A vibrant youth population is critical to the growth and development of any nation.
According to ADEOLA TUKURU, the country’s youth population should be part of planning at every stage.
Young people play a crucial role in the development of any nation and therefore should be included in all national development plans and programmes.
But, the reality is that over the years, youth have not been carried along in the scheme of things.
This has had a negative effect on the youthful population considering the practical implications of shifting perceptions of youth and the role they can play in the society.
Barriers to youth participation These issues relate to the barriers to effective youth participation in national development, such as lack of education, unemployment, extreme poverty, diverse illnesses and diseases, discrimination and cynicism from both adults and young people themselves about participation competence and institutional resistance.
In Nigeria meanwhile, the greatest challenge confronting the youth is unemployment which continue to pose a great challenge to national security.
Despite alleged success of various youth empowerment programmes across the country, over 54 per cent of them remain unemployed.
The unemployment record in the country clearly portrays an increase in idle hands across the length and breadth of Nigeria.
It is often said that an idle mind is the devil’s workshop; therefore, an unemployed youth is a disaster waiting to happen.
Activities of groups such as Boko-Haram, Niger Delta militants, pro Biafra agitators and recently, the Badoo group have serious implications for national security.
Sadly, many of these groups have youths at the forefront of their nefarious activities..
Youth in nation building The role of the youth in the nationbuilding cannot be overemphasized as countries that develop and utilize their youth in the right directions seem to be more developed.
The energy and brightness of the minds of youth act as torch-bearer for any nation.
There is a confirmed connection between the prosperity of a nation and its youth development system.
It is, therefore, in realization of the positive value that the National Coordinator, Michelle Youth Initiative for Sustainable Development (MYISD), Michelle Onyeneke Peter, recently attributed unemployment, poor upbringing of youths and exposure to drug abuse to A vibrant youth population is critical to the growth and development of any nation.
According to ADEOLA TUKURU, the country’s youth population should be part of planning at every stage.
