Jimeta Youths Today -By Aliyu Idris

Introduction

Jimeta is a town in Adamawa State, North-Eastern Nigeria, West Africa. It lies along the Benue River, The town’s population is 73,080, it’s nearby Yola town (Yola South) and it is also known as Yola North. It is the capital city of Adamawa State, it also serves as Yola’s part and it also contains Yola’s Airport. Some refer to the two towns as “Jimeta-Yola”. The town is consists of the Adamawa State Government House, Federal Secretariat, State Secretariat, Police, and Army Barrack. The temporary stadium, the modern and the old market, fruits market. Tipper market, electricity distributing offices, commercial banks, the river and the bridge that connects Yola North and Girei local government; there are also Hotels, recreational centers, cybercafes, staff quarters, it also has the two institutions FCE Yola and State Polytechnic, there are more than two hundred schools in Jimeta(both Nursery, Primary and Secondary) it has churches, mosques, government hospitals and other ten private hospitals and clinics. It also has five roundabouts, shopping complex market, three major cinemas, fillings stations, Police stations, one prison, newspapers publishing houses. Jimeta is a town with eleven wards, the wards are as follows:

Ajiya
Alkalawa
Doubeli
Gwadabawa
Jambutu
Karewa
Limawa
Luggere
Nassarawo
Rumde
Yelwa

I wish to write on the general aspect of Jimeta youths today. Before the youths of Jimeta were known as law-abiding citizens, moral and discipline in the society but today indiscipline and immorality are common with our youths today in Jimeta.

They are not as they were before, today the majority of our youths are engaging in bad habits, there are three major things that Jimeta youths engage themselves, they are as follows: Drug abuse, Stealing and robbery, Thuggery, and fighting.

After these three factors, there is one major factor that leads to these factors which “LACK OF INTEREST TO STUDIES”. let’s look at them one by one but before I touch these factors let me first start with “LACK OF INTEREST TO STUDIES”.

LACK OF INTEREST TO STUDIES: Our youths are not ready to learn that is why illiteracy is common among the youths of Jimeta, not all of them are school dropouts, some of them cannot read write and they cannot even spell their name(s). Majority of us our parents sent us to school when we were young to learn moral behaviors and acquire knowledge, some of the youths left school at the early stage (Primary School) as a result of one reason or the other, some in a junior secondary school; there are some that sat for senior secondary school exams (SSCE) and WAEC they obtained a very good grade and a very good result but they cannot defend it because they did not pass honorably, some of the youths that want to further their studies, are buying fake result and claimed that the result belongs to them which is not true and as a result of lacking the interest to study most of them were been probated, expelled, and withdrawn from various institutions.

It is hardly to find a native of Jimeta studying at Federal College of Education, Yola (FCE), Modibbo Adama Universities of Technology (MAUTECH) Yola, Adamawa State University (ADSU) most of the youths in Jimeta cannot even attempt to apply those above institutions mentioned because they took them as the most difficult institutions, there are some Jimeta youths that are graduates of those institutions mentioned above and there are few of them studying in those mentioned institutions, but almost all the youths of Jimeta are at Adamawa State Polytechnic (SPY) which they consider as their number institution nationwide, because it’s short duration (one year eight months) unlike the FCE, (three to four years duration), Martech (four to five years duration), school of nursing yola (three years duration) and while studying in the State Polytechnic they will not study professional courses, But they always went to study crime management and control which you will found them about one thousand students in the department or go to international relations and strategic studies department. I did not say that crime management and International relations are not good courses, but at least let’s not study only them. Some should go to other professional courses like teaching, medical course, engineering, law, Journalism, etc and most of them in the state Polytechnic are not performing well, some have been withdrawn, because of their poor performance, they are lazy youths they cannot dedicate themselves to read hard, some are caught for examination malpractice, expelled and withdrawn.

SOLUTIONS TO JIMETA YOUTH CONCERNING LACK OF INTEREST TO STUDIES

Non-formal educations should be established with the establishment of Non-formal education, the youth will have enough time to read, write, and eradicate illiteracy.

Improve access to education.

There are some that are illiterates and they want to study but they cannot afford to obtain education and defeat the illiteracy in them.

Encourage them to study.

They should be given the chance to study for those that are unable to study.
The youths also have to put their interest in the educational sector.
The government should enhance the provision of literacy programme among youths of Jimeta.

DRUG ABUSE: Another major factor that Jimeta youths are in, is drug abuse, Drug abuse is one of the factors that is everywhere today in the world. Jimeta youth who take illicit drugs are many and this drugs that are taken have become the main reason of criminal activities and health problems to them and the majority of them have been arrested by the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Police, some were sent to prison for drug offenses. This drug abuse has killed most of our youths in Jimeta, as a result of drug abuse some youths, has become insane, some are in psychiatry some used to take codeine, tramadols and other illicit drugs, it has now affected them today in Jimeta, illegal drugs are sold openly and when you go there, it is youths that you will see, some are selling it, some are sleeping as a result of the illegal drugs they took.

We have major places where illegal drugs are sold in Jimeta they are as follows:

Terminus in Luggere ward near Ansaruddeen Academy
Bars at Hospital road, Luggere ward
Adega Night club, Luggere
Olympic Hotel, down Luggere
Palluja Market, Oppostie Jimeta Modern Market
Bola market Jimeta bye-pass
Jambutu Motor Park, along welcome to Yola way
Byepass forest, along the sea road
Nassarawo behind total filling station
Doubeli culvert
Jimeta temporary stadium

These are some major places where illegal drugs are sold. The drug abuse has been another reason for the death of our youths in Jimeta, the government have been trying all the best they can to stop it, but it keeps growing rapidly. I could remember what was written on the cigarette box “smokers are liable to die young” this implies that cigarette and other illegal drugs are dangerous to health of an individual, taking of illegal drugs are responsible for massive deaths and sickness among youths.

Some of our youths were caused to engage in drug abuse as a result of friends influence, Drug abuse has kept on damaging the lives of our youths in Jimeta, they always feature in criminal activity, like stealing, robbery e.t.c.

SOLUTIONS TO DRUG ABUSE IN JIMETA

Sell of illegal drugs should be ban.
Parents should know, investigate, monitor the types of friends their children interact with.
All illicit drugs and bar shops should be closed.
All drug dealers, retailers, and wholesalers should be arrested and detained.
Parents should separate their children from a bad company of friends and guide them against them.
NGO’s and community people should orient and counsel those drug abuse victims.
Rehabilitation centers should also be established for counseling youths
Any drug dealer should be reported to the NDLEA.

STEALING AND ROBBERY
Stealing and robbery is another widely issue in Jimeta some of our youths are engaged in stealing and Robbery it came to an extent that settlers of our town have become more vigilant about their properties and belongings whether at home, shop, Market e.t.c in Jimeta. There are some houses that close at 8pm in the night, some 9pm all because of the high rate of stealing that is rotating around. Some youths in Jimeta used to rob people usually in the night, their hideouts are normally dark places especially the quite places that people don’t normally follow or pass through.

In Jimeta there is one strong stealing and robbery gang popularly known as “Yan Shila” (Shila boys).

The Shila boys: The Shila boys gang is a group of inhumanity youths, ignorant, terrorists, their barbaric acts have to escalate, they kill, steal, rob, maim, and do all sort of ungodly act. Their genesis is still unknown but they became famous at the beginning of 2018.

People being victimized on a daily basis, they are terrorizing Jimeta, Yola and Girei and their environment. Their atrocious barbaric act is getting worst. In Jimeta, Yola, and Girei, they are the dangerous latest group now in town which they are easy to be spotted roaming in town, you might/may see them over overloaded in a commercial tricycle (Keke napep) attacking people violently with a different type of harmful things such as a knife, dagger, machete e.t.c.

The indiscipline gang of Shila attacks people, snatch their cell phones especially the Android version phones, window phones, iPhones, laptops and any other valuable assets. They even operate during the day (Morning, Afternoon, and Evening). Shila boys are miscreants and most of them are drunkards and most of them have their jobs that are earning them a living but they left the job and start robbing and stealing people’s properties. They mostly rob people on the road when they are going somewhere and usually at night. There are some certain areas in Jimeta that you cannot walk pressing your phone because the Shila boys are there, they also rob and steal people’s property in a tricycle (Keke Napep), they will show a knife to you pretending that if you did not give them your money, phone, and another valuable asset, they will stab you and wound you and if you refuse to give them, then they will injure you and this injury might lead to your death, most at times, they are in the group about five people and there are many people that had been attacked by these youths.

Many people were killed, wounded and injured by Shila boys, recently during Sallah Day celebration on 19th June 2018, they killed Muhammad Danladi Lade (a native of Yola South L.G.A) at polo ground Yola South at exactly 5 pm, they ask him to bring his phone and he refused, then they stabbed him to death. This kind of incidence had happened several times not only on Muhammad but on many innocent lives every day, although some Shila boys were killed many people are frightened about them.

The settlers of Yola North have been worried about the inability of the state to defunct the deadly Shila gang, they all believed that the past administration was behind the terrorism of the Shila boys and today the past government were overthrown in the 2019 general elections but the unlawful acts of the gang keeps increasing in almost every hour.

Earlier this year on 9th May 2020 four Shila gangs were burnt and beaten to death by a native of the town and passers-by at the busiest Muhammad Mustapha Way adjacent to Nassarawo Jumma’at Mosque and LCCN Church after trying to rob belongings of women at the front of state’s Specialist Hospital in Jimeta.

The incumbent government has initiated an indefatigable task force known as “Operation Farauta”, the Farauta are doing excellently, they have arrested, detained, executed some Shila boys they caught, but the boys of the gang have doubled the number of the forces.

If Jimeta will continue to be punish unjustly by the Shila boys the town will not be convenient to live and as a state capital it is a squarely a shame to the government.

SOLUTION TO STEALING AND ROBBERY IN JIMETA

The society should make collective effort to stop stealing and robbery, not to always depend on security agencies.

Security agencies should do their job by stopping, and arresting all those thieves for safety and security of people.

Parents should be more vigilant on the activities of their children.
Parents should also warn their children not to engage in stealing and robbery.
Parents should ensure that their children are not in a bad company of friends because they can be influence to such acts by friends.

Any thief/thieves seen or caught should be reported to the nearest police station.
If employment is the problem then the government should give employment to those thieves, if they cannot, the thieves should look for a suitable job or engage in entrepreneurship to earn a living and sponsor their lives.

The security agency should be incorruptible and carry out their duties effectively.

THUGGERY AND FIGHTING

Thuggery and fighting is wide among Jimeta youths, we are in a situation that when one youth had misunderstanding with his counterparts, one of them will send his friends to go and beat that other, this has occurred so many times, and also youths of Jimeta are fond of fighting with each other, sometimes they went to one public or private school and confront the students of that school. In 2018 ago some bad youths went to fought with students of capital school, GDSS Demsawo and Luggere and also sometimes when one of the youth had personal issue with another youth, he will follow him to school and fight him. The provided security by the Government or school authority are doing all the best they can in handling such fight and thuggery cases, including the principal and the staff of the school.

I am concerned about the current situation of public schools in Jimeta which are turned to be a warfare and it is disheartening to bastardize a learning ground to battlefield.

When it comes to thuggery, in all eleven wards of Yola North LGA (Jimeta), thuggery is almost everywhere, each wards have their own group, and as a result of the thuggery, many problems arises like hating of each other, making abusive comment on their parents which is religiously not a good conduct there is also a problem of banishment, you will hear, ward A has banished all ward B settlers from entering ward A, this is one of the major problem facing due to the thuggery act of Jimeta youths.

There are some thugs that their work is to harass ladies, young boys.
Some of the members of vigilante groups are not real vigilantes but ambassadors of fight, thuggery, and criminal acts, they use their ultimate powers of uniform to do whatever they feel or like to do.

SOLUTIONS TO THUGGERY AND FIGHTING IN JIMETA

Parents should give proper support and guidance to their children.
Jimeta youth associations should sit down together with Jimeta Youths in addressing the crisis and discuss so that they will find a probable solution to the problems.
All gangs of youths should be handled by security agencies like police, civil defence corps, peace corps e.t.c.

Government, Religious groups, communities, societies should promote peace education among Jimeta youths.

Government at all levels should establish peace, stability and security in all Jimeta communities.

Government should also create job opportunities to jobless Jimeta youths.
Youth organizations and other Jimeta Associations should orient the Jimeta youths about the consequences of thuggery and fighting.

Security agencies should also intervene into the situation and ensure adequate peace in Jimeta communities.

All ward heads in Jimeta, should engage in solving minor conflicts among Jimeta youths.

Conclusion

No any territory progress without youths, they are the backbone of every society, youths should not be disdain they should be loved , nurtured for the better of state and the country at large.

In this short piece, I outlined the major problems of our youths in this era geographically using Jimeta as a sample, in the other parts of the country there is still problem like this and there are some arising and dealing with the lives of the youths, I urge all citizens and the government to consider the fate of our youths and take appropriate and active measures in ensuring the future of our vibrant youths for better tomorrow.

I hope and pray that one day Jimeta and our beloved country (Nigeria) will be safe and great again.

Aliyu Idris is an entrepreneur born at Nassarawo Borehole Doubeli Ward, Jimeta Yola North Local Government, Adamawa State. He holds NCE from Federal College of Education Yola studied Education and English Language (Double Major), and a current student of English Language at the Department of English and Literary Studies, Bayero University, Kano.

He wrote articles, poems, and speeches. A former Provost at English Language Students Association (ELSA) FCE Yola Chapter, a member at Poetic Wednesday Initiative.

He is also a volunteer at Nigerian Red Cross Society Nassarawo Detachment, a member of Yusak Youth Group Jimeta Yola, also a P.R.O I of T-First Movement of Nigeria, Adamawa State Chapter.