YUG

ARE THE YOUTHS OF TODAY OUR FUTURE LEADERS? As a little boy, I heard the nursery rhyme: “Parents listen to your children. We are the Leaders of tomorrow. Try to pay our school fees and give us a sound education,” until it became hackneyed. I would often ponder on the content of the rhyme to see whether I could completely decipher the message, if there was any, embedded in it. May be the writer of the rhyme thought the young were either wiser than the old or would grow up to be wiser. Perhaps, the writer knew a sound education is the key to raising good Leaders, I would think. We might be tempted to define the word-youth-to mean a young individual, and simply leave it at that. Although, there are varying facets of definitions emanating from people across different walks of life, The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the word as: the time of life when one is young, especially the period between childhood and maturity. While, The United Nations (UN) defines ‘youth’ as persons between the ages of 15 and 24 years of age, with all UN statistics based on this range. Would you rather define the word ‘youth’ in another way if your voice could reach the ends of the world? Let us retrace our steps a bit to the title of this article, viz: “are the youths of today our future Leaders?” Who or what would you say a Leader is? A Leader is seen by most people to be one having authority to direct. It is only natural for humans to grow older as time passes by. So, it is expected of youths to take the place of older persons, especially pertaining to leadership positions in due season. Considering the vast changes in technological advancements, system of education, and lifestyle in present times; how would you presume the government or leadership roles of any sort will be handled, say, some 50 years from now? Would there be a transition process? Will youths of today make great leaders tomorrow that will be impactful in executing positive changes? Do you think the youths of today have any prospects that might assure us of a better ‘Earth’ tomorrow? Even though recent demographics put the percentage of youths in the world around 16 to 18 percent, some people might be tempted to ask whether there are reliable leaders within this population. Is there really any cause for alarm? Of course, there are numerous reasons for concern. The indifference of youths towards the economy, politics, and other affairs related to their nation, especially in African countries is seriously alarming. This is a well known fact, as the entertainment industries and other sociable matters have the full engagement of most youths across streams of various social media platforms, to the detriment of politics, education, and other issues related to the future of the youths and the progress of their country. Then, would it be safe to say the level of engagement any matter attains on social media platforms is tantamount to the level of concern the youths of that nation have for such matters? It is worthy of note that the youths or the younger generation are the most active on the internet, especially on social media platforms.  It might be easier to answer the question posed by the title of this article after going through the degree of reactions and engagement to some sociable matters vis-à-vis political matters in Africa’s most populated nation (Nigeria: 9.08200N, 8.67530E). In the ongoing edition of the reality television show, Big Brother Naija (BBN), a sex tape of two house mates, “Erica and Kidwayya,” got a total reaction of; 60,700 comments, 103,000 likes, and 70,800 shares, on social media. While The Nigerian Government’s signed contract on power generation with Siemens to boost electricity got a total of; 4 comments, 2 likes, and 6 shares, on social media. Also, during the 2019 edition of the BBN show, there were a total of 170 million votes casted (majority of the voters are suspected to be youths). While a total of 27 million votes were casted in the 2019 general elections in the country. There is an Arabic proverb that says, “what is learned in youth is carved in stone.” Most youths of this generation have been caught up in the social media wave of acquiring opulence within the shortest possible time by any means possible and flaunting it on social media. Many youths, if given the opportunity will loot public funds, in order to amass fortunes and afford the kind of luxury their folks could not acquire. It is obvious that such corrupt practices imbibed by youths, will follow them to their old age. At this point in time, do you think the youths of today will make good and reliable future Leaders? PS. All numbers or figures used in this article were the present and recorded values at the time of writing. Written by Michael Owoicho Sule Content Writer e-mail: simonmitchelles@gmail.com WhatsApp/Telegram: +2349038394592 twitter: @MichaelSule12 instagram: @simon_mitchelles LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-sule-owoicho-07ba73170

Good Reasons for Common Good Sarah, her mom, and her little brother were on their way to their pastor’s house. The previous day, a Sunday, Sarah’s family had ransacked their house for items they had no use of, from clothes to shoes, fascinators, and bags to give the disadvantaged. Her siblings had washed the washable and her little brother had arranged them neatly in a “Ghana-must-go” bag. The sky roared, a signal that it would rain as they drove to their Pastor’s house. The clouds gathered, thick gray and black like the smoke of an ill set stove, yet they were not deterred. Her mom, Mrs. Peter was a learning driver who only had experience in driving around the estate where they lived. A few days ago, the estate committee employed the services of road construction workers to refortify the roads against floods. Half a portion of the road served as a working lane for both incoming and outgoing cars. Mrs. Peter had yet to gain the confidence to face such a driving situation, so she hurriedly drove to avoid facing an oncoming vehicle. Unfortunately, she could not escape. An incoming car met her in the middle, leaving her confused and scared. As she was a learning driver, her fears intensified with the heaviness of the downpouring rain. Mrs. Peter could not reverse for there were cars lined behind her. Soon, screams, accusations, and chaos ensued, advised too were thrown at her, all the more confusing her, and causing her to freeze. Paralyzed by fear, Mrs. Peter sat in her car, not moving and blocking out all the voices. “move forward!” “Madam, move this car, space dey your front!” “Madam, just turn your hand to the right” “women cannot drive” With the situations playing out in her presence, Sarah sat quietly, devising a solution to release the tension. With no willing hands around, she knew she had to be the willing hand. In her oversized red sweater, Sarah got down from her mom’s car, her comfort zone in the burning pandora. She had no previous experience, neither had she done such a job, she simply knew there was a problem that needed solving. With a min-flood brewing and heavy rain beating discouragingly at Sarah, she worked her way through the knots of problems, working harder and appealing to each person to follow her directions. “Your mother cannot drive!”, they hauled her, and she wondered if there was any harm in her mom learning how to drive. There was simply no crime, only good reasons and she held on to that.“You this small girl, what do you know?”. Some asked her, yet no one was willing to help her or the others. A few minutes later, she succeeded, heaving a sigh of relief. Mom drove through the narrow space and the other drivers too. Sarah has bravely solved a problem despite the unfavorable circumstances. Youth Up is the Sarah of this story, it is all about not “wait for answers, only having a good reason”. Written by Deborah Oluwafisayo Faboade Content Writer

Inclusive Youths: Ingredients for Developing Countries Youths account for 1.8 billion of the 7.8 billion of the world’s population according to the United Nations Population Fund(UNPF) and Worldometer.  Further, according to the United Nations, Department of Economic and Social affairs states, 19 percent of the global youth population lives in Africa. The rapid growth of youths globally signals the rife of opportunities, innovations, ideas, inventions as well the need to carter and make adjustments to care for the youthful congregations, without stifling their ambitions and dreams. Although there is consequential positivity of the large presence of youths in the world, they face challenges and problematic knots especially in sub-Saharan Africa and Asian regions. They are plagued with unemployment, poor educational systems, poor transfer of skills as well as economic, environmental, and political stagnation. Yet, despite these noxious and horrid conditions, youths have taken up the mandate to shatter and break boundaries, their resilience, and doggedness shining through. Youths whose resilience have shone through and are making an impact across the globe include Patrick Ngowi from Tanzania who is the founder and chairman of Helvetic Group of companies, a renewable energy company: Lorna Rutto from Kenya, the founder of Ecopost that specialize in collecting and recycling the waste in plastic into aesthetic durable and environmentally friendly fencing posts; Tayo Sadique from Nigeria of AirSynQ is a starter firm that specializes in using Balloon Satellite and intelligent software for automated assessment of surveillance feeds; Tere Gonzalez from Mexico, the President of liter of light Mexico, whose purpose is to use plastic soda bottles to generate electricity; Boyan Slat an Environmentalist undertaking the largest ocean clean-up in the world; Abigail Lupi, the founder of CareGirlZ caring for the elderly and a host of others. These Youths and many more see hope and solutions despite problems and Are determined despite encounters with reasons to be discouraged, nonetheless, they persevere.  Despite the growing stream of daring youths, there is still the need to steer other youths to awareness, into what their spirits, in togetherness can create and change. There is the urgent need to fire the youths to take up important roles, however small, to birth ripples of change in the world, and to make lasting differences. Youth Up is a body that is committed to realizing the vision of providing the necessary skillsets for youths that are ready to make a change, irrespective of educational, ethical, and gender specifications. The body’s focus is premised on its founders, Faith Nwaobia and Awa k. Ndukwe words; “Humanity is to be lifted and youths are like the rising sun, hope for tomorrow’s daylight”. They have taken up the task to make youths irrespective of their financial, ethical, religious, social as well as educational background matter, to uplift them to greatness. The organization also encourages Youths to look beyond the present challenges and focus on the common good, Ubuntu, the spirit of togetherness and familyhood, promoting the belief that one’s person positively accomplished feat is like a ripple, it affects all. Written by Deborah Oluwafisayo Faboade Content Writer

Youths as the Bridge to the Future According to the United Nations report, the proportion of young people not in employment, education or training has remained stubbornly high over the past 15 years and now stands at 30% for young women and 13% for young men worldwide. In the year 2019, the Nigerian leader, President Muhammad Buhari was quoted by the Premium Times Nigeria saying, “more than 60 percent of the population is below 30, a lot of them haven’t been to school and they are claiming that Nigeria is an oil-producing country, therefore, they should sit and do nothing, and get housing, health care, education free”. His assertion was met with counterarguments especially on the incompetence of the government to provide for the so-called 60 percent of the population with basic social amenities. As a country with more than 60 percent of her population as youths, the opportunities of growth, positivity, creativity, strength, innovations, and ideas abounds yet they are plagued with stereotypic assertions of childishness, carelessness, and recklessness. Where they are taught right and provided with the right resources and basic social amenities, they help strengthen the continuation of relevant past rules as well as promote germane conventions that are appropriate for the present social issues in their communities. They build on laid down foundations, and in situations wherein the foundations are shaky, for example, in developing countries, they build the foundations. They through their connections with the present problems of their societies provide and proffer solutions to difficulties, hence driving the fore of change as well as development in their countries. They are the future, they are relevant to the present, they are resilient and intelligent to drive social reforms and social revolutions in society. But as the UN has mentioned, the numbers of youths not employed, or lacks access to proper as well as not seen the four walls of a school have remained stubbornly high. When these claims are properly investigated, it becomes clear that inadequacies, restrictive laws and policies, access to proper training instructive platforms which mostly expensive, and nepotism have at large, killed the sparks and snuffed out the vibrant energy of the youths. They are threatened and encaged in fear of the unknown instead of being taught they that they have the zeal to transform the unknown, which is shrouded in uncertainties to the known, that is molded by their creativities. Many have suggested solutions they believe can get the youths back on track. Some have suggested giving equal opportunities to all youths, while some have criticized such a solution as a romanticized idea that all youths are equally qualified to have access to equal opportunities like those in developed countries. However, Youth Up organization is a youth-oriented body that believes in equal opportunities for all by helping to strategically push boundaries through its mentorship and partnership programs, employment programs, youth advocacy campaign among others to ensure that in the spirit of togetherness, the growth, development, and freedom of countries are left in the hands of capable youths. Written by Deborah Oluwafisayo Faboade Content Writer