Last Tuesday was International Youth Day. The 12th of August every year is a special day to draw attention to issues concerning youths worldwide, but I want to focus on Nigeria. The Nigerian youth faces clear and present dangers. Some of these dangers are societal while others are self-inflicted.
Let us start from the society, which must necessarily start from the home. Parenting is a set of deliberate actions parents/guardians take to bring up children who will be useful to themselves, pride to their families and assets to the society.
What kind of youths are families sending to the larger society? Some parents do not even understand what parenting is all about. And that is one of our major problems today. Some parents do not have the requisite skills for parenting. They are no good role models to copy. Parenting needs time, knowledge and dedication. Reasonable financial resources are also important. That is why people must give birth to the number of children they can adequately take care of.
Many animals are dedicated parents and only leave the their offspring after they have raised them and taught them how to survive on their own. Yet human beings who are higher beings are failing in this area. No one chooses his/her parents, so you can’t blame youths for the kind of parents they have. All youths, like the rest of us, are a combination of nature and nurture.
Nature are “inherited traits and predispositions we are born with,” while nurture refers to “environmental factors on our development.” Nurture starts from the home but stretches beyond the home front to the school you attend(ed), the people you interact with and other environmental factors.
Who is a youth, by the way? The definition of a youth varies, but the Nigerian new youth policy defines a youth as someone between 18 years to 29 years. This is a very critical period because some of those who went to secondary school would have graduated. Within this period, you make the critical decision of either learning a trade or proceeding to a higher institution.
If it’s a trade, what and who guides you in your decision? Before you proceed to a higher institution, you also have to decide what you want to study. These decisions are very critical critical because they should based on your natural gifts and passion, not what is available or trending. Every youth needs to go on a journey of self-discovery, but where are people to guide them? This will help them to have clarity about their their natural gifts and talents. These will also help them to find their purpose in life. No one is an accident. God created every person for a purpose.
Life is a matter of choices. The choices you make can make or mar you. If you were born into a dysfunctional home, for instance, it is possible to choose to walk a different path. That is why some youths whose fathers were drunks and wife-abusers loathed their fathers for those vices and chose to walk a different path.
That is also why youths raised in very functional homes end up being deviants. Year 18 upwards is majority, that is, you are an adult and responsible for your actions. If you walk on a road and find out that you are on a wrong road, retrace your steps. A wrong road cannot lead you to your destination. You might find out the destination is different and even “better,” as Christopher Columbus did, but that’s still not the destination you intended.
I met a couple of undergraduates teenagers recently. They have made millions from online trading. What fascinated me is their ability to juggle studies and trading and the amount of money and time they spend on training and personal development. They have no cars and other flashy stuff beyond the fact that they look well dressed and well kept. But their laptops and phones are worth millions because those are the tools they use in making money. It is the same tools their age mates use in committing internet fraud and other internet-related crimes. What’s the difference? Partly, the choices they made.
The youth unemployment rate in Nigeria is crazy. It ranges from 30 per cent to 55 per cent. Every Nigerian youth should be aware of this unacceptable figure. Notwithstanding whatever efforts the various governments are making to redress the situation, put your future in your own hands as these two undergraduate “millionaires” I highlighted above did.
There is a huge difference between “my own” and “our own.” There are others in higher institutions who are already making money. One told his parents to keep their money that he would pay his way through school from third year. Some sell clothes, cosmetics, and other accessories. Some do haircuts, catering services, laundry, even transportation to earn extra income. They are already honing their entrepreneurial skills.
Which brings me to the next fundamental decision you must make as a youth. Through, your journey of self-discovery, you will know whether you are suited for entrepreneurship or paid employment. This knowledge will substantially define your financial future. You better get it right. If it’s entrepreneurship, you can work in a company in a sector you want to delve into and get valuable experience before going on your own.
If it is paid employment, start anywhere that is available to get the almighty “experience” employers always ask for during interviews, but end up in an organisation where you are not only regularly or/and reasonably paid, but you are part of the compulsory pension scheme and there is gratuity after you retire. That way, you can retire into relative comfort.
If they offer mortgage to enable you to acquire your own property, that is icing on the cake. Japa out of conviction, not herd mentality, is also an option. But ensure you take the right decision so that your wrong choice does not haunt you until you die or your children/family are able to rescue you.
I have said it before and I will repeat it. The curricula of our higher institutions need urgent review. We can’t continue to produce graduates who are either not suitable for employment or are unemployable. Let’s produce graduates who can fit into the current labour market or stand on their own.
We graduated in the late 80s to meet unemployment. We pounded the streets of Lagos looking for jobs before we got one. I have school mates who graduated in 1988, but never got jobs. They were still scrapping as at the time I lost contact with them.
Every youth must be deliberate in planning his future in spite of the environment. At the end of the day, where problems and challenges abound, opportunities are also abound because solutions are needed to solve these problems and challenges.
That’s what I tell my children. Two young Nigerian engineers, Maxwell Maduka, 23 years and Nathan Nwachukwu, 22, are building autonomous security systems powered by artificial intelligence and drones in Abuja. What is the motivation? To help Nigeria combat its security challenges. They were featured on CNN recently. There are other youths who are providing solutions and smiling to the bank. Quit your lamentations, package yourself and unleach your enormous youthful energy to make a positive impact.