By Muritala Seun
The future of any society lies on the level of empowerment given to the younger generation. This is true regardless of geographical location, technology and whatever factor that may be considered. The challenge of youth restiveness, internet fraud, cultism, and other known social vices has become a national plague in Nigeria which is calling for prompt attention as these vices are time bombs waiting to explode.
In Nigeria, the youths are often faced with the challenges of unemployment, lack of enabling environment for businesses to thrive, among others. Daily, the youth wake up to dwindling hope for a better tomorrow going by what they hear and see around. And as the adage says, “The wisdom of Solomon cannot be compared with the age of Methuselah.” This is true in the light of the current situation as those in the helm of affairs seem to lack clue on the right approach needed to arrest the present situation.
Going around major cities in Nigeria will give you an idea of what youth go through. I have personally been to some major cities in the country and I have seen how these youths who make up the younger generation struggle to meet ends meet. They are involved in various activities which are neither contributing to them having a desired future nor making them become contributors to the economy. Many of them are homeless, are sleeping under bridges and by the road sides. A lot of these young men and women graduated from higher institutions and find it difficult to get a job. And when there seems to be an opportunity, they are subjected to unimaginable conditions such as sexual harassment, unbefitting working conditions and the like. Those who have been trained in one vocation or the other are unable to start their own businesses due to lack of startup funds. Many have totally lost hope, thereby making them get involved in heinous criminal activities like kidnapping, internet fraud, cultism and so on.
The time to arrest the situation is now as government and private individuals need to realize that the continued existence of this nation lies on the shoulders of the youth and that they need to be empowered. The right policies which would encourage Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) should be formulated and implemented as this will serve as an avenue to empower the youths who are skilled in one vocation or the other and also help those who are into businesses to operate in a conducive environment. The problem of epileptic power supply must also be addressed as this is a major hindrance to the development of SMEs. Government should create jobs and give incentives which will encourage private organisations to employ more.
