IYD: Tapping Youths’ Potentials For Dev

The world designated last Friday, August 12, 2022, as International Youth Day (IYD). IYD is held annually to bring youth matters into the consideration of the global community and to celebrate the financial power of youth as partners in today’s world. The day also provides an opportunity to commemorate and mainstream the voices, actions and initiatives of young people and their meaningful, universal and appropriate participation.
Likewise, the occasion concentrates on the troubles that some young people are experiencing throughout the world. Half the children between the ages of six and 13 lack basic reading and mathematical skills, and childhood poverty is still a prevalent problem globally. Hence, IYD was established to help draw awareness to these issues. It is a day for reflection and acting.
In 1965, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) began making a collective effort to impact the youth. They endorsed the Declaration on the Promotion among Youth of the Ideals of Peace, Mutual Respect and Understanding between Peoples. They began devoting time and resources to empowering the youth by recognising up-and-coming leaders and offering them resources to meet global needs.
On December 17, 1999, the UNGA endorsed the recommendation made by the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth, and IYD was formed. It was first marked on August 12, 2000, and ever since the day has been used to educate society, mobilise the youth in politics, and manage resources to address global problems.
The theme of this year’s IYD is “Intergenerational Solidarity: Creating a World for All Ages”. It aims to enhance the message that action is needed across all generations to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), leaving no one behind. The day also raises awareness of certain barriers to intergenerational solidarity, notably ageism, which impacts young and aged people, while having detrimental effects on society.
Nigeria also joined other nations in the celebration. Sadly, an increasing number of youths in the country continue to face economic uncertainty and social exclusion, compelling the majority of them into gambling and crimes, while the rest languish in penury and deprivation. While the multitude of youths entering the labour market yearly increases, the economy’s job-creating capacity is on the decline.
Nigeria was ranked 161 out of 181 countries on the 2020 global youth development index, which measures the status of young people around the world. In 2016, the nation ranked 141. According to the triennial report released by the Commonwealth Secretariat, Singapore rated top, followed by Slovenia, Norway, Malta, and Denmark. Chad, the Central Africa Republic, South Sudan, Afghanistan, and Niger took the last five positions, respectively.
The index ranks countries according to development in youth education, employment, health, equality and inclusion, peace and security and political and civic participation. It looks at 27 indicators, including literacy and voting, to showcase the state of the world’s 1.8 billion people between the ages of 15 and 29. This year’s IYD offers Nigeria an opportunity to implement timely policies to harness the innovative talents of the youth for advancement.
With increasing technology, the resourceful minds and skills of young people can serve as the energy for development. Youth unemployment is a global challenge. Even the International Labour Congress (ILC) estimated that employment among the demographic dropped by 8.7 per cent last two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Nigeria’s challenge far exceeds the global average. Youth development in the country is horrendous.
Nigerian youth comb the streets for jobs in vain. As the old saying goes of an idle mind being the devil’s workshop, some have taken up arms against the state while a large number have found solace in Internet scams, otherwise called “Yahoo Yahoo” or “Yahoo Plus”. Others have embraced quick-rich gambits such as sports betting, and risky investments like cryptocurrency and Ponzi schemes.
Young people face a catastrophic situation that could push the country to a cliff. Unfortunately, the government recently started actions to make life more difficult for them. For example, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) cracked down on digital currency investors last year as it prohibited financial institutions from facilitating transactions. The Federal Government then banned Twitter, where thousands of youths make a living through content management.
With no less than 10.5 million children missing from school, Nigeria has the largest out-of-school population in the world. Poverty, insecurity, and gender barriers are among the reasons for this worrying record in a country where primary education should be free and compulsory. If quality education is provided to Nigerian youth, it will be difficult for them to be influenced by the selfish interests of the political elite, and thus have a positive impact on the growth of the country.
State governors should show greater commitment to youth empowerment and poverty eradication. They can partner with global financial institutions like the World Bank in providing sustainable development projects for young people, among others. They should consolidate youth-focused programmes to accelerate endurable growth and development of their states.
Rivers State is doing well in this regard. Governor Nyesom Wike, through critical investments and comprehensive empowerment programmes, is positioning the youth. The governor’s vision has always been to restructure the state to a phase where youths would grow with the assurance that their future is secured. Currently, they are being built up with critical life skills in sports, communication, and needed entrepreneurial leadership skills.
Before formulating development policies, the needs of youths should be considered. Young people and their organisations should be given grants. What this accentuates is the need to get the youth to utilise their enormous potentiality, priorities, and passion to deliver the SDGs. Young people can change our world. And this moment of ‘Peak Youth’ can be a historic opportunity for that positive change.