By Patrick Osagie Eholor
“The same old generation are being recycled in leadership, corporate and public sector creating little or no opportunity for qualified youths. This affects performance and productivity. Fresh brains comes with fresh ideas that will impact positive growth.”
The future of this nation visibly lies on the teeming youth population. By any progressive sense and articulation they are the leaders of tommorow and if potentials are properly harnessed brings forth a road map to sustainable development and nation building. The big question is how prepared are the youths of this nation to take up these task ahead.
Are they really groomed for leadership. Is there enabling environment to explore their potentials for growth and sustainability or are they wrongly channeled. From statistical data the youth population is over 65 percent.It is quite a force if rightly engaged.This demographic advantage and dividend are great assets for leadership and national development. Rather we have witnessed a reversal of fortune to this endowment. The leadership has failed in monumental proportion to engage the youths positively. With all the education and exposure the youths are in wild confusion of their future and placement in the scheme of affairs.
Graduates are turned out yearly but with an unemployment rate of over 45 percent the labour cannot absorb them.Getting education is becoming a liability. They are not positively engaged hence the reason for so much vices and youth restiveness. From the north to the south it’s similar narrative .The amajiri, Niger delta militants, secessionist groups etc are products of failure in leadership on youth development. The youths are susceptible and vulnerable to these negative engagements because they in dilemma of making the right choices because of their feeling and sense of abandonment. They feel betrayed by the leadership and their future hijacked or robbed.
With worsening economic situation and insecurity there is mass exodus of youths to progressive countries for greener pastures and guarantee for better future. Other countries are taking advantage of our best brains because they provide them the enabling environment to maximize their full potentials. It’s a gross loss for our nation. The sit tight attitude and culture by the leadership is not helping matters. The same old generation are being recycled in leadership, corporate and public sector creating little or no opportunity for qualified youths. This affects performance and productivity. Fresh brains comes with fresh ideas that will impact positive growth.
Older brains are good for consultation and advisory role in national development. It’s time the leadership gets it right and realize the enormous importance of engaging the youths positively in the mainstream leadership for fresh ideas.We are in the digital age and the youths are more savvy in this area to impact positively for sustainable growth and development. The era of analog is fast phasing out.We must embrace the new world order for progress. The youths are better positioned. There can’t be better time to reposition our teeming youths than now.
We must engage them rightly and create a sense of belonging to get the best out them.Frustration in the system makes the youths to be easily mobilized to cause mayhem and other negative involvements which have affected their individual and national. Without the leadership prioritizing and taking the needs of the youths seriously this demographic advantage will continue to be counter productive. The leadership and all concerned should rise to the occasion and save our youths from wasting. They are the future. One love.
Chief Patrick Osagie Eholor is the Global President of One Love Foundation.
He writes from Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria.
