Idris Ahmed, Lokoja.
The Nigerian youths right from the precolonial and early post colonial
era were the vanguards of the people, fought for independence of this country.
These youths then included, the late Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, Abubakar Tafawa balewa, Ahmadu Bello, Anthony Enahoro, Michael Okpara, Aminu Kano, and a host of others who had the vision, determination and commitments to confront and demand for the independence of Nigeria from the British colonisers.
These youths relentlessly engaged the British through dialogue , protests and constitutional conferences that eventually gave independence to the country October 1960.
The transition from the British to first indigenous government, though very tough, it took off with the Parliamentary system adopted from the British.
It was in the process of the trial and error of the new governance that cracks began to appear on the Wall of the Nigerian nation.
Sectionalism, tribalism, nepotism, manipulation of census figures and election rigging reared their ugly heads, culminating into violence in some parts of the country.
Mutual suspicion and religious discrimination also became some of the pillars of what is being witnessed today as the so called North/South dichotomy. Uneven distribution of amenities, political and civil service positions has led the lingering agitation for the restructuring of the country’s political and administrative systems.
With all these problems summed up, some young military officers overthrew the democratically elected government of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa in 1966, thereby truncating the first civilian administration of Nigeria.
With the crisis that followed the coup and counter coup, and unfortunate civil war became inevitable where millions of Nigerian youths lost their lives, being the able bodies that were innocently conscripted into violence they did not know the genesis.
After the war, the youth’s lost out in the scheme of things, like administration and the business sectors who have been taken over by those men and women of the past years the military appointed to help them rule the country .
Commissioners (Ministers) at the federal level and those at state were all elderly men and women who were kept longer than necessary in office. These untouchables in collaboration with their military masters bred corruption and nurtured it to the present position it has attainted.
The scourge reached a height that led to another coup d eta in 1975 led led by late General Murtala Mohammed a young officer, who set in motion anti corruption crusade, and to provide opportunities to for the youths to participate in governance, but cut down in an attempted coup led by Col. Bukar Suka Dimka.
During the Obasanjo administration, the youth became the target of government as students were seen as opposition. Many students were killed, while others ere either injured or rusticated due to their resistance to bad policies of the government of that era.
The youths were very patriotic in their resistance to bad governance and participated in national debate on matters that affected Nigerians. That was why some like Segun Okeowo, President of National Union of Nigeria Students, (NUNS) was nominated to the 1978 Constituent Assembly and later dropped and students body proscribed because of the radical position of the Nigerian students and Assembly sent parking with out completing their assignment. That marked the beginning of the emasculation of powers of the Nigerian youths.
The construction was later doctored and produced by Obasanjo administration had no meaningful roles for the youths in political, economic and social development of the country. Youths were also not involved in the transition to the second republic programme.
With the formation of five political parties, NPN, UPN, NPP, GNPP and PRP, the role of Youths Wing or Vanguard, who were used as political thugs. No tangible political appointment or special programme for their future, at best busses, motorcycles, bicycles and in some cases hard drugs were purchased for them when they were needed to escort the elders on campaign rallies as thugs .
With the overthrow of the second republic civilian administration, the War Against Indiscipline (WAI) of the Buhari/Idiagbon, decency almost descended on them due to marshal nature of the new government as every body was made to obey a new social order without objection. Thanks to the Ibrahim Babangida’s palace coup which retrogressed the whole people to the worst and very corruptive system that was laced with programmes that if sincerely implemented could have moved the youths and the country forward.
The Directorate of Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure (DFRRI), MAMSER created to mobilise the citizens to imbibe spirit of patriotism and nationalism as well as the new National Policy on Education (6334) are all now muddled up.They were not meant to succeed, just for some people to siphon the common wealth of Nigerians. Nothing came out of these youth oriented programmes.
Instead of guaranteeing the future of the country by implementing laudable projects that will expose the potentials of the youths,the Babangida government decided to embark on an inconclusive transition programme with the unfortunate annulment of the free, fair and most credible election in Nigeria said to have been won by late MKO Abiola.
As the country marched to the present dispensation in 1999,the hope of the youths of having opportunity was raised high as age qualifications for contesting election were lowered The youths went on celebrating, even singing “not too young to run”, but it came out to be an arrangement for “special” youths only. No Youth, no matter how talented or popular and loved by party supporters can win primary election in any of dominant parties for any position from Councillorship up Presidency. They can not afford the nomination fees pegged by the parties, unless, of course a “godfather” wants to use them for economic and political investment.
The youths in politics today are mere thugs who are being armed with dangerous weapons during election periods to subvert the will of the electorate, snatch ballot boxes, rigging of elections violently to enthrone children of the rich into political offices and they are abandoned.
Aftermath of this callous attitude of the politicians is that the use and dump youth who is already armed with dangerous weapons as his gain in participating in politics, now turn against innocent citizens as executive armed robbers, kidnappers and bandits.
Our youths are no longer interested in education and their future, their major concern now is how to make quick money through political activities legally or illegally.
However the present Buhari administration said it has created a youths policy armed at empowering them to reduce unemployment and engage them self reliance and wealth creation.
The implementation of the policy looks fraudulent as both the officials and beneficiaries are believed to be working in tandem to divert the funds so that they can corruptly enrich themselves.
Also some of the youths that are privileged to access loans for agricultural and industrial projects through the policy misuse the funds as they believe it is a free money from government. The implementors should should go beyond the disbursement of funds to beneficiaries. They should be properly mobilise and be ideologically prepared so that they can key in to the programs.
If not properly sensitised, the opponents of government have been mobilising some of beneficiaries to see to the failure of the programme, when they tell them that “the funds are their own share of national cake”. Many are in collaboration with the establishment to waste the resources meant for their development.
Instead of investing the money into profitable ventures, some bought cars, marry new wives as a way feeling “arrived” and in competition with their elders in terms of affluence.
Having come thus far, the government should redirect its programmes to cater for youths by establishing cottage polytechnics and vocational training centres where rural youths who could not advance in academic pursuit can choose and learn a career.
The 6334 system of education should be fully implemented as there a lot of benefit it.
Government is also advised to declare industrial and agricultural revolution so as to engage more youths in science, technology, industries, mass food production and industrial raw materials.
