Equipping Youths For National Development

August 12 was International Youth Day and Nigeria also joined the civilised world to appraise  the potentials of the youth for development with a view to charting a way for a viable future for  youths who constitute the most productive workforce of any nation.

With the theme: “Youth Migration: Moving Development Forward”, this years theme was  tailored towards drawing global attention to inherent capabilities of the youths for societal  development. As a very mobile group, their migration affects the flow of the economy and  defines the future.

On December 17, 1999, the UN, through resolution 54/120 endorsed the recommendation of  the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth in Lisbon, Portugal and declared  August, every year as the International Youth Day. Ever since, the world has continuously  commemorated the day in appreciation of critical roles youths play in social development.

This year’s theme is very apt and essentially different from others in the past. This is predicated  on the fact that youths constitute a larger percentage of global number of international migrants  to different parts of the globe. In 2010, it was reported that over 27 million young people  migrated from one point of the world to another.

It is against this backdrop that it is feared that while migration of youths can often offer  valuable opportunities and contribute to societal development, it can also pose risks and lead  to unacceptable situations such as brain drain in some parts of the world. Although its benefits  may be more, it can expose some youths to exploitation and add pressure on cultural  integration, segregation and discrimination.

Hence, it has indeed, become pertinent and inevitable that the international community should  be committed in engaging not only the leaders of today, but also the leaders of tomorrow in  finding lasting solutions to global challenges, security, terrorism, environmental and climate  change, among others.

There is no gain saying the fact that the world is today a global village and this generation of  youths are more in touch and more enlightened, especially through the advance in the  information and communication technology. Again, while the internet is a blessing, it can also  become the temptation that every youth need to be aware of.

The social media including mobile phone, twitter, facebook among others, have provided the  platform for young people to communicate with peers all over the globe. It has enabled them to get mobilised easily to demand for dignity, democracy, rule of law, justice, equity and fairness  in world affairs.

The Tide

thinks that youths can only contribute meaningfully to society when their lot are first  developed. We note with sadness that over the years, youths in parts of the world are easily  associated with some activities that are often too remote from their role expectations. Being  vulnerability, some easily fall into criminality, crisis, terrorism, militancy, political thuggery and  the likes.

It is a fact that a lot of the youth have become dissatisfied with the socio-economic realities of  the day and have found nothing wrong in migrating, either to greener pastures or other climes,  if only to escape the poverty trap, environmental crisis or lingering social unrest in their home  countries.

We believe that our youths can avoid criminal tendencies if deliberate steps are taken to equip  them for future challenges through job creation, proper education, value re-orientation and  exemplary leadership.

The Tide

acknowledges the laudable measures taken by the Rivers State Government to  properly equip the youth, academically and career opportunities, especially through the Rivers  State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA). Similarly, the use of special scholarship  programmes and direct bulk employment, as manifestly demonstrated by the employment of  13,000 teachers recently underscores the commitment of the state to the needs of the Rivers  youth.

We think that a lot more can be done and achieved if parents can lay the right foundation for  the young generation, while government takes time to revive failed firms to provide  employment that would gainfully engage the youth and re-engineer the value system in the  country.

Giving the fact that the age bracket for youths range between 18 -40, it is a mis-norma to  continue to refer to them as leaders of tomorrow. As in the case of women, the youth should  also be allocated a percentage of political office in the country with a view to deliberately  involving them early in leadership and equipping them to take over as they grow. Indeed, the  leadership lesson they can get by serving as assistants to major political office holders cannot  be quantified.

Finally, the country will be in a place to draw more from the potentials of the youth, as in other  lands, when the general perception that sees them as troublesome, violent and unproductive  change. Rather, effort should be made to groom them for mastery in all aspects of life by  individuals, governments and organizations.