The Nation Newspaper

Tag: youth

  • ‘Prioritise investment in youth devt’

    The Executive Director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center (CISLAC), Auwal Musa Rafsanjani has urged the three tiers of government, the federal, state and local government, to target investment in skills development for the youths.

    He said it is the best option to enhance productivity in the labour market.

    Speaking on how the government could improve the lives of the most vulnerable in the country as a result of the slump in oil price in the international market, he said: “With the recent United Nations  (UN) Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) acceleration framework focusing on decent work and reducing maternal mortality,  we urge the three tiers of government to target investments in skills development of the youth population as the best option to enhance their productivity in the labour market. This is necessary because investment in skills development of the youth population will enhance their productivity in the labour market.”

    The CISLAC’s boss said considering the post-2015 development agenda, and the broad consensus that the current MDGs must not be sidelined, issues on poverty eradication should remain in focus by government.

    “For decent jobs to be created in both short and long run, it is more important for government to target improvements in secondary and tertiary education whilst incorporating practical and vocational skills,” he said.

    He noted that smart social policies such as programmes that help the unemployed find jobs or systems that provide social security to vulnerable members of the society cannot just be considered a cost.

    He said: “We must not be lulled into the notion that the crisis is over, and that no further action is required because the job queue is getting longer, and because on the surface, the Nigerian economy may appear to have regained some stability, but the real economy is still in troubled waters.”

  • General elections: What role for the youth?

    We are getting closer to that time again. The time we need to use our hands to change our destiny. The judgment day is near when we will have to make a decision for another four years. Political actors are going about, telling us why we must vote for them. The social media is already agog with campaign and programmes of candidates. There have also been rumours, allegations and counter-allegation. The streets are already littered with several posters.

    Politicians have returned with their usual statement and cliché: “the youth are the future of the country”. Well, the truth about that statement is still in the court of public opinion. But to say the fact, the youth have been let down many times by the leaders, who have continued to tell us we are the leaders of tomorrow. Yet they don’t want to commit anything into our hands. They want to hold on to power till eternity.

    The painful reality is that, the youth have not leveraged on the power they have to make a progressive change. We have failed to explore our population and strength. Majority of the voting populace is made up of youths; we have the social media to our advantage, yet we have failed to live up to the billing.

    Another election is around the corner and we must ensure that it is not business as usual. As youths, we must be ready to hold our leaders responsible by making the right choice and by refusing to be used and dump for selfish reasons.

    The strength of any nation lies in the hands of the youths. In developed world, the youth play significant roles in the development of their country. But in Nigeria, the youth have been relegated to the background when it comes to decision making.

    Who are the youth? We are talking about adults from ages 18 to 45. Going by this age bracket, a larger percentage of the electorate are youths. The mobilisers for politicians are youths. Based on these facts, the role of the youths before, during and after elections cannot be underestimated.

    In previous elections, the youth played roles that pulled the country to the brink; they were ready tools in the hands of vote robbers and agents of violence, who subverted the will of the people. It is worthy to note that a very few youths stood on the path of progress, those who could not be bought by moneybags. Although a larger percentage of us mortgaged our future for filthy lucre and joined criminals to perpetrate electoral violence.

    Going back to what happened after the 2011 general elections, which culminated into the declaration of Dr Goodluck Jonathan as the winner of the flawed contest, nine Corps members serving in Bauchi were killed. Who killed them? Our fellow youths did, all in the name of protest against manipulation.

    Now, do we travel the same road again? Another election is around the corner. We have a duty to make it a success or bungle it with our inordinate sentiment. While I urge that nobody should be killed because of election, the youth must be ready to accept to be responsible in the coming weeks.

    Among the flocking seeking our votes are selfish politicians whose children are in safe place abroad but want us to foment trouble should their interest be threatened by election results. We must reject politicians asking us to cause violence. If we are willing to make our stand known, then it will send a signal to proponents of violence that we have changed and we want change in the way electioneering is conducted.

    2015 must not be business as usual. We must ask any candidate seeking election or re-election his plans and what they intend to do differently. Let us not be blinded by ethnicity, religion or social background. The only thing we need now is change, progress, development, and any candidate that cannot promise to move us forward should be shown the exit through our votes.

    And that brings us to the point of asking how many youths have collected their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs)? Elections are not won on the social media, or using a particular candidate on your display picture will not make such candidate win election. Rather, the process starts from registering and collecting the PVCs and coming out to cast our votes on the election day. It is a pity that we are in the internet age, but Nigeria is not ready to toe the path of technology. So, while we are agitating on the social media, we should be ready to cast our vote for our preferred candidates.

    We cannot afford to miss it again this time, for any mistake we make this time will haunt us for another four years. If any politician that gives you rice or money, it won’t even last for fur day but we may have sold our four years if we are induced to vote. Generation yet unborn will not be happy with us if we make the wrong choice this time.

     

    Dayo, just finished his National Youth Service, NYSC Lafia

     

  • Suswam, others for Benue youth carnival

    Suswam, others for Benue youth carnival

    Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam, commissioners and prominent residents are among eminent people expected at this year’s Benue Youth Cultural Carnival procession.

    The procession will start from the Benue State University’s (BSU’s) second campus and move through major streets. It will terminate at the IBB Square in Makurdi, the state capital.

    Thje Benue Youth Cultural Carnival is the biggest youth fiesta in the North and it is an annual cultural show held throughout December.

    The Special Adviser to the Governor on Students and Youths Affairs, Comrade Terfa Akume, told our reporter that this year’s carnival procession would include cultural activities, such as masquerade display, beauty pageant, puppet show, traditional music and folks tales.

  • ‘Blame our problems on youth neglect’

    Leaders routinely leave out the youth in governance and that is why the country is facing all sorts of problems.

    That was the position of the Talban Lafiagi, Salihu Sulaiman, an architect and lecturer, in a paper presented at the 10th anniversary of Lafiagi Youth Movement (LAYOM) in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

    In the paper entitled “The Involvement of Youths in Governance,” Sulaiman, of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), urged governments at all levels to include the youths in their efforts to tackle governance problems.

    He also urged the youths to “be more pragmatic in our approach to being involved in governance. My call is that the existing youth unions and associations should tap into the provisions in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for the growth of our pauperised communities. That way, when the unions and associations are seen on the ground and the people see what they are doing and can assess their potentials for greater things that can be done, then more people will buy into their aspirations including their political objectives if any.”

    The Talban Lafiagi encouraged the Nigerian youths to dissipate energy on socio-economic grassroots mobilisation; enlightenment issues on electoral reform and the expectations of community-based organisations (CBOs); participate in budget preparation and implementation; engage in project monitoring; ensure good governance at all levels and tracking the MDGs to ensure good governance.

    He said, “Specifically, the youths must at all times gather to stimulate continuous dialogues on governance issues by emphasising the important role youth can play in addressing issues of corruption; encourage youths to demand for accountability and concrete actions from their governments in addressing problems of corruption; motivate young people to be agents of transformation within the communities to address governance problems and encourage youths to participate in development which is key to breaking the cycle of poverty and ultimately changing entire societies.”

    The Deputy Provost, Kwara State College of Education, Ilorin, Dr Jida Idris hinged the country current travails on “the inability of government to provide adequate employment for teeming population of the Nigerian youth.

    “The youths are being used during political engineering and at the end they are dumped by the so-called political leaders.”

  • ‘Farming is key to solving youth unemployment’

    ABUAD founder Aare Afe Babalola speaks on how the institution is making its enterprise farm to get students to embrace agriculture.

    Why  did  you  establish  ABUAD Enterprise Farm?

    Let me tell you why I started ABUAD Commercial Farm. I believe that the mistake of the economy of this country is agriculture because Nigeria is blessed with all that it takes to produce all types of crops. You recall that Nigeria was once self sufficient in agriculture before independence and even up to 1966 when the first military coup broke. It was the discovery of oil that caused us what we have in Nigeria today.

    (cuts) And what has this led Nigeria to?

    Unemployment! There is so much unemployment in the country because there is palpable apathy for agriculture. I obtained approval from NUC (National Universities Commission) to start Agriculture alongside other disciplines like Law, Engineering, Banking, Accounting, etc. Unfortunately, while other courses were oversubscribed, nobody applied for Agriculture. Despite that, I did not lose hope because ABUAD was established mainly to change people’s attitude to functional education and where students will graduate as employers of labour. I therefore decided to embark on commercial agriculture the success of which I know would change the attitude of students and Nigerians towards agriculture.

    What is ABUAD doing to entrench the culture of agriculture in her students?

    We make it compulsory for our students to engage in one form of agricultural practice or the other. Therefore we embarked on fishery, hatchery and we sell fresh and dried fish. Not only that, we decided to have a feed mill so we don’t have to buy from outside and we also teach our students how to produce it. Then, we decided to engage in other areas of agriculture. First the annual crops like maize, cassava, and yam, which can provide food and cash within three to six months. Later we embarked on permanent crops like teak trees, moringa, orange trees, which of course will take many years before one can reap from it. At different stages, we have about one and a half million teak trees. We have over 500 orange trees and 1 million 200 mango trees.

    But don’t you think there is a need to consolidate on this?

    Yes! To add values to what we produce, we established factories to produce mango, mango juice, and plantain chips. In the case of moringa, you can harvest it within three to four months; hence we decided to build a moringa factory with over 500,000 trees.  We now have seven products from its derivatives. In order to preserve perishable fruits which is another problem in this country, we ordered for a protection house. When we found out that the heat in Nigeria is so much, then we decided to build a green house.

    To encourage students and make them realise that they can as well be comfortable in animal production, we embarked on production of turkey, guinea fowl, pigs, quail, mushroom and others. As from next year January, students must register in different clubs named after cash or food crops. We have the plantain club, fish club, moringa club and so on.  They can register in one or two of these clubs and get a certificate for it at the end of each year. ABUAD is of the strong view that we cannot continue to produce students that will continue to roam the streets about. One of my greatest fulfillments is that we now have students coming into ABUAD to study agriculture.

  • 30 Boko Haram members killed in Borno

    No fewer than 30 suspected members of Boko Haram were on Thursday killed by civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) when the insurgents planned an attack on Gubio Local Government Area of Borno State..

    Our correspondent gathered that five of the civilian JTF members sustained minor injuries but no casualty was recorded on their side.

    The Nation gathered that some gunmen using Hilux and motorcycles armed with Ak47 rifles, improvised explosive devices and petrol bombs were sighted in large numbers near Kareto by some vigilant people who alerted the youths from Gubio and Kateto.
    The youths it was gathered mobilized immediately and confronted the insurgents.

    Following the attack on the insurgents, 30 of them were killed.

    Unconfirmed sources indicate that Mobbar is presently under the control of Boko Haram after Monday, 24th November, 2014 attack.

    Spokesman of Borno Elders Forum Engr. Bulama Mali Gubio who confirmed the incident to journalist in said: ” there was a huge success as 30 dreaded members of Boko Haram who attempted to overrun Kareto, Gubio and other surrounding communities were killed by our volunteered youth.

    “Already the affected areas are now calm as normal activities have since returned, but I want to call on the security authorities to intensify effort to crush the menace of terrorists that have been ravaging the socio- economic activities in Borno and other parts of the North East subregion, ” Gubio said.

  • College’s graduates for Youth Service

    It was a moment of joy for the first set of Higher National Diploma (HND) students of the Oyo State College of Agriculture and Technology in Igboora (OYSCAI) as they returned to the campus to get their call-up letters for the National Youth Service.

    The graduates, who could not hide their joy, said they never believed it when the management informed them that they would be participating in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) this year.

    They hailed the Provost, Prof Gbemiga Adewale, and his management team for their efforts to reposition the college as a frontline school of agriculture and technology.

    The  Students’ Affairs  Officer (SAO), Mrs Modupe Ayanlola, said the management would leave no stone unturned to ensure the college students participate in the Youth Service.

    Earlier, the prospective Corps members were sensitised by the NYSC officials and Students’ Affairs Unit on the dos and don’ts of the programme.

    The students urged applicants to choose the college for their Higher National Diploma programmes. At the time of this report, the graduates have been mobilised for orientation course of Batch “C” Corps members.

    It would be recalled that the college was established in 2006, with a mandate to provide excellent agricultural training for youths, who would create jobs for themselves and others.

  • The tragedy of the Nigerian youth (II)

    As stakeholders of this country, it is important that we should not leave the affairs of the country to the government alone. Everyone has a coefficient of productivity to give and your productivity is determined by your participation. The world, like Nigeria, has gone through very testing moments in history; hence, we need to deliberate and fashion the way forward in our national history.”

    These were the words of Dr. Christopher Kolade, former Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom while delivering the opening address at the 2014 BrandiQ symposium with the theme: “Politics, Business & 2015 General Elections: Driving Stakeholder’s Participation Through Deliberative Engagements.”

    I was glad to witness hundreds of undergraduates from the University of Lagos, Redeemers University, Ede, Osun State, Bells University, Ota, Ogun State, Pan Atlantic University Lagos, Lagos State University and Yaba College of Technology, Lagos who actively participated in the symposium. Students from other tertiary institutions across the country attended but not in large numbers like the institutions I mentioned.

    One thing struck me at the event. It may be true that most Nigerian youths are wary of politics because of the exclusionary nature of the brand of politics we play here. However one thing is clear; they want to be part of the process but do not know how to get actively involved.

    Those that get involved are disenchanted by the fact our undergraduates are really not different from party stalwarts that they encounter in places like Mushin, Abule Egba and other hot spots across the country. To their dismay, they find out that their elections on campuses are not different from the party conventions in Nigeria.

    It is therefore sad that our campuses now reproduce the traits of power and corruption that our elders exhibit. It is little wonder that we now only see NANS marching in solidarity with government as opposed to marches against the oppression of Students, joblessness, social conditions, or even Boko Haram. They could not even stage a protest over the job seekers that died in the last immigration recruitment scam!

    How will any positive thinking Nigerian not bemoan the situation where students in our tertiary institutions fall over each other seeking for politicians to adopt all because they want to be “Youth Leader” both within and outside the Campus.

    I grieve to see Student Union Executives reproducing the same corrupt dynamics that are prevalent in the society. Vices like highly corrupted electoral processes, imbibing the same corrupt tendencies of the political elites, appropriation of the paraphernalia of dubious power such as having security men, moving in convoys, joining cult gangs to disrupt lectures and examinations, serving as hit men to eliminate “tough lecturers” are now the norm.

    Is it not therefore strange that the Universities have become graveyards where neither corruption in high places, neglect of students’ conditions are no longer issues? In time past, accommodation crisis, lack of adequate funding for libraries, laboratories, health facilities and other sundry issue are often on the front burner. What Student Leaders should be agitating for are no longer mentioned. How did our Universities deteriorate to graveyards of silence? I am not agitating for protest for the sake of protest, but student Unionism was always about a better life for students. When handled properly, its leadership should be a place of practice for the grooming of leaders of tomorrow.

    Apostle Hayford Alile, former Director General of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) – who was the chief host of the event – reminded the students of his days as an official of the proscribed National Union of Nigerian Students (NUNS) – the forerunner of NANS. He told the audience of how the union was able to confront then Prime Minister of Nigeria, the late Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa over the activities of a former Minister for Foreign Affairs. They did this as students and were assured by the PM that he will do everything possible to ensure that their allegations were looked into and if the minister is found wanting he would not remain in the cabinet.

    True to his words, Apostle Alile said the minister was not returned after a cabinet reshuffle. He thus challenged the students to know that they have power in their hands.

    Dr. Christopher Kolade – in his submission – reminded the audience that democracy is a participatory exercise and should be treated as such. Others speakers who lent their voices include the Guest Lecturer, Prof. Emevwo Biakolo and discussants such as the Editor of The Guardian, Mr. Martin Oloja; the Editor-in-Chief, BusinessWorld, Mr. Ray Echebiri; Former APCON Regisrar, Dr. Josef Bel-Molokwu;  and former Lagos State   Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Muiz Banire.

    Prof Biakolo who set the tone for the day’s intellectual deliberation examined the Nigerian State and the political malaise bordering on political participation. He proposed that Nigerians and stakeholders mediate and mitigate the areas contestation while also fast-tracking the process of forging a common sense of destiny for the country. “We must also engage politicians seeking our votes to enunciate their contribution in the empowerment of the populace. The secondary mediation role must be seriously done by stakeholders within the media sphere and its other adjuncts that help in shaping public opinion,” he said.

    Responding to some of the pungent issues raised by Prof. Biakolo, one of the discussants, Mr. Echebiri spoke on the impact of politics on business. He gave extensive data from the NSE to show the extent politics, and by extension, government policies, have on the business climate of the country.  “Clearly, the decline in the Nigerian stock market demonstrates that politics affects business. Most foreigners are leaving the country because of the tensed and gloomy prediction about Nigeria on the 2015 elections. Because of this most stock brokers are experiencing difficult times.” He explained.

    Speaking from the context of the media and politics and its impact on the subject matter of driving deliberative engagement, Mr. Oloja, stated that every Journalist and PR practitioner should understand the complex Nigerian history of multicultural diversity.  “It will be suicidal to report Nigeria without understanding the historical nuances of the country. Today, the ubiquity of the social media and other agents of technological innovations have made research a major tool of distinctive journalistic activity. This is because every issue imaginable has been treated and it is only research, analytics and infographics that makes journalism relevant today.”

    He stressed that the use of analytics is not only very vital to journalists but also to politicians who would want to measure the impact of their projects. He stated that whatever gets measured gets attention, Hence, the need for everyone – especially the youth – to embrace the reality of deploying analytics and research in engaging our intellectual enterprise.

    In the same vein, communication expert and strategist, Mrs. Chioma Agwuegbo urged the youths to take advantage of the immense opportunity which the forth-coming election presents. “We cannot make meaningful and optimal contributions to the Nigerian state if all we do is criticise and decry government without taking ownership of the country that belongs to us all. Every youth can influence society positively by fully utilising the opportunity which the social media presents. Some great Nigerian youths like Linda Ikeji, Japheth Omojuwa, Tolu Ogunlesi and others are agents of change in the country today because they have deployed their creative energy through the social media. Social media is a means to an end and not an end in itself.”

    In his presentation, Dr. Muiz Banire stated that the missing link in the Nigerian challenge begins with citizen’s lack of commitment to the Nigerian project. “Our level of engagement starts from belonging to a political party. This is non-negotiable if we are to make any meaningful impact in the political history of Nigeria. There is a huge deficit of quality people in Nigerian politics. Nigerian youths should be actively involved in election activities and political process. Although the issues of god-fathers and candidate imposition makes the challenge even more daunting for the discerning Nigeria youths, all hope is not lost. The Nigerian psyche has been so abused that the average person has a low self-esteem about himself in terms of making meaningful contribution in politics.” This, according to him, shouldn’t be.

    In his closing remark, Dr. Kolade urged the youths to show a more collective and coordinated approach in engaging the political parties and governments. He remarked that only a cohesive and structured citizen political participation can act as a catalyst for improving the lot of Nigeria as a country.

     

     

     

  • Royal Exchange partners NGO on youth education, leadership

    Royal Exchange partners NGO on youth education, leadership

    The Royal Exchange Group said it is determined to instill leadership qualities in Nigerian youth.

    Its Managing Director, Mr. Chike Mokwunye, said it will go into partnership with a non-governmental organisation called Foundation for Youth Education, to accomplish the objective by conducting leadership training and conference for secondary school prefects in Lagos State.

    He said his company’s decision to partner with the NGO, is motivated by an abiding sense of duty and patriotism to contribute to nurturing the Nigerian youth to be productive and responsible citizens.

    A conference was held on November 5, at the College Hall, Igbobi College, Yaba, Lagos, and it brought together over 800 secondary school prefects from 40 schools across Lagos State.

    He said the students attending the conference are already in positions of authority in their respective schools, and they want a situation where they will continue to be seen as examples for others to follow. “At the end of the training, we expect the prefects to be role models, ready to lead, and positively influence others around them,” Mokwunye added.

    He continued: “The Royal Exchange brand is well known for its empathy and high sense of patriotism. This partnership reflects our belief in the potential of the Nigerian spirit and the ability of the Nigerian youth to soar and excel in their chosen fields when given the opportunity.”

    The Coordinator of the Foundation for Youth Education, Mr. Patrick Ajogwu, said the NGO was founded with the aim of instilling academic excellence, promoting qualitative education and leadership attitude.

    Ajogwu said the aim of the conference, which is in its fourth edition, is to enable students start early by developing the necessary leadership skills, adding that it will also assist the pupils, counselling and giving them direction as they begin to make their career decisions.

    Royal Exchange, which had previously sponsored the Nigerian Idol, has been sponsoring the School Leadership Conference for the past three years. It started operations in 1921 and continues to be driven by innovation and determination to offer services that are of exceptional value to its customers.

  • The tragedy of the Nigerian youth (I)

    In 1989, I was inside a cab with three other students on our way to the main campus of the University of Jos when we encountered a large group of protesters, mainly youths and fellow undergraduates. Our cab was forced to stop because we couldn’t proceed beyond the Jos main market. Hours later, we learnt that the protest we encountered happened nationwide.

    It was later dubbed the “anti-Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) protests.” Nigerians trooped out in their millions to vent their displeasures and anger on General Ibrahim Babangida’s regime for the adverse effect SAP was having on them. It was spontaneous and did not have a clear cut leader or organisers’. Nigerians were simply angry and they made the government realise this.

    Being the smart and cunning ruler he was, Babangida immediately carried out remedial and palliative measures that ended up giving SAP “a human face” different from the earlier “face of a demagogue.” This new “face” calmed frayed nerves and he was able to remain in the saddle of power until events of the post 1993 election forced him to step down a day earlier than necessary. This was the power of protest in its finest.

    Fast forward to 2011; Time magazine, an international news magazine of repute often take its time when it comes to nominating its “Person of the Year,” and whenever it does, few doubt its choice. In 2011, the magazine made the “Protester,” its “Person of the Year.” The October 20th issue of the Magazine was titled: “The Face of Protest.” The reason for this was not farfetched.

    On 17 December 2010, a young Tunisian street vendor, Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in protest of the confiscation of his wares and the harassment and humiliation that he reported was inflicted on him by a municipal official and her aides.

    His rare act became a catalyst for the Tunisian Revolution and the wider “Arab Spring,” inciting demonstrations and riots throughout Tunisia in protest of social and political issues in the country. The public’s anger and violence intensified following Bouazizi’s death, leading then-President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to step down on 14 January 2011, after 23 years in power.

    The protest did not end in Tunisia as Libya’s long standing ruler and the boisterous Muammar Gadhafi as well as Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak was overthrown. Bashar Al Assad of Syria is still battling his own demons, an act that has probably set back a century back, according to some analysts. Few doubt that the season was indeed the season of the protester.

    The domino effect of these were also felt in Nigeria with the emergence of the “Occupy Nigeria” group which eventually fizzled out after government invaded their meeting point after an ill-advised break.

    The lesson for us is that there will always come a time that people feel they’ve had enough and will insist on change. Only a week ago we saw how the people of Burkina Faso took to the streets and burnt down their parliament building following reports that Blaise Campaore, their ruler of 27 years, was bent on tampering with the constitution yet again to extend his rule. He resigned three days later. Again the protesters won.

    While the youths of other countries take their destinies in their hands and call for authentic change, it is disheartening to see our own youth’s busy giving award after award to dubious and questionable characters in the name of “progress.” They are also at the forefront of “endorsement” of one candidate or the other as 2015 inches closer. Student bodies that ought to know better – to me – seem to be the worst culprit.

    Why are our youth no longer angry at certain situations? What future do we really have? Let me make it clear before I proceed that my intention is not to call for violent protests or revolution, but peaceful protests that would compel those in authority to listen, and by listening we can begin to put our heads together to find solutions for the plethora of problems confronting us. There are critical issues that demand the attention of our youths because the future really belongs to us.

    I am seriously concerned about the growing insecurity in the country, by this I mean the Boko Haram (BH) insurgency and the spate of kidnapping for ransom. And why am I concerned? Development and economic progress can never take place in an insecure entity. Investors simply love peaceful places where their investments are secure. The United Arab Emirates created their paradise because of peace and security, and today, their cities are the toast of the capitalist world and the playground of corrupt African officials. They put their house in order first.

    Who are the foot soldiers of BH? Mainly the youths, in essence it is a Youth war. So, why would sane Nigerian youths not feel a sense of revulsion given that it is their collective future that is apparently going up in flames? The sad fact is that most of our youth feel BH is a “Northern problem,” rather than a Nigerian problem. While there are cries of conspiracy theories and the activities of fifth columnists’, it is high time we confront this monster before it consumes us all.

    By now, I was hoping to see massive peaceful youth protests against the excesses of BH which has the potentials of destroying the seeds of our collective future. Sadly, comedy, Nollywood and music have sucked and seduced our youth into a false sense of security and prosperity. There is an urgent need to channel youth frustration into a more productive means of engaging government across the board.

    Most of our past leaders assumed leadership positions in their early 30s, some even younger. But today, some youth of that age still depend on their parents or family members for support; such is the tragedy of the Nigerian youth which the insurgency is further aggravating. This is the main reason they shouldn’t see BH as other people’s problem.

    Another reason for my concern is that we are gradually building a generation of crises prone youths. As a historian, I am familiar with studies of post conflict societies where children who have been through war in such places as Liberia, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Somalia, Serbia, Afghanistan, Bosnia or Syria have a tendency to express themselves in war metaphors. They draw guns, bombs, and armoured tanks as a past time. They take pleasures in these weapons of mass destruction rather than their books.

    Today’s youth, rather than being obsessed with just making money and craving for champagnes, fast cars and luxurious apartments, must begin to critically ask how today’s bitterness will affect his tomorrow. A time will come when entertainment and music will make no meaning.

    I’m concerned about this critical constituency because they are the once that effect change elsewhere. For instance, the American youths were angry about Vietnam. They took to the streets in revolt when thousands of their fellow citizens were being killed in a senseless war. The youth in China were angry about the lack of openness in their society and they took over Tiananmen Square.

    Do we still remember the picture of the young man facing the armored tanks in Tiananmen Square or the Burkinabe facing AK 47 wielding soldiers only last week in Burkina Faso ? Also, in 1976, youths in Soweto were angry about being asked to learn Afrikaans by force even though their teachers did not know the language and it was the language of domination. They revolted. Today, the iconic picture of the dead body of Hector Pieterson remains in public memory worldwide.

    Perhaps I should continue? Malala Yousafzai, the young Pakistani girl shot in the head by the Taliban on her way back from school is today, at 17, an iconic young girl. She has gone down in history as the youngest person to receive a Nobel Prize. Understandably, the award has elicited controversial reactions, but that is not the issue. She now has a Malala day marked on the international calendar to remember her heroic achievement.

    Did you, by chance, listen to her recent speech at the United Nations?  This young lady said she drew inspiration from Jesus Christ, Martin Luther King, Buddha, Gandhi, Mohammed, among others, despite being a little Muslim girl. As far as I’m concerned this is clear evidence of a young mind that had opened up and escaped the bondage of prejudice and hate.