By Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN
THE CHALLENGES OF YOUTHS IN NIGERIA
It is important to first understand the challenges facing young people in Nigeria before the proper steps towards leveraging them for National Growth and Development. A cursory jet-tour through some of the key challenges reveals the following: poor quality of education, unemployment and underemployment, poverty and economic hardship, limited access to capital and opportunities, systemic political exclusion and marginalization, criminality, insecurity and violence, corruption and weak institutions, abuse of drugs and social vices, digital illiteracy and cybercrime, brain drain and dearth of talent, mental health challenges, erosion of values and social support systems, lack of inspiring leadership and mentorship, victims of the broken home syndrome, the list continues.
NATIONAL YOUTH SERVICE CORPS: THE VISION AND ITS CHALLENGES
Justice would not have been seen to be done to the topic of the challenges of youths in Nigeria without a word on the regime of the National Youth Service Corps (the Service Corps). The Service Corps was established in 1973 by General Yakubu Gowon via Decree No. 24, post-Civil War, in order to foster national unity, reconciliation, and integration by mobilizing graduates for a one-year service in different parts of the country, promoting cultural understanding, and contributing to community development in education, health, and infrastructure. It aims to build common ties, break down ethnic barriers, and create a stronger, self-reliant nation through shared experiences and national service. The vision of the scheme is embodied in its objectives. Section 1(3)(a)-(g) of the law provides for these objectives, thus:
1(3): The objectives of the service corps shall be:
(a) to inculcate discipline in Nigerian youths by instilling in them a tradition of industry at work, and, of patriotic and loyal service to Nigeria in any situation they may find themselves;
(b) raise the moral tone of the Nigerian youths by giving them the opportunity to learn about higher ideals of national achievement, social and cultural improvement;
(c) develop in the Nigerian youths the attitudes of mind, acquired through shared experience and suitable training, which will make them more amenable to mobilization in the national interest;
(d) enable Nigerian youths acquire the spirit of self-reliance by encouraging them to develop skills for self-employment;
(e) contribute to the accelerated growth of the national economy;
(f) develop common ties among the Nigerian youths and promote national unity and integration;
(g) remove prejudices, eliminate ignorance and confirm at first hand the many similarities among Nigerians of all ethnic groups; and develop a sense of corporate existence and common destiny of the people of Nigeria.
The Service Corps was a deft move by the then military government to stem the tide of post-Civil War national trauma. It was believed that the scheme would foster strong ties among the youth as they will be posted outside their region to another region. Genuine integration was needed if Nigeria will remain one and the youth (graduates) were the tools that can make it happen. The scheme actually worked at that time, there were inter-marriages then. Everlasting friendship was formed, gradually hope and trust returned to Nigeria.
THE CHALLENGES OF THE NYSC
However, due to the rising tide of insecurity all over the nation (but more seriously in the Northern part of the Country which is being ravaged by terrorism (Boko Haram), insurgency, banditry, kidnappings, etc., there is now an atmosphere of foreboding apprehension. Parents and guardians are reluctant to approve the deployment of their graduate children and wards to zones that are prone to likely attacks. The result being that the lofty vision of the Service Corps is fast being eroded. In recent times, breaking news after breaking news have continued to go viral about the spate of kidnappings of Service Corps members on national assignment for ransom. Terrorism has claimed scores of lives of Service Corps members. Thus, insecurity has become the greatest nightmare facing the Scheme. The FG, through the scheme, has resorted to redeploying members to other States considered to be safe. Other challenges to the vision/objectives of the scheme include: propensity to stifle freedom of expression (recently, some corps members have been denied Discharge Certificates because they bared their minds about issues of national significance which the government was not comfortable with); poverty (many are unable to cope due to poor remuneration); abuse and slave labour, etc.
CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE YOUTH
The global vision (and indeed that of the celebrant, Pastor Adeboye) for youth empowerment must now be enlarged if we are to achieve proper leveraging of the youth by creating structured developments to consolidate on the existing gains. The early churches deployed biblical examples to create professionals and industries to develop Europe and America and other zones where the gospel took root early.
PROFESSIONALS IN THE BIBLE
(i) Architecture, Painting, Furniture, Sculpting:
