Role of Empowered Youth in Nigeria Socio-economic Growth -By Yemisi Olawale Isaac

Nigerian Youths

INTRODUCTION

Discourse about Nigerian Youths, matters that affect their lives and Nigeria socio-economic growth remains topical, timely, and auspicious. Nigeria today is faced presently with back-breaking and unprecedented challenges in the sphere of socio-economic growth. Likewise, no other time is the issue of youth, empowerment, and their relevance more apt than this present time where the youths are faced with so many back-breaking and unprecedented challenges. Not only are the youth legitimately future leaders, they are potential and actually the greatest investment for a country development. The behavior and attitudes of the youth in matters of growth of their country goes a long way in determining the status of the country. They serve as a channel through which the socio-economic growth of a country can be achieved, progressed and sustained.

Accordingly, it is necessary to examine the concept of youth. A popular biblical says “the glory of the youth is their strength” [Proverb 20:29 KJV]. This implies that their energy, vigor, inventiveness, character, and orientation are the necessary prerequisite for driving the pace of growth. It should be noted that differences exist in perception of the term “youth” by governments, international organizations, and the public. However, the term “youth” generally implies a period of life between childhood and adulthood. The essay will adopt the perspective of Nigeria’s National Youth Development [2001], which sees the youth as comprising all young persons of ages 18-35 who are citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Taking into due consideration at this point, it is necessary to examine the concept of empowerment and an empowered youth. After a thorough research I made a satisfactory clarification of this inter-related concept. The concept of empowerment used in this text is defined as the process which increases the possibilities of young individuals to decide and act consistently on everything affecting their lives and to participate in the decision-making and to intervene jointly and responsibly in the issues related to the communities they are part of. (Soler et al., 2017). In other words, empowerment as it will be used here will means a process that increases the opportunities to decide and act consistently on everything that affects an individual’s life, and to intervene in a shared and responsible way in the issues affecting the community to which they belongs”

Accordingly, an empowered youth has been succinctly put by Bauman. He defined an empowered youth as the one who is “able to choose and act according to the choices made; that, in turn, implies the ability to influence the range of alternative actions available, as well as the social scenarios in which those options are chosen and become true” (Bauman, 2010, p.270). Certainly, an empowered youth should posses the ability to decide and the ability to act towards achieving the aims of empowerment. These individual ability and character is thus transformed towards the growth and development of their community after he /she has acquired the necessary requirements and has develop a set of personal capacities such as knowledge, attitudes, and skills with an enabling environment that support and facilitate the effective exercise of those skills. This essay contends that empowered youth in any community or nation especially a developing country like Nigeria are the major driving force towards securing a socio-economic growth.

THE STATE OF NIGERIA YOUTH TODAY

Nigerian youths constitute the most active segment of the entire population of over 140 million people (2006 census figure). Youths are the foundation of any society. Through their creative talents and labour power, a nation makes giant strides in socio-economic growth. It is worthy of note that when the youth strength, energy, innovativeness, character and orientation are properly harnessed, a developing state like Nigeria can find motivation, vitality, purpose and a future. Certainly, the development of a society lies on how productive and creative the youthful populations are. The actions and inaction of the youth goes a long way in developing or destroying the hegemonies and fabrics of the society. Undoubtedly and progressively, some particular sector in Nigeria namely Nigeria fashion, movies, music and creative arts of bead making, where Nigeria have been penetrating the global market has been through the effort of the youth. Thus making partnership with Youth [Nigerian] was summarized by The United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon as he made no mistake when he declared:

“to unleash the power of young people, we need to partner with them because they have unprecedented potential to advance the wellbeing of the entire human family.” [Oluwasegun: 2013]

Today, Nigeria youth are faced with issue of unemployment. Without any fear of contradiction, one can say the high rate of unemployment and underemployment among the youth in Nigeria has hindered their participation in the economic and social sectors of nation building. Nigeria has about 180million population and about 70 to 80% of this population is made up of youth [working force] and more than 80% are unemployed. The estimated 10-20% percent in employment are burdened and depressed with near total dependence of their relatives and family members. Currently, as at the third quarter of 2017, youth unemployment rate has increased t0 33.10 percent from 29.10 percent in the second half of 2017. [Yahaya: 2006]

Indeed, the alarming and seemingly uncontrollable high rate of unemployment among youth is worsened by the high rate of poverty. According to USAID, 70% of Nigerians lives on less than $1 per day and the average life expectancy are only 47years [Yahaya: 2006]. An unemployed youth lives a life of penury and deprivation since he/she has no means of sustaining him/herself. It will be right to assert that the unemployed youth are prone to become agents of social destabilization, disunity, socio-economic sabotage and become problematic for development to thrive. Nigeria youths roam on the streets of hope daily in search of better opportunities; they ride on the unrealistic hope of dream jobs which has been withheld by egoistic and elite individuals. Unemployed youth are smugglers, drug dealers, oil mafias, political thugs without contributing any quota to the society rather causing it socio-economic backwardness. The effect on Nigeria today is one branded by tags of pity, dying democracy and disrespect for the rule of law as well as unrealistic socio-economic growth.

OVERVIEW OF YOUTH EMPOWERMENT SCHEMES IN NIGERIA

Youth empowerment is an attitudinal and structural process whereby young people gain the ability and authority to make decisions and implement change in their own lives and the lives of other people. Youth empowerment is often addressed as a gateway to inter-generational equity, civil engagement and democracy building (Wikipedia, 2013). In his witty submissions on policy and execution, Tunde Lemo, the Deputy Governor (Operations), Central Bank of Nigeria, said;

The economic benefits of youth participation in development process are varied. Youth empowerment has multiplier effects on the national economy, including boosting productivity, wealth creation, consumption and tax revenue. The rate of development of a country depends largely on how productive and creative the youths are…the nation cannot achieve development when they are mostly idle and unproductive. [Tunde: 2013]

Historically, a careful study of empowerment in Nigeria reveals that the program has taken several phases over the years. Also there is a lot of advertisement on youth empowerment in Nigeria today, but the number of youths being empowered and those involved in the empowerment scheme leave much in mind to discuss when the socio-economic growth is compared. Overtime, the Nigeria Federal government has put in several measures towards empowering youth. Over the years, empowerment programmes such as the: The National Youth Service Corps Scheme (NYSC), the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) and the National Poverty Alleviation Programme (NAPEP), Subsidy Reinforcement and Empowerment Programme (SURE), N-power which was designed to provide 10,000 jobs for youths in each of the state of the federation, Youth Empowerment Programmes (YEP), Youth Empowerment Services or Schemes or Solutions (YES) are aimed at providing an enabling platform for youth to acquire skills, access credit facilities or create opportunities for job placement, employment counseling and enhance community development, National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) consisting of Youth Empowerment Scheme.

Taking a clue from several parameters set by the Nigeria government, entrepreneurship programme in no small way are designed to promote youth empowerment. It is easily deductible that entrepreneurship programmes create opportunities that empower the youth. Youth empowerment pragmatically means, the youths being able to eat when they are hungry, being able to meet their basic needs, have a shelter over their heads, ability to speak out in things of concern to them in the society, not being deprived in any ramification in life and ability to cater for their health needs whenever necessary. Such programme over the years includes National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS), Small Scale Industries and Graduate Employment Programme (SSI/GEP), Agricultural Sector Employment Programme (ASEP), Micro Finance Banks (MFB) etc.

The potential benefits of a comprehensive national youth empowerment policy are manifold and be summarized thus. The benefits associated with the formulation of a youth empowerment policy first of all serve as a symbol of society’s commitment to its young citizens; it is the communication of a common vision for its young generation and identifies its needs and priorities. As a framework for common goals and collective action it provides a basis for equitable and concerted distribution of government resources to meet the needs of youth. Furthermore, a national youth policy gives a valuable example of how young people can engage in decision-making processes in their country through their active participation in the development and implementation of youth policies. Living together peacefully; interacting and sharing in the same national issue is something that the youths can do effectively when empowered. Indeed, massive and conscious empowerment of youths would automatically discourage them from violence-related activities

DRIVING NIGERIA’S SOCIO-ECONOMIC GROWTH THROUGH AN EMPOWERED YOUTH DRIVE

It is axiomatic to posit that there is a linkage between youth and socio-economic growth. This inter-course is not only symbiotically connected; but, one depends on the other for the sustainability of humanity and society. Therefore, the role of youth towards securing, sustaining and promoting the socio-economic growth cannot be over emphasized. The wheel of socio-economic growth lays on the shoulder of how productive and creative the youthful population which justifies the diction ‘Drive’. The youth in this case are the engine of socio-economic growth because they provide the required labour to sustain productivity in goods and services. As stated in the 2006 census, the youthful population constitute over 70% of the population, therefore, this quantum of population is a great asset for the Nigerian state if they are properly harnessed and utilized.

Nigeria socio-economic growth for decades has been in a precarious state. The Nigerian economy recently has been in a state of recession. However, it is a known fact across the globe that for a country to attain growth and development, the socio-economic structure of the state has to be properly driven by the right forces. The right force for long term growth has been described biblically; “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Prov. 22:6, King James Version). In the history of Nigeria economy, there has always been a call for the diversification of the economy. It is worthy to note that diversification does not occur in a vacuum, it need a productivity force in every social and economic sector. To achieve this growth, the importance of empowered youth cannot be disputed. The youth are in fact the force required for a paradigm shift in her socio-economic growth. However, in what can the Nigeria youth transform their empowerment strength as a drive for the socio-economic growth?

Human Capital Development

In terms of human capital development, the potential contribution of youth cannot be over emphasized. The Nigerian empowered youth serve as a source of labor input and human capital if they are effectively and efficiently injected into the economy of the state. It can be assured that nothing but a sustainable growth will be the outcome. The contributions of empowered youth in another perspective fasten productivity as the youth remains a reliable source for demand and supply in the economy. Their participation in this category goes a long way to create a new class of entrepreneurs that facilitate the kind of growth the society wished for. In terms of the benefit of Nigeria from a demographic dividend, the empowered youth will become a sustaining workforce for the children and elderly population as the growing children will be mentored with the spirit of growth and development. This will result in lower dependency burden thereby freeing up human and material resources needed for growth and development. For an empowered youth to be the required potential to sustain the human capital of a state, the youth need to develop an acute appetite for learning, knowledge, accurate and comprehensive information, relevant facts and skills which will serve as a true foundation for socio-economic growth

Nation building and Socio-economic Growth

Nation-building is associated with national integration, national consciousness, national unity, construction and modification of socio-political and economic structures so as to move with the times (Gotep, 2000). In other word, nation building is a whole complex process of building socio-economic as well as political structures providing a dynamic and flexible environment where there is independent sustenance of growth. The federal governments in no small measure facilitate the integration of its citizens who are naturally diverse in terms of culture, religion, language, economy, education and politics so as to form a united and stable society. As a vibrant group, the empowered youths can easily be mobilized positively. They can form formidable drive to effect a desirable growth in all ramifications. An empowered youth harness all his energy, determination and enlightened position to disseminate information and create socio-economic mechanism for growth such as the National Youth Serving Corp member through his personal and community development service and active involvement in sustainable development goals. With the empowered youth, who are independent, one can certainly assert that the needed drive for socio-economic growth and nation balding can be facilitated.

Conflict Resolution and Peace building

Conflict resolution and peace building are issues which have become very topical in debates and discussions in Nigeria. This is not only because Nigeria is characterized by many conflicts, but much more so due to the realization that in most cases the conflicts has negative impacts on Nigeria socio-economic growth. As the most populous segment of the population, youth are major determiners of peace and security. Conflicts become protracted when youth engage in high degree of disorderliness and also become a source of conflict resolution through their understanding that peace is only the precursor for growth and development.

Empowered youth play an important role in the sphere of conflict resolution and peace building. The youth can contribute in no small measure when their orientation is guided by peace and tolerance which are the prime value of socio-economic growth and development. The national youth service corps empowerment programme where the youth are to participate in community development service after been divided into various groups helps in post war conflict reconstruction, reconciliation and rehabilitation. Empowered youth fosters conflict resolution and peace building. The serve as a contributor to the building of post-conflict civil societies and otherwise facilitating national integration

Economy Diversification

A review of the Federal Government revenue profile in the last half-decade showed that oil earnings accounted for over 80.0 per cent of the foreign exchange earnings, while the non-oil sector, despite its improved performance, contributed 20.1 per cent (CBN, 2010). This reveals the extent of the vulnerability of the Nigeria economy to swings in the price of oil in the international market. Overtime, there has been a clarion call for Nigeria to embark on a diversified economy as a nation with an endowed human and material resource. In the course of my research, I was not able to access the official statistics data that capture the size and dimension of Nigeria economy, meanwhile one thing is certain, Nigeria economy is more than oil. The oil sector cannot accommodate millions of it citizens. Diversification is important and paramount for a country like Nigeria who possesses the resources. Sectors such as the Agricultural, manufacturing and industrial sectors should be more funded and equipped with human resources such as empowering the youth in this sector as well as sustaining them to ensure good outputs. Empowered youth role in Economic diversification is vital for sustainable long-term economic growth

SUSTAINING AN EMPOWERED YOUTH IN NATIONAL SOCIO-ECONOMIC GROWTH

It is imperative to note that empowered youths have taken charge of every aspect of productivity and livelihood. Pragmatically there is no aspect of nature, physical or anthropological, material or human, complex diversity or undefined homogeneity, regional or international, academic or sport or any sector that Nigeria youth will not be practically involved. As an empowered youth will provide the necessary drive for the socio-economic growth, simultaneously, the empowered youth have to be sustained to yield the fruit of efficiency and productivity. The crux of the sub-topic is to examine how the Nigeria federal government and other concerned parastatal can help sustain the empowered youth.

Upgrading of basic infrastructures

These are urgent need to upgrade the basic infrastructures to a functional level so as to sustain an empowered youth in their quest of driving the socio-economic growth. Availability of socio-economic infrastructure like electricity, reliable communication, access roads and housing especially in the rural areas can stimulate economic activities that would enhance the productivity of the empowered youth and increase their contribution to national development

Increase in Entrepreneurship and Vocational Training

Increased vocational training is needed to empower and sustain the youth and extricate them out of unemployment and poverty. Deliberate effort must be made by all stakeholders to promote youth vocational training and skills acquisition in all facet of workmanship. To this end, more technical schools need to be established and technological institutions established in all states to absorb the youth that will graduate from these technical schools. The national directorate of employment (NDE) must be empowered to increase its capacity in providing vocational skills to unemployed youth as well as equipping the empowered with 21 century technology and technicalities for a reasonable market competition.

Good Governance and political sustainability

To put an empowered youth to work, the solution so much lies in a reinvention of the nature and purpose of government by the political and bureaucratic leadership. Once upon a time in this country, Nigerians were a busy people; jobs were available, unemployment was low. In places like Ibadan, Lagos, Onitsha, Kaduna, Enugu, Port Harcourt, there were industrial complexes where factories produced goods for both local consumption and export; and an army of workers – skilled and non-skilled queued up to work and earn a living. Today, the story has changed, all the industries, commercial cities and export orientation has been disorganized as the political environment and leadership has been a major factor causing hindrances in Nigeria. The political destination of a country rests on the shoulders of her youth. Prosperous nations are judged by their socio-economic and political power. Political empowerment therefore implies inclusion in the democratic process. Within the context of an empowered youth, it refers to youth participation in the political process through transfer of capabilities and positions to them and lending their voices to governmental actions. The effects are that; citizen and government relationship is strengthened; information becomes easily accessed and state accountability and responsiveness improves tremendously as youth drive the political and economic growth of the state. Thus, the government must ensure greater participation of the youth in the political process.
Moral-orientation

The empowered youth in Nigeria need moral rejuvenation. The moral decadence in the society where the ethos of fairness, impeccable character, hard work and other standards of good behavior have been jettisoned for greed, god fatherism and loose morals is deplorable. Once upon a time in this country, Honesty is the best policy but today fraud is the order of the day. Youth today see no reason to be hardwork since the society is now biased. The country must do everything possible to help the youth in this regard. Moral reorientation of the youth is needed to reduce the mentality of get-rich quick by any means possible, which lures many of them into crime and other deviant behaviors. The ostentatious life style of the elite who display ill-gotten wealth is eroding the philosophy of hard-work and patience in the youth of today. There is therefore, the need for faith- based organizations, non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, as well as traditional institutions to engage the youth in moral reorientation that preaches against corruption, get-rich quick and occultism. This will go a long way putting our socio-economic growth on a thriving path.

Conclusion and Recommendation

This essay has depicted that empowered youth would immensely be an important drive and a valuable approach to ensuring the socio-economic growth of the Nigerian society. The essay has been able to create a demographic picture of youth. It is patently evident that engaging empowered youth fully in growth is not a matter of choice, but rather an imperative for socio-economic growth. Young people constitute a significant share of our population and will continue to do so.

It is then recommended on this note, that as the empowered youth remains the most powerful tool to positively drive the socio-economic growth in Nigeria, the empowered youth need to be taught, guided, inspired and encouraged to transmute their passion into driving socio-economic growth of their community. Also, entrepreneurship programme plays a vital role in the process of empowering and sustaining an empowered youth as it provides manpower for productivity and employment opportunities. More Nigerian youths both educated and uneducated should be trained as craftsmen, technicians to make for self- reliance to avoid street roaming service as well reduce societal ills.

Furthermore, Empowered youth in their capacity should contribute to the mobilization of their various localities. Only through this can there be simultaneous development. Empowered youth must realize that the government can give all due to the limited resources at its disposal. Empowered youth should see it as a charge to empower new graduates as well as uneducated youth. Such processes eradicate poverty as well as drive the socio-economic growth. Lastly, the government should provide an enabling environment for the empowered youth business to thrive as against the importation of goods. This goes a long way to encourage the youth. The essay recommends that government should promote this product over the imported goods towards driving the socio-economic growth. Socio-economic growth is a partnership process between the empowered youth and government.

NOTES AND REFERENCES

Bauman, Z. (2010). Mundo consumo: Ética del individuo en la aldea global. Barcelona: Paidós Iberica.

Central Bank of Nigeria (2010). CBN Briefs (2004 – 2005 Edition). Abuja: Research and Statistics Department of Central Bank of Nigeria.

Federal Republic of Nigeria [2001], Nat5ional Youth Development Policy, Programme and Implementation Strategies, Nigeria, Abuja.

Gotep MG (2000). The contribution of social studies education towards nation-building. Social -Studies Quarterly 3(l): 116- 119.

Nigerian Population Commission (2006) Population Commission Press, Abuja, Nigeria

Oluwasegun Ayokunle. [2013]. Youth Empowerment And Development Drive – An Invaluable Step To Secure Nigeria’s Future Prosperity.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303545557
Soler, P., Trilla, J., Jiménez-Morales, M., & Úcar, X. (2017). La construcción de un modelo educativo del empoderamiento juvenil: espacios, momentos y procesos, Pedagogía Social. Revista Interuniverstiaria, 30, 25-40. DOI:10.7179/ PSRI_2017.30.02

The Bible, Proverb 20:29, King James Version

The Bible, Proverbs. 22:6, King James Version

Tunde Lemo, [2013]. “Policy and Execution” in “Development and the Entrepreneurial Challenge” (11th January, 2013). Available online at accessed on 15th June, 2018.

Wikipedia (2013). Youth Empowerment. Last modified on 12th April,2013
Yahaya, M.S. 2006. Poverty alleviation programme as a means of fostering Nigeria nationhood. The Project YES experience. Minna. Gurara J. Human. Stud. 3(2): 50-51.