The Nigerian Youth: Taking Up Responsibility -By Lola Oguntade

The Nigerian youth constitute over 60 percent of the Nigerian population. Our population is adequate to enable us achieve whatever we aspire to. Most people come out to falsely claim that the Nigerian youth are not prepared for change. While not being part of the generation that destroyed Nigeria, we can help in bringing about the desired national change.

Most of the time, the Nigerian youth often look away from themselves in the search for solutions to the country’s problems, however our achievements speak otherwise, as it is noteworthy that members of this generation of youth have done well for themselves in every sector in the country. I will take the entertainment industry for example. Most successful and wave-making artists are under the age of 35, with a majority of them starting out in the industry as early as the age of 18, competing with their peers all over Africa and the world at large. They have not only done well for themselves, but have also inspired many young ones as well. The IT industry, the media, even the fashion world have been transformed by the youth.

Despite the situation of things, many graduates are now entrepreneurs, trying to make a living in spite of the economic downturn. Yet, it is unfortunate that several young people in their mid 20s and 30s have to contend with fight depression caused by the feeling of inadequacy arising from the senses of aimlessness and meaningless in their lives.

I laugh when people describe the Nigerian youth as lazy. Those who say this hardly realise the odds stacked against us. Most of those who undermine the Nigerian youth however were the ones who enjoyed the several benefits of the country’s First Republic’s social, education and economic privileges. They had jobs waiting for them after graduating from school. In our own turn, the unfortunate circumstance we find ourselves in has turned almost every Nigerian youth into a warrior who has to quickly develop a resilient spirit.

Just one single right policy in the midst of this situation can change the lives of millions of people. Having good policies is where the real change begins. That is an arena yearning for our creativity, ideas, enthusiasm, passion, energy and vision.

If we sit back and believe the hype that we are the leaders of tomorrow, and we don’t get up and doing now, we will not have a tomorrow to lead. In 20 years time we will all suffer for it. Our kids will also suffer because we refused to act when it was necessary – just like we are suffering because some people were greedy and didn’t do what they ought to have done at the right time. The problem with Nigeria didn’t start today. The complexity of our problems is as a result of the accumulation of simple problems left unsolved, hence the situation we are in presently.

We all have the potentials to make a difference. Let us all stand up to play our part in order to create a powerful cascade that would lead to enduring change. This country will change the day we all achieve solidarity, irrespective of ethnicity or religion, in order to face our common problems.

Our generation of the Nigerian youth must find and identify our places of relevance in the socio-political and socio-economical reengineering of our society, else we will continue to go on a downward spiral while our individual and collective potentials remain untapped. While there is very little inspiration to draw from the present generation of leaders who contributed to the socially, politically and economically depressed state of the country, the Nigerian youth must undergo critical self-assessment and self-development to attain the state of awareness, discipline and enlightenment required to snatch the baton of leadership and steward it for our own good and that of society. The Nigerian youth is doomed if she fails to take up the gauntlet of personal responsibility in charting a course in the direction of the future she desires.

Lola Oguntade writes from Lagos.