The Nation Newspaper

Tag: youths

  • Youths sue for peace, demand more political roles

    A group, The New Nigeria Youth Movement, aka Youth Movement for Better Nigeria, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to overhaul the security apparatus following wanton killings across the nation.

    Its president, Comrade Folarin Adekanbi, told reporters in Lagos that Nigerians must work collectively to guarantee peace in the nation.

    Lamenting the massive loss of lives and property through Boko Harm insurgency and herdsmen killings, Adekanbi said the attacks on defenceless communities and villagers were barbaric.

    He warned the situation could degenerate into an ethno-religious war if not checked.

    “Any act of abuse of a right of any citizen of the country is condemnable and unacceptable irrespective of the class , creed or religious divide of the perpetrator, as it contradicts the provisions of the laws of the land.

    “We have to be careful so that we don’t plunge the nation into a war with ethnic and religious colouration that would be difficult to end,” he stressed.

    He urged the army and other security agencies to be more professional in engagements with civil populace to avoid tarnishing their image before the international community.

    He noted the police in recent times have come under bad light for the incessant harassment of innocent citizens, advising concerned authorities to checkmate these excesses to improve relations with Nigerians.

    Publicity Secretary of the group, Festus Akinrinde, canvassed for more inclusion of youths in political decision- making, noting youths are not just good in entertainment and sports but will also do wonders if given the opportunity in politics.

  • ITF to train 13,000 youths on skills

    THE Industrial Training Fund (ITF) is set to train 13,000 Nigerians across the country in 11 vocational skills.

    This is in line with its renewed effort to equip Nigerians with skills in accordance with its mandate and ensure the achievement of Federal Government’s policy on job/wealth creation.

    Its Director-General/Chief Executive, Sir Joseph Ari, who declared 2018 as a year of delivery, said the implementation of the programmes will start on various dates between July and August and end in November.

    Ari, who was addressing a meeting of Area Managers of ITF Area Offices and Managers of the Fund’s Training Centres at the ITF Centre for Excellence, Bukuru – Jos, explained that the declaration was informed by the growing realisation that accelerated skills acquisition was the only way to address rampant unemployment, especially among the youth.

    He said governments all over the world have turned to skills acquisition, which is the universal currency of the 21st century, to arm their citizenry with skills for employability and growth.

    The DG listed the skills programmes billed for implementation to include the National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP), the Women Skills Empowerment Programme (WOSEP), Skills Training and Empowerment Programme for the Physically Challenged (STEPC), Air Conditioning and Refrigeration, and Designing and Garment Making.

    Within the same period, he said five other training programmes, including Post-Harvest Techniques and Product Development, Aqua-Culture/Fish Farming, Manure Production, Crop Production/Greenhouse Technology and Poultry Farming, that are aimed at equipping  farmers with the requisite skills for improved farm yield will be implemented using the Galilee International Management Institute (GIMI) Model.

    Ari said: “The emphasis on skills for the agricultural sector was informed by the fact that it is the occupation of majority of Nigerians and a key component of the economic diversification agenda of the Federal Government.”

     

     

  • Group urges women, youths to participate in governance

    The Voice of Women and Youth International Foundation (VWYIF) has urged women and youths to participate in governance, nothing they have a critical role to play in nation building.

    The group made the call during the VWYIF conference in Arepo, Ogun State.

    VWYIF National Chairperson Iyalode Alaba Lawson, said women and youths must have the passion to take positions in governance.

    According to her, women and youths must be ready for the new Nigeria.

    “We must have the passion and the will to take this country to the next level. All hands must be on deck. Women are about 68 percent of the Nigerian population and we must stand up and resist injustice,” she said.

    The group had earlier paid a visit to The Nation headquarters in Lagos, where a Board of Trustee (BoT) member, Mrs Ify Okafor, said the country must be free of corruption.

    Mrs Okafor enjoined Nigerians to fulfill their civic obligation and play their roles in building a new Nigeria.

    “We want more women and youth who are competent to be invited to the table of decision making. We seek support and partnership of the media in driving this vision for a prosperous, incorrupt and sustainable Nigeria,” she said.

    Another BoT member, Chief Anita Okuribido, said the group’s goal is to drive inclusion of more women and youths in leadership position.

    “Through organisations like ours, we want the voice of women and youths to be heard, so that there can be more inclusion for them and by so doing, we will have a better Nigeria,” she said.

    At the conference, Head of Unit, Gender Division, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Ogun State, Mrs Adeola Osikomaiya, urged women to show interest in governance.

    She said other women must support and encourage those women that go for such positions.

    According to her, gender is not what is needed in leadership position, but intelligence and the ability to contribute positively towards national development.

  • We won’t allow drug destroy our youths – Ambode

    •Govt launches ‘kick against drug abuse campaign’

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday said his administration will not allow the practice of drug abuse damage the future of the youths.

    The Governor said this at the flag off of the State Kicks Against Drug Abuse (LASKADA) at the LTV Blue-Roof, Ikeja.

    Represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr. Tunji Bello, Ambode added that the increasing menace of drug abuse and its impact on the society in recent times is really on the high side.

    The present administration, he said, is committed to a more prosperous Lagos.

    He said the decision to commence the massive awareness was a response to the dangerous dimension that drug abuse has taken.

    He added that the establishment of youth-friendly centres in all the Local Government Areas/Local Government Development Areas is meant to serve as avenues for relaxation and to further engage the youths in productive ventures to reduce the menace of drug abuse.

    The Drug Dependent Rehabilitation Centres located in Isheri and Majidun, he said, were established to give support to young ones addicted to drugs.

    Ambode’s wife, Bolanle said the society cannot pretend that all is well, considering the unwholesome attitude of many youths who are drug addicts.

     

  • Youths within Nigeria’s historical environment

    Defining the concept of “youth” is a notoriously difficult exercise understandably because it is time-and society-bound. However, age occupies a conspicuous position in the scheme of things. In Nigeria, it is generally believed that young people in the category of youth are between the ages of 18 and 35 years. These young people are legally responsible for their actions and/or inactions without the endorsement of guardians or the consent of parents. This upper age limit is not fixed once and for all. Young adults slightly older than those in this bracket may be accepted as youths. Youths are agents of directed change in any serious society. This underscores the reason why the Nigeria’s National Development Plan in the 1970s created a big space for the youths. The National Youths Service Corps (launched in 1973 by the Gowon-led administration) was an epitome of this awareness. A   country can only marginalise and barbarise its youths at its own peril. The youths own the future. One can easily peep into the future of a country through the lenses of the mentality or general attitude of its youths. Youths in Nigeria today are over 33 million in number. This is quite huge! They are a world-class asset provided the political class is ready to play a critical role in harnessing this human resource or capital. Thus, for example, the youths are the source of labour for economic productions and by extension, economic development. This is a universal. The Red Guards of Mainland China and the Malawi Young Pioneers are a good illustration of how to mobilise youths for higher national ideals.

    Such former Nigerian political  leaders as Sir Tafawa Balewa, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Anthony Enahoro and Dr.. Michael Opara became movers and shakers of local, national and international politics at relatively young ages ranging from late twenties to early thirties. The system gave them the space (although not without some struggles), to lead the country. They were bold, articulate and cerebral although as beginners and mortals, they made mistakes.  Some of these mistakes were anchored to ethnic politics, religion and nepotism which invariably led to the civil war between 1967 and 1970. Today’s young Nigerians warming up for political leadership must not ignore history no matter how unpleasant certain facets of it may be, otherwise they would be doomed to repeat some of the mistakes of the past. Nigerians need good governance and not religion or ethnicity. They are anxious to see the demise of the unprecedented starvation, insecurity, high unemployment rate and all kinds of barbarism that define our contemporary geo-polity. Dire material poverty is a form of warfare and consequently, it de-humanises. This underscores the reason why the majority of  Nigerians are looking up to the youths for salvation even though they still need a few things to learn from the elders despite their several inadequacies. Indeed, the youths must prove to the entire global village that Nigerians are not pathologically corrupt and that we can successfully manage our affairs with utmost seriousness including uncommon integrity. The new, young Nigerian leaders have to learn to shun wrinkled carrots often dangled by the West. This is because such carrots or aids are not value-free. Therefore, the youths cannot afford to fail as the clock ticks! It is a big surprise that most of the elders today have forgotten so soon how they easily got scholarship awards, and bursaries among others at the local, regional and national levels when they were youths. Most of them readily got opportunities for overseas training especially those in the military profession .The idea behind all these was to motivate the youths and prepare them for leadership in the future. Permit me to buttress the point, by saying that as an A-level student of The Polytechnic Ibadan in the mid-1970s, cost of a breakfast was 10 kobo, lunch 20 kobo and dinner 20 kobo. One could take as many cupfuls of tea as possible in the morning. There was always a rich ice-cream dessert or orange to go with each lunch. Getting jobs including car loans was also easy. Please do not be moronic, Nigeria despite its current huge population has enough resources to repeat all these things. What is missing is healthy prioritisation due to monumental corruption! This has led to a lack of interest in proper/adequate funding of   education including research as if economic development matters.  The political class is exceptionally greedy and incorrigible. Today, Nigeria has become a vivid representation of hell on earth despite the enviable human capital and natural resources at its disposal. Killer-herdsmen are flexing their muscles as they destroy humans like chickens. In the 21st century, some Nigerians still primitively think that medieval-like violence is a sign of greatness.

    Surprisingly enough, the already traumatised youths are still being castigated by those who have short-changed them. Rural-urban migrations and subsequent imbalances are aggravating material poverty in the land. The youths and their parents have been consigned to the Deprivation Trap. President Buhari should in the name of all that is good, stop these senseless, stone age- like killings of Nigerians. Whether or not those behind such killings are from Libya or the moon does not matter to Nigerians. They are terrorists and should therefore be dealt with accordingly.  No excuses!

    The Nigerian youths should hold the bull by the horns not through violent means but unprecedented political maturity enshrined in the ballot box in 2019. This is not about ethnicity or religion. Poverty has no geographical, religious or ethnic boundaries. The politicians are only interested in maintaining the status quo.  They see themselves as super Homo sapiens with their pampered children who spit in our faces as they ride luxury cars and auto bikes around the streets after they are tired of horseback riding. It would be a double tragedy for the youths not to liberate themselves and by extension, the entirety of Nigeria from the bondage of oppression and exploitation. The current hardships hereby christened, the Goliaths of our times must be crushed as quickly as possible before more Nigerian youths become ritualists, cannibals, kidnappers, armed robbers, internet fraudsters, beggars and political thugs despite the abundant material resources in the land. The above ugly conditions are not the destinies of the Nigerian youths who are enviable, dynamic and resourceful in several respects.

     

    • Professor Ogundele is of Dept. of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Ibadan.

  • FIIRO trains women, youths in fish export

    To address the unemployment, youths and women across the  country are undergoing training at the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO) on fish smoking technology aimed at equipping them for export of dry fish.

    Speaking during the opening of the  workshop on ‘Fish Smoking Technology’ (Batch B) in Lagos, FIIRO Director-General/CEO, Prof Gloria Elemo,  disclosed that at the end of the training, participants would have armed themselves with the requisite knowledge to produce high quality smoked fish for the local and foreign market.

    Elemo noted that unemployment should have no room considering the great potential and abundant human/natural resources available in the country.

    She pointed out that FIIRO will soon start implementing its various job creating strategies in collaboration with some other agencies aimed at reducing unemployment to the barest minimum in the country.

    “One of such programmes is the national Techno-entrepreneurship Development Initiative, an initiative designed by FIIRO with the support of the Federal Government of Nigeria,” she said. According to her, this initiative has the capacity to train two million unemployed youths and women annually at full implementation, in addition to various numbers of small and medium enterprises that will grow there from.

    “The training could be conceived one of the immediate intervention programme of the federal government to reduce unemployment through empowerment of youths and women who in turn would graduate to be job providers rather than job seekers,” Elemo added.

  • Adeboye to youths: prepare for leadership

    General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church of God, (RCCG) Pastor Enoch Adeboye has challenged youths to

    prepare themselves for the responsibilities that comes with political leadership.

    He spoke last Sunday at a special prayer and thanksgiving for students, teachers, lecturers, professors and their families by the RCCG National Headquarters Throne of Grace Parish at Redemption Way, Ebute Metta, Lagos.

    He said that the Buhari administration has done the needful by assenting to the #NotToYoungToRule bill, pointing out the onus lies with youths to take advantage of the law and prepare themselves adequately for political leadership.

    “Are the Nigeria youths ready and prepared? It is one thing to agitate and it is another thing to be prepared to take advantage of the new law.

    “You don’t wait for opportunity when they come; you prepare before opportunity comes so you can recognise it and manage it,” Adeboye stated.

    He noted that political leadership in the nation has peculiar challenges, which every credible youth interested in politics must be aware of.

    He charged the youths to be ready to get involved, mobilise, organise and take their future and our nation’s destiny into their hands.

    Adeboye, who was represented by the Assistant General Overseer, Personnel and Administration, Pastor Johnson Odesola, said Nigerians are in a hurry for development, which puts a lot of pressure on people in positions of authority to deliver on the social contracts they have with the people.

    He stated for young people to take advantage of the new law in the political landscape, they must be exhibit enough political awareness and interest with a view to addressing the myriad of socio-economic challenges facing the country.

    Adeboye further commended Nigerians, who played one role or the other to achieving 19 years of unbroken democratic rule, which according to him remains the best form of government.

    He stated though the socio-economic challenges facing Nigeria are more daunting, the current parlous state is not exclusive to Nigeria as other developing countries are grappling with their share of challenges.

  • Youths, political power and the future

    Youth or youthfulness is one of the phases, which every human being will pass through. Today’s old people, who are gnarled by old age, were once young and energetic people. As time could be likened to an unstoppable fast-travelling train, today’s youths will become old people in the future. Nobody is immune to the ravages of time; and nobody can stop the ageing process.

    It’s a known fact that gifted young people do reach the zenith of their endeavours and careers during their youthful ages. Chinua Achebe, one of the founding fathers of the modern African literature, wrote his Magnus Opus, Things Fall Apart, when he was in his twenties. Wole Soyinka wrote excellent literary works that cover all the genres of literature during his youthful days. Little wonder, he won the Nobel Prize for literature. More so, the late Chief Mathew Mbu, a politician in the First Republic, became a parliamentarian at 26.

    In sports, we have Boris Becker, the German-born lawn tennis player, who attained his peak in his sporting career and won the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championship as a teenager. And there was Yousafzai Malala, the Pakistani teenage crusader for children’s rights, who came to global attention and recognition while in her early teenage years. She relocated to Britain after she was shot by Muslim extremists in her home country for her activism and advocacy.

    But sadly, and regrettably, in Nigeria, today’s youths do not evince and display the qualities and character traits of people who can transform the country. Our young people, who are socialised and initiated into egregious culture of corruption, are rapists, cultists, religious fanatics, and ethnic bigots. Since their parents bought SSCE certificates and university admissions for them to study. Consequently, they’re compelled to join cult groups on campuses across the country.

    Instead of being obsessed with scholarly activities, they use their membership of cult groups to brow-beat their lecturers to award them undeserved high grades in their courses. Others have converted campuses in the country to religious grounds, where they espouse their religious dogmas and teachings. And the ladies who are always dressed in décolletage and provocative dresses prefer participating in beauty pageantry to engaging in intellectually-enriching engagements and other ennobling activities.

    What happens in our universities now is a great departure from and opposite of what obtained in the past. University in the past helped to shape, formulate, and change unfavourable government policies through their interventions like protest marches and newspaper articles. But gone are the days when students, who are the leaders of tomorrow, protested against bad and unfavourable government policies. Now, they acquiesce in government policies that will bring suffering and economic hardship to the masses. And they do visit political leaders to show solidarity with them when those leaders are not offering us good political leadership and qualitative representation in the national assembly. Aren’t they sycophants?

    Commendably, President Buhari has signed into law the not- too-young-to-run bill. But can a young person, who is a philosopher-king in the mould of Emmanuel Macron of France, emerge on our political landscape as our national leader? A majority of Nigerian youths are destitute of positive morality, probity, and intellectual fecundity.  So, can our youths band together to oust the recycled old politicians from the loft of political power and change the existing political order when the youths are not intellectually and morally equipped for that undertaking?

    • By Chiedu Uche Okoye

    Uruowulu-Obosi

    Anambra State

     

  • Youths seek unity among aggrieved APC members

    All Progressives Congress (APC) youths in Somolu Local Government Area of Lagos State have urged aggrieved members of the party to sheathe their swords and work for unity.

    The youths, under the aegis of Somolu Youth Progressive Forum, made the appeal at the party’s secretariat.

    They noted that there had been rancour among the party’s leadership in the local government following recent ward and local government congresses of the party.

    The youths said some members loyal to a lawmaker representing Somolu in the House of Assembly, Rotimi Olowo, and the local government’s Vice Chairman Bowale Sosinmi, Vice were not happy with the outcome of the congresses which produced the current executives.

    They advised Olowo and his group to embrace peace in the interest of the party.

    According to them, it more honourable for the lawmaker to pursue his House of Representatives ambition through unity than cause a division in the party.

    The youths also advised another party chieftain, Olowolayemo, and his group to abide by the decision of majority of party members and leaders on the outcome of the congresses.

  • Buhari to youths: resume your campaign after 2019

    New law cuts age limit for president to 35 years

    The youth got a pleasant gift yesterday from President Muhammadu Buhari. He signed the “Not-too-young- to-run” bill into law at the State House, Abuja.

    He jokingly asked the youth to shift their campaign until next year’s election.

    “But please, can I ask you to postpone your campaigns till after the 2019 elections!” he told his guests, who clapped and laughed.

    Buhari has declared his intention to run next year.

    Urging the youth to wait for 2023 to run for President, he said that the new law  permits them to run for the various political offices.

    The new law, he said, has reduced the age limit for contesting for House of Representatives and State Houses of Assembly from 30 to 25 years

    For President, the age limit has been reduced from 40 to 35 years.

    Through its Founder Samson Itodo and National Coordinator Faruk Ibrahim, the Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth and Advancement (YIAGA), praised the leadership of the National Assembly for its role in the making of the law.

    The group said the passage of the bill into law was the first phase of the struggle, urging both chambers of the National Assembly to insist on free and fair elections next year.

    Itodo said: “Let me congratulate you on the campaign that helped in the passage of the bill in the National and State Houses of Assembly. What you have done has become a reference point across the continent.

    “When you have the voice, you have the numbers. So the first thing for the advocacy that will support ‘Not Too Young to Run’ must be free and fair elections.

    “We want to convey our appreciation to you and the other 108 members of the Senate that we are pleased with this development. You and your counterparts in the House of Representatives have written your names in gold,” Itodo said.

    However, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has chided  Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) for claiming to be the architects of the ‘Not-Too-Young-to-Run Act’.

    A statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan said the bill that culminated in the passage of the Act, was sponsored and pursued by the PDP members in the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly.

    The statement said, “It is instructive to note that President Buhari had no input whatsoever in the bill; never showed any support or enthusiasm towards the initiative and had no option than to perform a mandatory constitutional duty of assenting to the bill, as a clear reflection of the mood of the nation, given that the bill had already found an easy passage to the crucibles of the required approval of two-third of states in the federation.

    “The PDP therefore urges the Nigerian youths to immediately take advantage of the Generation Next platform and incentives already established by the repositioned PDP and actively participate in the collective quest to rescue our nation from the misrule of the APC”.