Open Letter To Nigerian Youths -By Ahmad Affan

It is quite disheartening and disappointing to realize that some youth (Nigerians) still place much more importance to certificate in this contemporary period. 

Of recent I had a heated debate with a very close friend of mine about my feelings in regards to educational certificate. Although I only have less than three months (God’s willing) to be done with my four years course which eventually metamorphosed to six years, I will in a heartbeat drop out of school when faced with a dilemma of either finishing my few months left of school or pursue a promising opportunity.

I don’t believe any certificate can validate or invalidate the knowledge and experience I gathered over this six years journey in my academic pursue. I have certainly learnt and still learning that some things have been overrated and given more important, whereas there are things a lot more important than certificate. Whatever we learn between the four walls of class rooms should be reflected in our lives, attitudes and daily decisions but not necessarily measured base on certificates we acquired.

Skills are much more important than certificates now to live a better life, the earlier we realize this as youth the better it will be for us to be develop, be independent and improve our ways of thinking.

One of the richest man in the world, Bill Gates, dropped out of Harvard to focus on his goal and invention, still managed to be the world’s biggest success. 

Mr. Zuckerberg; whom we only spend about a third of our day as youth on his social platform liking, sharing and meme lolling our lives away also was not successful today because of his certificate, neither did Late Alhaji Alhassan Dantata – Kolanut trader, who was the wealthiest man in West Africa during his time. He started the Dantata dynasty and his descendants are some of the richest people in Nigeria (Dangote / Dantata family).

The president of federal republic of Nigeria has encourage youth and students to be engaged in skills and not just depend on certificates that they may not be able to defend when required to. 

China as one of the developing nations with highest population in the world is improving daily because it did not make certificate a priority but rather the skill every individual can offer.

Nigeria is the sixth most populous country in the world and is estimated to be third most populous country in the world by 2050.

Here is a message to youths to wakeup and start giving less priority to certificates and start thinking about how they can contribute to the development and increase of GDP/GNP, per capital income of the country through various productive skills and inventions that will enable them to be independent.

It is time we stop asking what the government can do for us and start asking how can we contribute to the country positively to be enjoyed nationally and internationally for better economic growth.

It is important that the parents, teachers, government and the media start to change the narrative and mindsets of the upcoming generations either directly or indirectly. Parents must encourage their children to understand there are other paths to success in life that does not necessarily involve advance education alone, encourage the children to give as much importance to being creative and skilful as they strive to produce best results in class. 

Teacher should teach the students not to only think that success is bound to class room activities alone and those who did not not further their educations can still make it in life when they take the right path.

Government should create more skill acquisition centers in the nation that will help encourage youth to be creative and explore their talents for the betterment of the country. 

Lastly, the media must participate by showing out to the world and upcoming generation that education is important but the ability to be independent and self employed is awesome, by creating role models out of those successfully accomplished personal without higher or any certificates.

Also by showing supports to talented and skilled youth in the country to encourage others to try similar things. By doing this will help change the mindset and perception of upcoming generations on the importance of being skilful and independent. 

The major concern and dream of most Nigerian parents is to ensure their children go through school, get a degree, get employed at a highly paying job and live a fantastic life. Unfortunately this process and expectation are no longer realized often times, it has become nothing but a fairytale to the average Nigerian youth. 

The country is filled with millions of unemployed graduates, we must all wakeup to the reality that having a degree certificate is not a pass to escape the hardship and difficulties of life. Certificates is just an award signifying that one passed through the educational system and not a ticket to having good life.

Ahmad Affan from Bayero University, kano.