A dedicated development programme that exposes the youths to productive engagements and careful mentoring would help to unleash their potential as the most potent economic drivers for the country.
Chairman, Union Bank of Nigeria (UBN) Plc, Mr. Farouk Gumel, said the youth are the greatest asset as well as the biggest threat, depending on the way their youthful energies are channelled.
He said the youth had been subjected to wrong orientation, thus the need to re-orientate them to focus on creating values and sustainable development, rather than rabid fixation on material things.
“It all depends on how they are engaged. Productive engagements lead to positive outcomes. Unproductive engagements lead to…well, many of the challenges we are experiencing today.
“My personal view is we don’t have many role models. Or at least, we don’t portray them the way we should. As a nation, not a region only, the definition of success has been downgraded to material things. You have a nice car. You have a nice house. You wear nice clothes. Then congratulations, you are successful. Accordingly, the youth should simply aspire to have money, cars and houses.
“I have seen many times, on many WhatsApp profiles, people saying: “get rich or die trying”. This was from a famous musician but today, it has become an aspirational quote. It is important to note that money, houses and cars are byproducts of success. They are not the success itself. Before these material items are achieved, there was a journey. We do not celebrate the people who are brave enough to embark on the journey,” Gumel said.
Gumel spoke on the topic: “The North in a dynamic world: Creating a New Generation of productive and innovative youths”, at the first annual conference and exhibition organised by Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Kano State Chapter, in conjunction with Dangote Business School and Media Trust Limited, at Bayero University, Kano. The theme of the event was: Unleashing the Creative and Innovative Potentials of Northern Nigeria Youth.
He underscored the importance of education and enlightenment as strong foundation for an innovative and dynamic youthful population.
According to him, while education entails the process of acquiring knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes through various forms of learning, such as schooling, training, or experience; enlightenment means the state of being aware, informed, or enlightened about a particular subject, idea, or reality.
“While education focuses on the acquisition of knowledge, enlightenment emphasizes the attainment of wisdom and understanding. Education is about getting the information. Enlightenment is about the practical application of that information. So education can help or detract from enlightenment,” Gumel said.
He called for deliberate efforts to showcase successful businessmen and enterpreneurs who had braced the odds to break new grounds in various sectors of the economy, especially in the northern region.
Citing the historic exploits of pioneers like Alhassan Dantata, Umaru Sharubutu and Maikano Agogo, who started what is today the multibillion dollar markets Kano boasts of, Gumel said the youth must be mentored to follow the footsteps of successful enterpreneurs and contribute their quota to the society.
“Today, we have new and upcoming tycoons who are masters of their industries. These are extremely enlightened and dynamic people. But we don’t celebrate them. Our youth are not interested in their history and journey although they empower thousands in their respective sectors.
“For example, let us look at the downstream petroleum sector. The big names today at the national level are Sayyu Dantata, Rahamaniyya, AA Rano, AYM Shafa, Maikifi and many more. If you look at retail, one of the strongest indigenous brands is Sahad Stores. We also have the traders such as Alh Dan Gongola, Sharubutu, Sambajo and Giwa Getso. If we look at hospitality, we have the likes of Wazirin Katsina who is hear with us today. We also have likes of Shagalinku who has transitioned from a restaurateur in Zaria to having hotels across the region. We have the like of Alba Bello and Jargaba who are well known for agricultural inputs,” Gumel said.
He said the north has domineering influence in key sectors such as agriculture, transportation and manufacturing, with several individuals that could serve as mentors for the upcoming generation.
Gumel, who is Group Executive Director and Executive Vice Chairman of Tropical General Investments (TGI), said he has continued to draw on his mentors as he continues to build his business empire.
“We need multiple mentors for different situations. No one knows it all, you may have an idea. But its needs polishing. I am very lucky I have many mentors in my journey. At each turn, there was someone to guide me. It was a design of faith not choice.
“Today, I get many requests from younger colleagues about being their mentor. But my response is always why? You need a mentor that matches your path. Someone selling fertiliser can never provide guidance to a tech entrepreneur. And vice versa. In many instances, I realise what they want is a godfather and not a mentor. Many want help to get contracts, appointments, favours or jobs,” Gumel said.
He called for a clear, inclusive northern ideology that showcases ideals and ideas, encouraging the youth on the path of productivity and innovation.
“We need ambassadors of ideals and ideas. These are the mentors and role models. We need to admire people based on values and not their valuables. Fifty years ago, a school teacher was a pillar of society based on his intellect not wealth. Today, they have been demoted.
“The leaders of the north must develop an inclusive ideology that attracts the youth. If not, YouTube and Google will handle it. That is why we have many young people with American accents wearing American clothes. We all know many don’t even know the way to the embassy. Their plan is simply – “get rich or die trying”. But they don’t want to leave home,” Gumel said.
He explained that productivity and innovation do not mean creating something out of nothing, they can be an enhancement or replacement of an existing platform or idea, noting that world billionaires like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk reinvented and improved on existing platforms.
He said the Northern Nigeria presents boundless opportunities for solution providers as almost everything-water, electricity, education, health care, social services and many more, needs to be fixed.
“Our problems are also very basic and it’s the same with the solutions. But maybe we lack the confidence to think for ourselves as solution providers. My company owns 13 factories in Nigeria. Nine are in the North. We work with over 250,000 farmers, transporters, aggregators etc. Despite all the negative stories about the region, we are still investing.
“Our products and brands are everywhere. Our team are young, energetic and dynamic. Our ideology is simple, inclusive growth. If the community and society you operate with flourish, you will succeed,.
“In summary, I was asked to talk about how Northern Nigeria, in this dynamic world, can create a new generation of productive and innovative youth. My answer is we need to rebuild trust amongst ourselves by redefining what the ideology of the North is. This patch of land north of the River Niger and Benue is home to 120 million people of different ethnicities and religion. A united front is needed. Unity can only be achieved through equity and inclusion. We are only as weak as our weakest link. Once we have identified this ideology, we need the collective buy if of all leveraging our mentors and regional heroes. The youth, I am confident, will deliver,” Gumel said.
