By Ebere Agozie
Nigerian youths are marginalised and their potential have remained untapped, the Coordinator of the Rule of Law Development Foundation (ROLDF), Mr Joseph Daudu, SAN has said.
Daudu, who is a former president of the the Nigerian Bar Association, (NBA), made this point during a Webinar Series, organised by the Rule of Law Development Foundation in Abuja.
The theme of the webinar was: `Youth Development and Its Role in Nation Building – Contemporary Nigeria as a Case Study’.
“Youths constitute the bulk of the nation’s population. If their potential is left untapped, they will constitute a menace and nuisance to the peace and order of the society.
“The best way to implement youth policies is to commence from the grassroots, ensuring that the 774 local governments evolve their youth programmes to cover all aspects of progressive national development.
“The local governments must evolve a very clear grassroots template for education, sports, health, social welfare, infrastructure etc, with the youth as launch pad of these programmes.
“The 4th schedule of the 1999 Constitution deals with the functions of local government councils and it is made pursuant to the provisions of Section 7 of the same constitution.
“It is clear that the local governments in Nigeria do not appreciate the plenitude of the powers donated to them by the constitution.
“Their only concern is with allocated revenue from the central government, without any effort on their leaders’ part to activate the functions of the said local governments as conceived by the constitution,” he said.
He noted that reference is made in paragraphs 1and 2 of the 4th schedule which, when implemented, will constitute a veritable source of revenue for any proactive LG.
“The inability to utilize this cadre of manpower is responsible for the needless rural-urban migration which in turn, breeds crime and insecurity,’’ he added.
The senior lawyer advised that policies that will keep the youths useful and productive for the betterment of the society be quickly implemented.
“It follows that government policies, budgetary principles and financial thrust must be deployed in such a manner as to ensure that this population bracket is kept useful and productive.
“No one is suggesting that government should find employment for the millions of unemployed youths stranded in the doldrums of society and who loiter around picking up the scraps that society throws at them.
“The basic function of government is to provide peace, order and good government for every person and society within their jurisdiction’’.
He concluded that unless there is a serious attitudinal change, the future for the country appears, at best, bleak.
He urged the youths to think nationalist and globally instead of being parochial and self-centred, to help in the development and growth of the nation.
In his presentation, Emmanuel Oni, Associate, JB Dauda and Co, stressed that youth development is an all important aspect to constructing and structuring a national identity.
Oni noted that the unification and political stability of Nigeria depends largely on youth development.
He said that young persons are now an endangered species that must run the risk of abdicating their primary duty to prioritise self-development with the few⁵ resources at their disposal.
“Time has come for us as youths to shift from reliance on the government of the day to dependence on one’s own strengths and abilities to make a change.
“We are now at a time where individuals, private organisations and non-governmental organisations, recognising their sacred duty to social development, must devote more time and resources to youth development’’.
He said that youths need a phased transition from optional holiday internship programmes to mandatory holiday internship for tertiary institutions.
“The mandatory IT for technology institutions needs to be revamped and taken seriously as students no longer take it seriously or learn anything in the process.
“This is one of the easiest ways for university students to acquire the skills required to work in their chosen fields.
He said that youth inclusiveness in governance and development will promote equity, strengthen democracy, and lead to more effective and sustainable policies.
Rev. Fr. George Ehusani, Executive Director, Lux Terra Leadership Foundation, the lead speaker said that elders have failed to inspire the young people in the pursuit of higher values, thereby, losing control of the younger generation.
He noted that the collective psyche of Nigerian young people has been seriously wounded, and their delicate consciences brutally battered by the atrocities of the adult society.
“There is serious work to be done by all of us who belong to the adult society in Nigeria, if we are not to kill tomorrow before today’s sun sets.
“Those who seek to bestow hope on the coming generation must recommit themselves to such values that make for nation building, such as truth and honesty, and justice and equity.
“We can experience rejuvenation, if today we begin to retrace our steps, and get back to the basics.
“We should believe that from the rubble of our shattered motherland, a rich, powerful, peaceful and united country can emerge: if today we identify and get rid of the demons that have be-witched this land since independence’’.
