Youth In Nation Building

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Youth In Nation Building
Introduction:
First, I would like to congratulate Chief Sir (Dr) Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion on his installation as the first Honourable Chancellor of this premier private university. It is a day of crowning glory for a man who has been so blessed by God and who has, in turn, passed so much blessing to others.
Secondly, I should thank him for the honour of delivering this public lecture. Chief Igbinedion is a man of bold ideas. Hardly would I have imagined, however, that he would ask a pure novice like me to undertake such a major challenge. My only qualification for this assignment is that I am a concerned citizen and a father, who was once a youth. The views I will express are merely to provoke further thought, discussion and examination.
The subject, taken literally, is very broad. I have, therefore, taken the liberty of considering it in a practical sense in the Nigerian context.
Definitions:
As would be expected, there is no single definition or categorization of youth – each nation or organization has adopted an approach that suits its purpose. The Chambers English Dictionary (1990) defines youth as “the state of being young; early life; the period immediately succeeding childhood and early period of existence; a young person, especially a young man; young persons collectively; …” Also youth has been defined as a period of transition from dependence to independence, a period between childhood and adulthood, otherwise known as adolescence.
As to categorization, the United Nations Organization states that youth are those falling in the age category of 15 to 24 years, whilst the Commonwealth of Nations, including Nigeria, places youths in the age category of 18 to 30 years. In my hometown, Onitsha, a youth association, which is seeking registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission, claims an age bracket of 15 to 50 years; there must be something attractive among my people in being youthful.
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From the foregoing, it is clear that, whilst we know broadly who the youths
are and when youthful life is taking place, it is difficult to put finite
boundaries on the subject for a variety of reasons. For instance, the transition
from childhood through adolescence to adulthood would take place at
different ages in different cultures and societies. Within a culture, the
transition ages may differ between males and females, the latter often
maturing faster. Furthermore, practical realities like higher education and
unemployment may delay the transition from adolescence to adulthood and
expand the youthful period.
Demography:
It is clear from the foregoing that we are dealing with a very important issue.
Placed in demographic context, the United Nations statistics show that youth
and children together, including all those aged 24 years and below, account
for nearly 40% of the world population. Almost 60% of the world youth live
in the developing countries of Asia, with another 15% in Africa and
approximately 10% in Latin America and the Caribbean. Approximately
15% live in developed regions. Globally, youth, as defined by the United
Nations, represents 18% of the world population.
In Nigeria, 60% of our estimated 115 million people are under the age of 25
years. The population of youths (18 – 35 years) was estimated to be around
28 million or 25% in 2000. Forty-four percent (44%) of these are male while
fifty-six percent (56%) are female. About 17 million (61%) of youth live in
the rural areas while 11 million (39%) live in the urban areas. Of the rural
dwellers, 62% are female while 38% are male; in the urban areas, gender
distribution is about even. The 1991 census shows that one out of every
three disabled persons is a young person. Approximately 33% of all youth
have no formal education, comprising 45% female and 55% male; about
50% of the youth are not gainfully employed.
Whatever the population, description, or categorization, youth represent
100% of Nigeria’s future, as for other countries and societies. They,
therefore, deserve every attention to enable them reach adulthood properly
prepared as productive workers, effective parents and responsible citizens.
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Historical Context:
The nationalist movement in Nigeria was led mainly by the youth. In 1933,
the Nigerian Youth Movement (NYM) was formed by Samuel Akinsanya,
Ernest Ikoli and others, and became the first mass political party in Africa.
In 1937, Nnamdi Azikiwe with Ernest Ikoli issued the Nigerian Youth
Movement Charter calling for complete independence by Africans. In 1953,
Anthony Enahoro, already a newspaper editor at the age of twenty-one
years, was barely thirty, when he moved the motion in the Federal House of
Representatives for self-government. Literally all our first generation
political leaders were young men and women when they made their marks.
Outside politics, other youthful Nigerians of their time were equally making
their marks in their respective fields of endeavour.
Today, young men and women have continued to make their mark in the
development of our nation. Names like Atedo Peterside in banking, Patrick
Utomi in management, Aliko Dangote and Mike Adenuga in
entrepreneurship, Philip Emeagwali and Bart Nnaji in science and
technology, and Tokunbo Afikuyomi in politics, made fame in their youth.
Elsewhere in the world, youths have always made their marks far beyond
their own countries: Bill Gates of Microsoft, Richard Branson of the Virgin
Group, Bill Clinton and Tony Blair are typical examples. Broadly speaking,
the most fundamental and revolutionary ideas – ideas that have really
changed the lives of the greatest majority of people – have been conceived
during the youthful years of their originators.
It is a popular truism that the youth are the leaders of tomorrow. Equally
important, however, the youth also have a significant impact on
contemporary society because of their vibrant intellectual capacity, their
undoubted, boundless energy as well as their large population.
With the foregoing preamble, we are saying that youth have played major
roles in building their respective societies in both historical and
contemporary sense. This is particularly true for Nigeria. But are the youth
of today following the footsteps of their predecessors? More significantly,
are we taking the necessary measures today to ensure that the youth can
continue to contribute to the meaningful growth of the nation in the future?
If, as is generally believed, our socio-economic life, including the condition
of the youth, has been in decline, what measures are necessary to redress the
situation? I hope that the rest of this paper will attempt to identify some of
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the reasons for the decline in the condition of the youth as well as make
proposals for improvements in their role in nation building.
Why did we get to where we are today in Nigeria? There are several reasons
but I will identify four fundamental ones as follows:
• Imbalance between Education and Employment
Opportunities: With the end of the civil war in 1970, there was an
explosion in the national revenue from petroleum. The resultant rapid
expansion in education at all levels was unfortunately not matched by
a similar expansion in the employment generating sectors of the
economy.
• Imbalance in Economic Opportunity: The same oil wealth
windfall of the 1970s started a widening of the gap in economic
opportunities between those who have and those who do not. The
pattern of public expenditures created instant millionaires whilst
impoverishing the majority. The imbalance in wealth distribution was
also manifested on a regional basis such that the oil producing states
of the Niger Delta felt disadvantaged compared to the rest of the
country.
• Breakdown of Cultural Values: Rapid wealth and easy money
have led to the importation of alien cultures and the corresponding
breakdown in our own cultural norms, values and systems. For
instance, the advertisers’ billboards, and radio and television jingles
increasingly influence our standard of modern lifestyle. The role
models for our youths are more likely to be David Beckham and the
Spice Girls. Even our local heroes, like Kanu Nwankwo, have to
adopt western manners to be considered successful.
• The Impact of Globalization: This is driven by the revolution in
communication and information technology as manifested by cable
broadcasting and the Internet. CNN and other similar global cable
broadcasters are daily creating a global culture driven by western
consumerism. The Internet gives the youth in developing countries
opportunity to compare their circumstance with those of their
counterparts in developed countries.
These factors combined, have created much disillusionment of our youth
about their future needs and aspirations.
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National Youth Development Policy:
It was heartening, therefore, that President Olusegun Obasanjo launched the
National Youth Development Policy in February 2001. In his message to
launch the policy document, the President acknowledged that previous
governments failed to address the issue of how best to harness the creative
energies and dynamism of our youth for overall national development.
The policy document recognizes the role of civil society organizations,
community organizations, the private sector, international organizations, and
other relevant organizations in its successful implementation. It states that
“..historically, it can be said that the Nigerian youth have suffered more
neglect than encouragement and purposeful involvement by the Government.
Contemporarily, they suffer from different kinds of socio-economic
deprivations and afflictions, which have been intensified with prolonged
military rule and acute economic crisis. Thus, Government’s effort when
made, have generally tended to be too little, too late. The institutional
framework for, and plan implementation mechanisms of public policy have
been weak, inefficient and ineffective, such that they hardly ever facilitated
the actualization of the desired policy goals”.
Growing oil wealth encouraged the Federal and State Governments in the
1970’s and 1980’s to elevate youth development by the establishment of the
Ministry of Youth and Sports. The National Youth Service Corps was
launched in 1973 to promote national unity and integration.
According to the policy document “…regrettably, by the early 1990’s these
commendable efforts aimed at Youth Development started to suffer
tremendous neglect” and “ …youth development came to be increasingly
equated with sporting activities and competitions”. Many programmes
suffered serious setbacks and the Federal and some State Governments
dismantled the Ministry of Youth and Sports. Consequently, by the late
1990’s it became evident that the Nigerian youth were probably the most
neglected by their government, resulting in growing involvement of youth in
crime and delinquency, declining school enrolment and high drop-out rates,
and increase of preventable diseases and health related problems.
Today, the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Youth Development is
responsible for youth affairs with a Minister of State designated for that. On
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the other hand, Sports, which is an aspect of youth development, has a full
Ministry.
The policy document gives a set of values systems and outlines sixteen
objectives. It also outlines the rights and obligations of the youths and the
obligation of the government, parents and guardians towards the youth. It
identifies priority areas of policy concern in three categories as follows:
• Issues that prepare the youths to become useful and active citizens in
adulthood such as education and vocational training, and gainful
employment and entrepreneurial development;
• Issues that pertain to personal well-being of the youth such as health
care, sports and recreation, arts and culture and the environment; and
• Issues that relate to the empowerment of youth for active participation
in national decision making process such as civic and citizenship
training, and participation in self-help and community development;
The implementation strategy document identifies the requisite institutional
framework and key agencies needed for the actualization of the policy. At
the apex would be an inter-ministerial National Youth Development
Council under the chairmanship of the President and comprising the chief
executives of all core relevant ministries, the chief executives of major
specialized agencies on youth development as well as adequate
representation of the youth. An executive agency, the National Youth
Development Agency, is proposed to administer the policy and a National
Youth Development Fund would finance the execution of the programmes.
Furthermore, a bill would be submitted to the National Assembly for a
comprehensive Youth Development Act to enable and enforce the
implementation of the policy. Similarly, the State and Local Governments
would create the enabling environment for the development of youth
programmes at their respective levels.
Some Priorities for Youth Development:
Education: It is universally accepted that education is the single most
important factor for young people to lead productive and responsible lives.
Providing adequate and appropriate education is thus a fundamental
challenge for the government and the society at large. For instance,
according to the Joint Admissions Matriculation Board (JAMB) over one
million candidates sat for the University Matriculation Examination (UME)
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this year competing for less than 300,000 vacancies in the universities. Only
last week, the Executive Secretary of The National Universities Commission
estimated that, by 2010 when the first products of the Universal Basic
Education (UBE) will become available to enter university, there would be
6.2 million candidates with the absorptive capacity of the existing 53
universities at only 2.4%.
The key challenge for the country is to keep expanding opportunity at each
level while improving the quality and relevance of teaching. Vocational
training should be re-emphasized as well as life long learning schemes in
informal and non-formal settings at the community levels.
At this juncture, I must pay tribute to Chief Igbinedion and a growing
number of other benefactors, who are supplementing the effort of the
Government by endowing private education. Chief Igbinedion has achieved
a remarkable and invaluable feat by single-handedly establishing educational
institutions at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels. The greatest
academic institutions in the world are privately endowed and I have every
confidence that this university will, in time, achieve that exalted status based
on hard work and commitment to excellence. I call on our distinguished
citizens, who have been blessed by God with material wealth to emulate the
footsteps of Chief Igbinedion and his fellow benefactors.
The linkages between the private sector and educational institutions should
be expanded and strengthened. Several business organizations already award
scholarship and endow special programmes in schools and universities.
Indeed, the largest and most profitable companies, like their counterparts
overseas, should consider endowing full-fledged academic institutions.
Parental Care/Family values: Other than formal education, parental care
and family environment are the strongest factors in the development of a
child into adolescence and ultimately into adulthood. The first role models
of a child are its parents and other siblings, well before the child goes to
school. Parents and siblings are also in position to influence the type of
friends that children and adolescents keep.
Consequently, the responsibility of every adult as a role model for the
younger generation cannot be overstressed. Unfortunately, parents are
increasing failing in that duty. Some adopt lifestyles they cannot justify to
their children. The media is replete with stories of corruption and wrong
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doing in all spheres of our life. Dubious wealth is increasingly glorified in
favour of hard work, uprightness, transparency and integrity.
There is therefore an urgent need for a moral revolution in the country
involving every segment of the Nigerian society. The campaign should be
waged through the schools, churches, clubs, work places, community
organizations, etc. We should celebrate genuine successes and shun doubtful
acquisition of power, influence and wealth. Our youth on their own can also
take a leading position in the campaign – challenging the adults and
questioning what is obviously not right. They should also act as role models
for their younger ones, counseling and mentoring them.
Employment: Youth unemployment can lead to marginalization,
exclusion, frustration, low self-esteem, and acts that create a burden on the
society. Unemployment is a very serious problem today, particularly with
the graduates of our tertiary institutions. Increasingly, there is a danger that a
large number of young people would be forced into informal, casual or parttime
jobs on a permanent or semi-permanent basis as their only option. The
National Directorate of Employment (NDE) was created for the purpose of
expanding employment opportunities for young people. Notwithstanding its
early popularity, it is doubtful that sustainable results were achieved. The
NDE focused on the reduction of unemployment by addressing the lack of
skills or attitude of young people. It would have been better to focus more
attention on promoting economic growth and job creation.
Health (Including STD and HIV/AIDS): Although young people are
generally among the healthiest population groups, they are also more likely
than their elders to engage in risky behavior, making them more susceptible
to the risk of infection. For instance, although between 43% and 53% of
youth are sexually active, most lack adequate information and services to
promote and protect their reproductive health.
Much has been said about the scourge of HIV/AIDS, particularly as it
concerns the youth. The World Youth Forum of the United Nations declared
the issue to be the greatest threat to the health and security of youth today, as
more than half of all new cases of deaths from the disease occur in people
under the age of 24 years. Africa, including Nigeria, is particularly ravaged.
Access to learning and education, and economic integration of the young
and their access to and security within the employment environment are
consequences and determinants of health and development. Promoting good
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health for young people should therefore place strong emphasis on providing
information and on promoting the development of life skills, the ability to
deal with sexuality in a mature manner, the exercise of good judgment, the
development of healthy self-esteem, the management of emotions and the
ability to handle pressure.
Leisure, Recreation and Sports: These are integral and essential to the
development of personal identity and can contribute to community
solidarity. They provide a key context to education and learning and can
have a strong impact on very important aspects of life. The way young
people spend their leisure time can directly affect their well-being as they
may be exposed to pressing threats such as HIV/AIDS, delinquency, conflict
and drug abuse. That is why it is very important that adequate facilities are
provided within respective neighborhoods and communities for children and
young people. It is disappointing how few open spaces and sporting and
recreational facilities exist in our cities and towns. Worse still, the few
available are under constant threat of being converted for other purposes. In
Onitsha, for instance, the erstwhile stadium was used to construct the offices
of the local government headquarters leaving the city without a recreation
facility. The urban situation is very dire and should be urgently addressed by
the respective state and local governments.
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs): Across the
world, ICTs are playing a central role in the lives of young people and in
society at large. Indeed, computers bring about a new form of learning
which transcends the limitations of old methods and children and youth are
most responsive to these new approaches. Unfortunately, a wide gap exists
between the developed and developing nations on access to ICTs. For
instance, literally all school children at all levels in the U.S. have access to a
computer at school and a majority do at home. In contrast, it is estimated
that some 70% of Nigerian university students are computer illiterate and the
proportion is far worse at the secondary and primary levels.
To close such a gap is daunting but not impossible with national
commitment, proper planning and sustained investments by the government
and the private sector. The objective should be, through local application and
adaptation of technology, to bring down the cost of computers and telemetry
to locally affordable levels. The National Information Technology Policy
was approved in March 2001 with the general objective of empowering the
youth with IT skills and preparing them for global competitiveness. A
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practical application of the policy is the programme of the Educational Tax
Fund and Schoolnet Diginet to roll out computer laboratories in sixty
secondary schools in 12 States by next year. This follows a pilot scheme in
35 schools already successfully completed. This is an example worth
emulating by all stakeholders.
Youth Protests, Violence and Conflict: Universally, youth have been
the symbol of protests and manifestation of anger to bring about change. The
United States student protests of the 1960s forced major changes in U.S.
policy on Vietnam. The University of Ibadan students successfully
prevented the Tafawa Balewa government from entering a defence pact with
the United Kingdom. Oftentimes, however, there has been a blurring of the
boundaries between genuine protest and criminal act. Such has been the case
with several student protests, which end up in violent and destructive
confrontation with law enforcement officers.
The Niger Delta region presents an urgent concern on this phenomenon.
Early protests by led by patriots, such as Melford Okilo, Harold Dappa-
Biriye and many others, successfully drew attention to the disadvantaged
status of the area and led to policy initiatives by the Government.
Unfortunately, contemporary youth protest in the region increasingly
manifests criminality in the forms of pipeline vandalization, kidnapping and
hostage taking of oil workers, piracy and armed robbery. Also the easy
acquisition of fire-arms has fueled the inter-ethnic violence that has engulfed
the area. Violence and conflict are thus taking attention away from the
fundamental challenge of the sustainable development of the entire region.
This diversion may persist unless the stakeholders can join hands and rise
above sectional interests for the sake of the greater good of the region.
Elsewhere in the country, religious and ethnic conflicts have involved a
large number of youths. Exposure to violence during the formative years can
have a defining influence on the characters of young people involved in
armed conflict. Preventing violence is not a matter for the government alone.
Traditional rulers, like myself, have a distinct role to play to promote peace
and reconciliation. The same applies to religious, political and youth leaders.
Juvenile Delinquency: Some types of juvenile delinquency are part of
the process of maturation and growth, and tend to disappear as young people
make the transition to adulthood. Indeed, many socially responsible adults
committed some form of petty offence during their adolescence. However,
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youths, who are marginalized as a result of poverty, social exclusion and
unemployment, as well as their more affluent but poorly parented counterparts
can easily become susceptible to developing and maintaining
delinquent behaviour. Programmes for rehabilitating delinquent juveniles
should be localized through schools, churches, community organizations,
police, etc, and should be aimed both at preventing youth crimes as well as
actively reintegrating young offenders.
Delinquency tends to be a group phenomenon as manifested by the activities
of secret cults in our institutions of higher learning. These cult groups, said
to number over thirty, are best known for their anti-social behaviour directed
against each other and non-members alike. They engage in violent clashes
using firearms and other lethal weapons and several gruesome deaths have
been the result. They pose a very serious challenge to our tertiary institutions
and major steps need to be taken by the government and law enforcement
agencies to curb such gang behaviour once and for all.
Drug Abuse: Alcohol, tobacco and cannabis are the drugs most used by
young people. Because alcohol is part of the social and traditional culture of
many communities in the country, it is not often widely realized that it
represents a serious public health burden. The health hazards of tobacco are
well proven and represent some of the chief preventable causes of death in
the world. Similarly, cannabis and other illicit drugs inflict significant
damage on the society. Drug abuse should be discouraged through family
and community programmes designed for the general population, addressing
communication, coping and disciplinary skills.
NYSC: The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) was set up by Decree
No. 24 of 1973 “with a view to the proper encouragement and development
of common ties among the youth of Nigeria and the promotion of national
unity”. It was meant to inculcate discipline in our youth and raise their moral
tone.
The NYSC has grown to become a gigantic enterprise today. Starting with
some 2,300 participants from six universities deployed to six states in 1973,
there were a projected 100,000 participants in 2002 from 162 institutions
deployed to 36 states and FCT. The fact that it continues to exist and
function is a testimony to its continued relevance.
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Nevertheless, the NYSC faces several constraints that need to be addressed
urgently in order to enhance its effectiveness. The sheer size of the
population poses organizational, financial, logistic, monitoring and
evaluation problems, which will continue to grow with projected greater
output from the tertiary institutions. Other problems include the
underutilization or non-utilization of corps members, particularly in the
urban centers, where they prefer to gravitate, and their inadequate
preparation for the realities of life following their service year.
The concerns that called for the creation of the NYSC are still prevalent
today and in many cases have worsened. They include insecurity, poverty,
low work ethics, ignorance in our socio-cultural behaviour, and low sense of
nationalism. Our society is still characterized by religious and ethnic
antagonism and inter-communal strife. In the face of these, the NYSC will
need to be strengthened and re-focused for the future in order to prove that it
is part of the solution rather than being part of the problem.
Summary:
I have argued in this lecture that youth are humanity’s most vibrant and
resourceful age bracket. Historically, Nigerian youth have contributed
substantially in all spheres of endeavour in our nation building.
Unfortunately, with the socio-economic decline of the country in the early
1990s the nation failed to sustain the creative energies and dynamism of the
youth. This caused a spiral of disillusionment of the youth about their future
needs and aspirations, which remains very evident and calls for urgent
action.
I have discussed a set of priorities that affect the preparation of the youth for
responsible life. These priorities range from the positive ones, such as
education, parental care, health, recreation and ICTs, to the problem issues,
such as crime, violence, drug abuse and juvenile delinquency. Very central
to all these priorities is the need to expand the economy and create more
opportunities for our teeming youth. The positive priorities can act both as
drivers for the economy and as beneficiaries of the opportunities created by
the expansion. On the other hand, youth that are gainfully employed,
constantly challenged, have self-esteem, and are duly acknowledged and
well regarded in the society are less likely to engage in anti-social behaviour
or run into difficulties.
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It is already two years since the National Youth Development Policy was
launched in 2001. Unfortunately, the institutional framework has not been
actualized and none of the proposed agencies or the Youth Development
Fund has come into existence. It is, therefore, suggested that the responsible
ministry should devote all energy and resources to ensure that that the policy
is actualized and made operational.
The matter of harnessing the youth for nation building should not be the
responsibility of the Government alone. It should involve the widest circle of
stakeholders in the society, including NGOs, the business community,
religious organizations, international organizations and youth organizations.
The Government should focus on broad policy directions and co-ordination
with emphasis placed on the community as the primary unit for youth
development.
Youth should be given a greater say in the planning, implementation and
evaluation of policies and programmes affecting them. They should be seen
in positive light as responsible citizens and not be equated only with
problems and difficulties. In this regard, the glaring exclusion of the youth
from the political and governance process should be redressed.
Consideration should be given to reducing the minimum voting age from 18
to 16 years and that for holding elective office from 32 to 25 years.
Ladies and gentlemen, I have kept you for too long. I have been speaking on
a subject that I have great passion for, because youth represent hope. I
remain optimistic that, with the support of the Government and the society at
large, our youth shall overcome their present travails and restore their pride
of place as major partners in building our nation, Nigeria.
I thank you all for listening.
26. 11. 03.
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