A UK Based writter and analyst Mr Femi has outlined the roles and expectations of the youths in Nigeria Democracy. In this write up Femi challenged the youths to equip themseleves with the happenings in their communities/environment and also be prepared to take the leadership challenges ahead of them.
What do the youths actually understand as the meaning of Democracy and their role in the society? Do an average Nigerian youth really know what is expected of him or her as far as enhancing democracy is concerned?
Almost all Nigerians want change and are fed-up with the current state of the country, with most Nigerian youths looking for jobs and not even enjoying the dividends of democracy. Gone are those days, when top-notch companies and government parastatals visits Higher institutions in search of prospective employees, even before their graduation from University. I remembered my Dad telling me how employees were cherished by their employers many years back and youths with educational background were enticed with promise of higher pay and many more incentives by numerous recruiters. However, the story is different today as our youths, even those who have attained the highest academic orientation are jobless, helpless and struggling to make ends meet.
Democracy is a form of government in which all eligible citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Democracy allows eligible citizens to participate equally either directly or through elected representatives in the proposal, development, and creation of laws. It encompasses social, economic and cultural conditions that enable the free and equal practice of political self-determination.
The Nigerian youths have the largest stake and responsibility in ensuring that democracy is upheld, maintained and respected by all irrespective of status, as its through their generations that its effectiveness shall be gauged.
Is a shame that the political class, most especially those we have voted for or those imposed on us theatrically have taken advantage of the ignorance of the citizens by re-defining the actual meaning of democracy to suit their own ambitions with no due respect to constitution. I guess, they are following the satirical novella called Animal Farm (1945), which coined the term, “ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS
It is very sad to see youths being used as political machinery by politicians to achieve their self centered interests and goals irrespective of the consequences of such act.
NIGERIAN youths have allowed themselves to be the objects of manipulation and ridicule from very few individuals whom WE have given all our RIGHTS and now run our lives according to their selfish interest and political ambition.
I have always been told that ‘Youths are the leaders of tomorrow’ since my elementary school days. However, the leaders are not allowing the Nigerian youths to be instrumental in the development of the country. Some youths are only called upon towards election time to act as political thugs, only to be discarded after election. There are no structural strategies for the development of Nigeria youths nor proper accountability of all the financial aids accepted by Africa's largest producer of oil and the sixth largest oil producing in the World.
U.K Aid to Nigeria
Despite the crude oil and other resources, is very sad that Nigeria is still being spoon-fed by other countries via provision of financial aid. In 2010, the UK’s bilateral aid to Nigeria to support work ranging from malaria prevention, to girls' education was raised from £120 to £140 million per annum. Furthermore, the U.K Government has proposed to send £305m in aid to Nigeria in 2015/2015
http:// www.fco.gov.uk/en/ about-us/what-we-do/working-in-partnershi p/ working-with-stakeholder-groups/ 086-diaspora-groups/ Nigerian-diaspora/ britain-nigeria
http:// uk.news.yahoo.com/ uk-to-end-aid-package -to-india--which-nat ions-receive-most-ca sh-from-britain-0911 2012.html
Are our leaders really tackling issues relating to the provision of all these funds? It is very shameful that a country which has been classified as the Africa's largest producer of oil has been brought down to her knees by our so-called leaders and can not function without borrowing money and getting foreign aids package from foreign countries.
U.S Aid to Nigeria
According to Forbes, a whopping $647.7 million has been allocated for Nigeria and only God knows what our leaders are doing with such whopping sum of money or what we are paying back for accepting such aid from the U.S government. http:// www.forbes.com/sites/brianwingfield/2011/ 01/29/ making-sense-of-u-s-f oreign-aid-to-egypt- and-elsewhere/
A summary and proposed financial aid to Nigeria can be viewed via the U.S Foreign website http:// foreignassistance.gov / OU.aspx?OUID=175&FY=2 013&AgencyID=0&budTab=tab_Bud_Planned
Below is the link depicting the proposed 2013 budgetary allocation for the Federal Ministry of Youth and Social Development. http://www.budgetoffice.gov. ng/ 2013-budget_details/ 3.%20Summary_Youth%20Devt.pdf
If our leaders can not orientate us to be good leaders in the future, it is high time we orientate ourselves.
Reach out to the youths around you and speak words of encouragement to them. Nigerian youths should be able to enjoy the dividends of democracy and the resources of the country. We should not only to be reading or hearing about budgetary allocation but the Nigerian youths should be feeling the impact of development, creation of more jobs, innovative workshops, award of scholarships, supporting entrepreneurship, accountability of funds and allowing youths to be involved in the development of the country instead of being used as political machineries.
A country that does not nurture young leadership is as good as cutting an Iroko tree using a razor blade.
Femi Kuforiji
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