NIGERIAN YOUTHS; THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT

        NIGERIAN YOUTHS:THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT

C (2018)               CHIBU NDUBUISI            30/04/2018 WEEK 18

What makes a civilization survive is not strength but how they respond to the weak, not by wealth but how they care for the poor, not by power but the concern for the powerless, what renders a culture invulnerable is the compassion it shows to the vulnerable”. Jonathan Sacks

Peace be upon you.

The National Youth Policy of Nigeria defines youth as all young males and females between 18-35 years, the African youth charter defines youth as between 15-35 years of age.

The 2017 theme of the 29^th African Union summit was “Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through investments in Youth”. Fast forward in 2018, President Buhari at the Commonwealth Business Forum in Westminster said,

 “We have a very young population and our population is estimated conservatively to be 180 million. The 60 per cent of the population is below the age of 30. A lot of them have not been to school and they are claiming that Nigeria has been an oil producing country and therefore they should sit and do nothing and get housing, healthcare and education free,” as reported by Punch Newspaper.

Chimamanda Adichie (2009) advised in her TED talk “The Danger of The Single Story” that “negatives are not the only stories” especially about Africans. 

African youths, especially Nigerians are not use to sitting down and doing nothing. Ben Lawrence writing in TELL magazine of August 24, 2015 p 45 ‘motherhood in Tears’ Posited that.

“Most of the Nigerians dying in Sahara desert and drowning in the Mediterranean are 50 years plus and below. They are desperate generation gunning for money at all cost helped also by want caused by unemployment and a leadership without rudder. The same generation sweeps the crowd of drug peddlers and cyber fraud clan.

Donald Trump as front runner for the American presidential ticket had this to say about Nigerians

“To make America great again he said, “we need to get rid of Africans especially Nigerians. They take all our jobs meant for honest hard working Americans. They are everywhere. I went for a rally in Alaska and met just one African in the entire state, where was he from? Nigeria. He is in Alaska taking out jobs. Why can’t they stay in their own country? Why? I will tell you why. Because they are corrupt. TELL magazine February 1, 2016p; 16

Tony Elumelu’s advice is very instructive and timely for Buhari in 2018. Tony, while speaking at the National Assembly Business Environment round table held at Abuja in 2016, the founder of Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship programme (TEEP) noted that

“The proper role of government is not to provide employment for everyone but to create, sustain and secure an enabling environment for citizens to independently create their own jobs”.   

The question now for Buhari is, what type of environment has his government created for the Nigerian Youths?

Bill Gates in 2018 had this to say about Nigeria.

 “The Nigerian government's Economic Recovery and Growth Plan identifies "investing in our people" as one of three "strategic objectives." But the "execution priorities" don't fully reflect people's needs, prioritizing physical capital over human capital. To anchor the economy over the long term, investments in infrastructure and competitiveness must go hand in hand with investments in people. People without roads, ports, and factories can't flourish. And roads, ports, and factories without skilled workers to build and manage them can't sustain an economy”.

A lesson is very instructive from Chinua Achebe, classic novel “Things Fall Apart “(1958;17) and why his narrative is important in this discourse. Okonkwo approaches Nwakibie the successful farmer on his entrepreneurial quest. This is how their discussion ensued; Okonkwo said

I have come to you for help; he said. ‘Perhaps you can already guess what it is. I have cleared a farm but have no yams to sow I know what it is to ask a man to trust another with his yams, especially these days when young men are afraid of hard work. I am not afraid of work. The lizard that jumped from the high iroko tree to the ground said he would praise himself if no one else did. I began to fend for myself at an age when most people still suck at their mothers’ breast. If you give me some yam seeds I shall not fail you’.

Nwakibie cleared his throat. ‘It pleases me to see a young man like you these days when our youths have gone so soft. But I can trust you. I know it as I look at you. As our fathers said, you can tell a ripe corn by its look. I shall give you twice four hundred yams. Go ahead and prepare your farm’  

Nwakibie the successful farmer obliged Okonkwo with his yam seedlings. 

At this juncture I want to appeal to the government of President Mohammadu Buhari to follow the steps of Nwakibie to Okonkwo and establish many youths productively because if he does, posterity will judge him right.
No need for blame games. Take responsibility.

Jonathan Sacks (2011) writes that “the wealth of nations depends more than economics. It depends on the degree to which a culture teaches us to act today for the blessings of tomorrow”.  

“Every blessing ignored becomes a curse” advised Paulo.

Let’s bless today with right thinking policies. Labour is life and our youths are already making waves globally with dignified labour contributions.  Don't be a spoiler.

Peace be with you.