Commonwealth Day: NASS clerk decries obsession for wealth amongst Nigerian youths

The Clerk to the National Assembly, Mr Amos Olatunde Ojo, on Monday said that Nigeria was on daily basis fast losing her youths to the obsession of wealth and fortune which had plunged them into diabolical rituals.

Ojo who stated this in Abuja during an occasion to mark this year’s Commonwealth Day celebration declared unless an urgent step was taken to stop the ugly trend immediately the next generation of Nigerians would be doomed.

According to him, “May l ask the question: what type of future are our youths looking at when teenagers and under-aged children are incredibly involved in money rituals? What kind of future is waiting for our youths when the craze for sudden wealth has even overtaken morality and Godliness? What future awaits a generation when its youth spends long hours chatting on social media sites yet the long hours wasted online can be channelled to productive activities that can enable one to acquire quality education. For instance, through online tutorials and making good use of online research materials.”

He however pointed out that it was not too late “to drag our children and youths from the jaws of certain identified destruction.”

He urged parents, religious leaders, schools and the mass media “to all go back to the basics and courageously identify where we missed our ways into the jungle of barbarism that now violently threatens the future of the youths in our society as the government cannot do it alone.”

The Clerk said social networking had been proved to have both positive and negative effects on the youths but parents should guide and advise their children on current matters like the usage of social media and warn them of its negative impacts when misused or overused.

According to him, “it is hoped that at the end of today, many of you will come together under social platforms to promote and advocate for gender balance, creating awareness on climate change and inclusiveness.

“Nigerian education curriculum also should be reviewed so that it can include social media studies in its disciplines so as to guide students and warn them about the dangers of social media usage.

“Lastly, the journey to the 2023 general elections is gathering momentum, our youths must not allow themselves to be used as cannon folders for unscrupulous politicians.

“As l conclude my view here today l passionately urge us all to go back to our old ways of doing things; our youths must be counselled on how to fear God and love humanity,” he said.

In his remarks, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, urged youths to use the various social media platforms to learn and improve themselves in order to be responsible citizens that would contribute to nation-building.

The Speaker who was represented by the Chairman House Committee on Foreign Affairs,Hon Yusuf Buba Yakub, encouraged them to use their creative energy to positively impact the environment.

According to him, “the future belongs to artificial intelligence and you must fully equip yourselves with relevant skills in addition to your regular studies.

“As future Leaders, the future begins now and you must avail yourselves of these rare opportunities to play responsible roles in your immediate environment.

“The world is rapidly changing, bringing people closer and putting enormous pressure on the available resources. It is therefore important that we collectively build a world that is inclusive where everyone is fairly treated.

“I encourage you to become agents against bullying, Gender violence and other societal ills that promotes discrimination and obstruct inclusiveness within the school environment and the larger society”

The Speaker said that the Commonwealth Day is celebrated every year on the second Monday of March to create awareness and understanding among the young people, about the Commonwealth in general and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) in particular.

He said the CPA was founded on the ideals of democracy, good governance and human rights.

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