Every morning, the world wakes up to a new day. Nations arise anew with a vigour to better one another in the race for development. Strategies are mapped, plans are laid out, seeking to attain an utopian society where citizens are well cared for, the economy blossoms, the society develops and the future is secured. This has been the norm from time immemorial, and the dichotomy of first and third-world countries is a reminder of this germane fact of life. The first question I therefore seek an answer to is, why do we keep deceiving ourselves rather than roll up our sleeves, knuckle down and put in the shift needed to turn our narrative around?
I dream of a country where things work! As vague as this might sound, I am quite certain most Nigerians can relate. The health system, education system, transport, and justice systems to mention a few just simply aren’t working…as they ought to! How then can we get our nation working? How can we translate the enourmous human and natural resources into wealth for everyone? How can we secure the future for generations yet to be born? How do we ensure Nigeria isn’t left behind in the dark by “faster”, “smarter” nations in the race of development? How do we fulfill the vast potential God has blessed this country with?
These questions leave me afraid and trembling when I look at my daughter and I try to envision what life would be for her in the next 20-25 years if we continue on this path as a nation. Truth be told, I fear for every child known to me when I consider how hopeless one can feel, just for the mare reason that he/she is born into this part of the world.
The answer to this I believe lies in tapping into the wealth of the most dynamic demography in the country- the youths. The United Nations defines the age range of youths as being between 15-24 years. In Nigeria, this demography makes up 19.61% of the population with about 19.1 million males, and 18.3 million females. For ease of delineation, this particular bracket is used, although it is the belief of this writer that Nigerians within the age range of 25-32 years can also easily be grouped with this class. Thus, hypothetically speaking, we can safely conclude that the most dynamic demography in Nigeria has got about 50 million strong members. How best can the latent potentials of this huge group be channeled to build a better future?
Firstly, whether some people like it or not, these ones will someday take the reins of leadership in the country. At this point, they will be competing against other leaders from around the world, many of whom their nations have invested so much in their development. Half-baked leaders will further weaken the country due to their inability to match the intellect and cognition of leaders from other countries. What this will ultimately translate to is that Nigeria will be left farther behind the race for development. Before going any further, I find it appropriate to paint a picture of where our beloved nation Nigeria presently stands.
With all the sincerity I can muster, our country is not doing well in terms of the race set before us. Now we can deceive ourselves all we want, but the truth remains that we are in a race! A race with other nations, many of whom have head starts dating several decades, and some even centuries. This however ought not to deter us from mustering our strength and putting in the effort needed to continually improve our lot on the race track. Given our current position, however, I believe some drastic approaches are needed to jump-start our challenge.
The nation, especially this present crop of leaders I will say have severely disenfranchised the youths, so much so that whatever “gains” they might think is being made is inconsequential to the gains that could be made if the energy of this vibrant group is properly harnessed. To this end, I challenge the leadership class to ensure more is committed to youth development, whilst urging the youths to ensure they channel their energy and creativity to worthwhile pursuits.
Now, I know this is not an investment that will bear fruit in 6-12 months, however, the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best time to it is now! We know the challenges youths are faced with, we are well aware of the tendencies they tend to exhibit, but do we also take equal cognizance of their strengths? Mark Zuckerberg established Facebook, Steve Jobs established Apple, Julian Naggelsmann is Manager of Hoffenheim, S. Kurz is Austria’s Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon was less than 30 when he became Nigeria’s Head of State, many others who called the shots back then were also in their youthful years. I look around me and I find thousands of youths with unique gifts and abilities that will not only benefit themselves and their families, but will benefit the nation at large. All that is required is a platform that will help hone their God-given abilities, and set them up for greatness.
I have evaluated the African space and it is ripe for the taking! Rather than position ourselves, we let the opportunities slip whilst other nations foreign to the continent make steady progress. What if we could recalibrate and set our country up for greater prosperity, and by extension the continent as well? In all honesty, I do not expect the older generation to be the ones moving out to expand the socio-economic frontiers of this country. Not that they do not have the intellectual capability to this, but because it will be better handled by the youths if properly trained/mentored to.
The first port of call that needs reform is the education sector. The curricular of this sector is so stale, you will probably be able to use notes from 1976 to answer questions in 2020! Not that this is entirely bad, as some things will remain unchanged, but truth be told, between then and now, many things have changed! The frontiers of knowledge have greatly expanded, technology has evolved, and the challenges we face are quite different! Now we talk about HIV/AIDS, terrorism, and climate change to mention a few. Truth is, back in 1976, these issues were not in the front burner of global discourse! Now, I can authoritatively state that these three are the main thrust of global discourse. However, we still rely largely on the outdated curriculum to prepare youths for modern challenges!
The education system needs to be overhauled from primary right through tertiary! Serious investments need to be made in this sector as it stands most critical to the development of the youths. Drastic changes to be made to appropriately train/mentor youths in preparation for modern challenges. When employers complain about the employability of Nigerian graduates, it is a damning assessment of the education system, and by extension, the curriculum that supports this system. Now is the time to recalibrate the system for greater effectiveness and efficiency. The contents, as well as teaching methods, ought to be overhauled in favour of up-to-date global best practice.
At primary and junior secondary level, unnecessary competition should be removed. This I believe will better the schooling experience because it would expunge unnecessary importance placed on examinations. Examinations are not an end, rather, they are a means to an end, and in this case, the emphasis placed on them detracts from the good they are meant to bring. Also, it should be noted that there are several ways to evaluate the progress of a student, and examinations are not necessarily the only/best way. Thus, my submission is that examinations as they currently are conducted should be restructured in such a way that will help/encourage students to learn.
The Senior Secondary and Tertiary institutions are also in need of revamp. In this wise, they can be modelled to better complement each other. In addition to this, it is my opinion that clearly delineating the various jurisdiction of the Tertiary institutions will help strengthen them. At present, we have Universities, Universities of Education, Colleges of Education, Polytechnics, Univeristies of Agriculture, and Universities of Technology. Ensuring one does not usurp the responsibilities of others will ultimately lead to the development/enhancement of specialist skills. This will only bode well for the system as a whole. For instance, if Polytechnics are encouraged to operate strictly within the confines of their specialization whilst preventing Universities and other institutions to usurp their ToR, specialist skills will be developed by them. Also, the issue of discrimination of certificates will drastically reduce due to the fact that they will be the repository of skills/talents that are unique and important to the socio-economic development of the country.
Another sector critical to youth development is the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). If it were up to me, I would merge these two and ensure the NYSC takes over the operational aspects of the ITF, whilst the ITF becomes saddled with funding the NYSC. A further make over will see me rechristen NYSC into NNSS (Nigerian National Service Scheme). This to reflect the wider range of responsibilities saddled on the organisation. Firstly, I believe the NNSS will provide Nigerian youths with two primary ingredients critical to their development;
Furthermore, the NNSS could be restructured to provide for 2 years of service to motherland, whilst serving as a pool for recruitment into the public service. This I believe will be of great benefit to our security agencies as the NNSS will come with an appreciably high level of background checks from the Tertiary institutions through to the camps, as is currently run by the NYSC. Another agency that could be of use to youth development is the Technical Aid Corps. This can be remodeled to ensure youths are drawn from the NNSS, especially those that have excelled and distinguished themselves during the national service period. This also provides youths with another level of work and leadership experience.
The youths stand as the bridge between the present and the future as they presently constitute the strength of the nation, whilst in the future, will occupy leadership and parental positions. At present, their creativity, resourcefulness, and strength should be properly harnessed. In the future, the mentoring they have received will stand them in good stead to not just be good leaders, but good parents as well. Parents who will pass on the torch and raise the next generation of youths in preparation for leadership and entrepreneurship. This can only be achieved when the right investment is made in them.
The youths hold so much potential in terms of their strength and creativity. It is however pertinent to note at this juncture, that the world now largely deals in ideas. Ideas are the most precious commodity in the world today, and the most creative demography for the generation of these are the youths! It therefore holds true that properly trained/mentored youths will generate more viable ideas that will ultimately benefit the country. It also holds true, that well-parented youths will imbibe the lessons and pass on to their children. It would have been great if we started 30 years ago, but the second-best time to start is now
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