THE FAITH OF NIGERIAN YOUTHS

THE YOUTHS IN NIGERIA: ANY HEAD WAY?


Yearly, thousands of Nigerian youths graduate from the nation's Universities and other institutions of learning; while others take their place through various entrance examinations.
Unlike in the 60s and early 70s, graduation no longer translates into automatic employment, gainful or not. What results are feelings of frustration and anger at an 'unfeeling' society.
Among the fallout are drug trafficking, cultism, prostitution, armed robbery and burglary, credit fraud, patricide, exploitation as political thugs, and desperation to flee the country.

Yet Nigeria needs her youths, who form the largest percentage of her potential and actual workforce, in so many areas and sectors. Countries like Azerbaijan and Herzegovina are already reaping their investment in youths.
The questions: In what ways can the numerous youths of this country be put to the best use? Which areas or sectors should the youths be deployed to ensure gainful employment and provide a skilled labour force? What incentives are necessary for them?

NECESSARY SUGESSTIONS AND SOLUTIONS

• Governance in Nigeria has gotten to a level in which an average youth is thinking of how to get to the top either by hook or by crook.
A conducive environment for learning should be made available in our public schools (primary, secondary, tertiary) and adequate measures should be put in place not to obstruct the learning process.
Youths need to be encouraged so as to bring out the best in them and given opportunity to build upon their God-given talent. They should be given opportunity to speak up and express their minds. Government can also organise various activities including sports, workshops and seminars to keep the youths off the streets.
- Mr. Olawale Salami, Credit Direct Limited, Ikeja, Lagos
• There is need for a comprehensive policy towards youth development, which is inevitable in any meaningful national development plan.
Government has to engage our jobless youths through mechanised agriculture and micro credit facilities. This is a task for the three tiers of government.
- Barrister Mike Utsaha, JDPC Catholic Ecclesiastical Province, Kaduna
• Nigeria needs a youth summit involving all stakeholders aimed at reviewing its youth policies and programmes through a NEEDS assessment.
An expected outcome shall be the introduction of a Skills for Citizenship Awareness & Lifeline Education (SCALE) for youths, which WANEP has been championing.
- Mr. Chukwuemeka Eze, National Coordinator, West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), Lagos
• Nigeria is ranked among the worst nations that have toyed with its youth population.
Nigerian youths cannot compete technologically with their peers globally. The human capital gap is wide and can only be bridged if University education is free.
Vast majority of Nigerian youths need to be integrated into the global ICT scenario.
The Police need overhauling with youth graduates scheme brought in. The Petroleum Trust Development Fund needs to be disbanded for a youth-centred initiative manned by Niger Delta youths.
- Mr. George-Hill Anthony, National Coordinator, Niger Delta Budget Monitoring Group (NDEBUMOG), Port Harcourt, Rivers State
• We can harness the youth through creation of employment opportunities. There is also need for vocational skills training, and more guidance and counselling in schools.
The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) should be revived and entrepreneurs should be promoted.
- Dr. Keziah Awosika, Programmes Director, Women Law and Development Centre (WLDC), Lagos
• The agricultural sector can employ the whole youth in our country, but the belief is always that farming is a back-breaking job. This is not so with technological development. It (agriculture) can enrich the whole nation.
The government should allow the youth have access to micro credit and non-collateral loans. This is because majority of our youth just need little capital to start a business but no access to funds.
- Mr. Abdullahi Ahmed, Saw Mill, Ilorin, Kwara State
• Nigerian youth resources can be successfully harnessed by the creation of an environment for adequate self-employment. Job opportunities and incentives through welfare should be created. There is also a need for provision of qualitative education.
• Indeed, that (harnessing the youths) has been one of the major concerns each time issues of Nigeria's development are being discussed.
However, the only way this can be managed is for the government to initiate policies that can lead to job creation, encourage private sector development.
Above all, there is need to introduce skills acquisition programme into schools' curricula, especially from Secondary School level.
- Mr. Boniface Kassam, Senior Programme Officer, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Abuja
• Nigeria can harness her youth population in so many ways. The government should create job opportunities for the youths in the society, and build more industries to encourage the youths.
Secondly, the government and private sector should create more flexible working hours for parents, especially those working in banks, so that these parents can have time to talk to their kids and advise them properly.
Youths are leaders of tomorrow. Government should encourage them because some of these youths are naturally talented in various areas. They also need to be supported through seminars and lectures. At the end, all of us will be beneficiaries.
- Miss Oluwadara Solarin, Student, Lagos

• There is need for government to embark on job creation policy and also revive the industrial sector. This will create an enabling environment for industrial growth and Nigeria will become a producing not consuming country.
- Mr. Rotimi Aboluwade, Systems Engineer, Ikeja, Lagos
• To harness Nigerian youths adequately, there is need to teach them entrepreneurial skills.
- Mr. Nankin Bagudu, Ministry of Housing and Environment, Jos, Plateau State
• To harness the youth population, first, our leaders should show good example and intensify re-orientation towards encouraging hard work.
Then there is need for massive skills building, establishment of cottage industries, and proliferation of agro-allied industries headed by visionary young entrepreneurs and role models.
- Mrs. Augusta Akparanta-Emenogu, ActionAid International, Nigeria (AAIN), Abuja

• Education is key. An educated youth is an empowered youth. As opposed to the moribund education youth are being given now in public schools, Federal, State and Local Governments need to make qualitative education available at all levels but compulsory up till primary level.
Also, the current dichotomy in educational qualification in the work place especially between HND & B.Sc. holders should be scrapped so that Nigerian youth can be confident in their job search and work with dignity on the job whether as employees or employers.
A hungry man is said to be an angry man. Government should pay weekly allowances to unemployed graduates so they can meet their basic needs while waiting to be employed. They should also be exposed to empowerment programmes