By Inuwa Waya

“You are the leaders of tomorrow”. “You are the future generation”. “ You are our hope”. “We are planning for your tomorrow”. These are the phrases society relied upon to give hope and aspirations to our youth.

Being an aggregate of people living together, this article chooses the word “Society” as opposed to government or community, which are narrow in scope.

What is being discussed herein affects everyone and everything.  Willy nilly, the youth are the future leaders. The issues to consider are the type of society they would lead, the level of their preparedness and what levers the society is using to prepare them for leadership.

The term “youth”  generally refers to the period between childhood and adulthood; its exact age range can vary depending on the context.

The United Nations and the World Health Organisation put the age range between 18 to 24, while the African charter defined it between  18 to  35. Clearly, from the age brackets, the youth are the most productive class of any society.

The way and manner the society treats this productive class is therefore of utmost interest to us. Ditto for the youth’s understanding of their role as first-class materials in any society. From the way they conduct their affairs, the Nigerian youth it appears, do not appreciate their importance.

They are weak, vulnerable and debased with very little sympathy and empathy. This class of otherwise proud people had embarked on a misadventure that would if care is not taken, will destroy them for good. It is only a fraction of them that understood the purpose of their existence and are determined to make the best Use of it.

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In the current dispensation,  the youth’s involvement in political activities leaves much to be desired. They virtually contribute nothing in terms of political development. They are used as political hirelings and online mercenaries. They specialised in verbal attacks and acts of political thuggery.

They lacked the initiative to establish a grassroots-based political movement that would transform into a political party in order to wrestle power from the hands of the old brigade. The way their peers in other parts of the World liberated themselves. In their flock, our youth have shown an appetite in acquiring wealth and depicting an ostentatious lifestyle. Acting as buffoons and nincompoops,  they hardly surprise anybody whenever they act without civility and respect.

Instead of focusing on productivity and securing their future, our youth had adopted a deviant behaviour.  They resorted to taking drugs and other types of narcotics. 80% of the patients at the NDLEA rehabilitation centres and those in the psychiatric hospitals around the Country are youth receiving treatment for drug and substance addiction. This particular problem is an epidemic of alarming proportions that is destroying the lives of our youth. The influence of drugs leads to all vices, including the commission of crimes. From misdemeanours to capital offences, the number of our youth as inmates in various Correctional facilities in the Country are very troubling.

From petty thieves and common criminals, many of them came out from the correctional facilities to become hardened criminals and fraudsters, thereby making their incarceration counterproductive.

Perhaps the major area where our tears must drop for our youth relates to their search for greener pastures in foreign Countries. Nigerian youth are scattered in the Middle East, Asia, Europe and the United States of America. A significant number of them, however, ended up in various prisons.

The offences for which Nigerian youth are convicted in foreign lands are,  drug-related offences, robbery, murder, wire fraud, identity theft, computer fraud, romance scam, fraudulent claims, email compromise, domestic violence and violence related to cult activities. In most cases, our youth are deported upon completion of their prison terms. In recent months, a substantial number of ex-convicts were deported from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, India, the United Kingdom and the United States of America to mention but a few.

Almost all the deportees were brought to their motherland in a depressive condition, having suffered indignities at the deportation camps. Apart from the toll such takes on the life of those affected, there is an enormous amount of damage that is caused to the green passport at the International arena. It was on account of the way our youth behaved abroad that Nigerians are subjected to embarrassing searches and rigorous scrutiny at the International airports.

It is also because of their behaviour that foreign investors are wary of coming to explore the Nigerian market.  Direct foreign investment may become elusive if such criminal practices continue unabated. The exportation of crime to foreign countries tragically affected the position of our Country among the Committee of Nations.

It is because of that diminished status that many Countries refused to give entry visas to Nigerians. Innocent people who have genuine businesses abroad are prevented because of the cruel attitude of some Nigerians.

There is no amount of plea or representation that would change the attitude any Country regarding entry visas to Nigerians, unless those responsible for these crimes repent. Based on the aforementioned, the task before society is gigantic. First, in preparing the youth for leadership and second, in making them understand their pivotal role in the overall development of the society.

The  Federal, states and local governments should create the necessary synergy. They must review their policies, especially as it affect the youth.

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The government should note that our youth have nowhere to call home but Nigeria. It’s only in this Country that they can enjoy rights and privileges. The global economic meltdown is forcing Countries to turn their back on foreigners.

The United States had embarked on a massive deportation of undocumented immigrants.

They have introduced strict visa requirements to discourage economic migrants and students who may want to do a part-time job while studying in the US. The United Kingdom had equally carried out mass deportation and would soon introduce tougher visa rules. Generally in Europe, the nationalist parties are gaining popularity on a daily basis because of their uncompromising stand on immigration. More than ever before, Nigerian governments at all levels must create wealth and distribute it evenly to assist our youth. 

Policies that would enhance job opportunities must be put in place as a matter of urgency. The current arrangements to tackle youth unemployment should be reviewed and fresh ideas injected.  Commercial Banks should be brought in to handle all aspects of youth empowerment through loans for small-scale and medium enterprises. 

The involvement of Banks would bring professionalism and ensure that appropriate mechanisms are put in place for judicious disbursement and repayment of these loans. Through the coordination of the three tiers of government, vast agricultural land should be carved out and allocated to our youth who are interested in farming.

The Bank of Agriculture should shortlist prospective applicants for loans, while its administration and disbursement should be handled by commercial Banks. The government should fully fund our universities and polytechnics and fast-track the development of science and technology.

In order to fully engage our youth in education and scholarship, the government should declare a state of emergency on education by introducing free education in all government tertiary institutions for the next 10 years. That will enable qualified students from poor families to benefit from that intervention.

The fight against drug abuse and trafficking must be vigorously pursued to save our youth from destruction. We must appreciate the efforts of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency  (NDLEA) for their doggedness in combating drug-related offences. In addition to fighting internal crimes, the law enforcement agencies must continue to fight crimes that bring shame and embarrassment to our nation.

Here, we must salute the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for its fight against the so-called “yahoo boys”. All other crimes, such as banditry, kidnapping, murder, armed robbery, fraud and the rest of them, must be completely eradicated by our security agencies.

The Nigerian Correctional Services must be reformed to make it truly correctional and reformatory, such that inmates who are convicted of minor offences should not be released as hardened criminals.

The administration of criminal justice must address the menace of prison congestion, especially as it relates to the awaiting trial inmates, many of whom have spent years awaiting trial. Justice delayed is justice denied.

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In conclusion, and in as much as we implore society to rescue our youth from the road to perdition, the bulk of the work lies with them. They must wake up from slumber and eject themselves from mental slavery.

They must understand that their future is at stake. It is their responsibility to shape their destiny. It is time to have an attitudinal change. It is time for soul-searching. What they do today would make or mar their future and, by extension, the future of society.

All we require our youth to do is to be patriotic, to be obedient to the constituted authority and to participate in the political process by championing accountability and governance. Period.