeria youth remain unemployed.

 The unemployment record in the country clearly portrays an increase in idle hands across the length and breadth of Nigeria. It is often said that an idle mind is the devil’s workshop, so an unemployed youth is a disaster going somewhere to happen. 

Activities of groups such as Boko-Haram, Niger Delta militants, Biafra agitators and recently, the Baddo group have serious implications for national security in the country. Sadly, some of these rebellious groups have youths at the forefront of their nefarious activities.

It is a known fact that youths possess a transformative force. They are creative, resourceful and enthusiast agents of change. Therefore, the need for youth to be listened to and productively engaged cannot be over-emphasized in every context. Youths can determine whether this era moves towards a great peril and more positive change. Let us support the young people of our world so they can grow into adults and a true platform for more powerful leaders of coming generations.

Unfortunately, in our clime, youths are not being given the needed platform to freely express themselves. Though they have always been touted as future leaders since God knows when, our nation clearly needs a spiritual or physical veil remover for us to act the saying the future is now for us to stop saying the potential leaders of tomorrow are too young to lead alongside other flimsy excuses.

Around the world, there is a growing recognition of the need to strengthen policies and investments involving young people. We need a proper policy aimed at harnessing the potentials of the youth. In Nigeria, the youth almost do not have a voice in the scheme of things. Unemployment, lack of opportunities, faulty educational system, repressive political system, dwindling economic fortunes, among others, are mostly responsible for the suppression of the voice of the youth in our dear nation.

Harrison Florence 

State Code : OS/21A/1436

 

Business Administration

 Institution : federal poly Oko

State of origin : Delta