Unhealthy mentality of Nigerian youths

Undoubtedly, Nigeria and to a long stretch, other African countries, has backlog of problems that requires urgent attention and needs to be tackled in earnest for meaningful progress and development.
We don’t even need Trump’s uncouth language to know that “we need to get our act together and look inwardly for solutions.” Yes, it’s true that one of our most pressing issues is the challenge of purposeful and progressive leadership.
Our leadership have, since inception of this country, been riddled with political instability, military inadequacy and competency challenge.
Corruption, nepotism, disunity, and sometimes, outright incompetency, have taunted our existence as a nation.
These problems that seemingly mired our corporate existence yesterday, are, unfortunately, still very much alive today.
For our salvation, we need visionary and upright leaders that are mentally adequate, physically capable and educationally sound to confront these challenges head on.
Whether we like it or not, the youth are bound to be at the helm of affairs, sooner or later.
What’s more worrying and disturbing is that “we’re producing educationally stunted, intellectually challenged, mentally lazy and carefree young ones that all our hopes and aspirations for a better Nigeria hang on.” Disturbing, isn’t it? In a country with a population of over 180 million people, and with youths taking a huge chunk of that percentage, it is indeed frightening to know that most of the youth have a twisted mentalitymisconstruing Hollywood’s fantasies as what life is all about.
Very few of have the Nigerian project at heart.
The get-richquick syndrome at whatever cost have led many of these youths in engaging in questionable deals; armed robbery, cultism and online fraud activities.
If a survey is to be conducted today, many would choose to leave the country in search of greener pastures than stay behind and be actively involved in fixing the country.
There’s no better time to be here than now.
We live in a digital world.
The world is at our finger tips.
We’re more connected to one another than ever.
Vast information is within our reach.
Technology has simplified living.
Despite all these, our youth choose to be mentally lazy and are hellbent on using all these platters at their disposal in a wrong way.
With all the information and knowledge, most of the youth are wallowing in ignorance.
We don’t read, and if we do, we read the wrong things.
We rather get stuck with entertainment news than learn about history, culture and science.
Our interactions are nothing to write home about; we hurl insults and derogatory comments on one another about ethnicity, religion and political beliefs.
We focus not on what unites us but rather nitpick on what divides us.
We’re deeply divided along ethnic and religious lines with virtually no drop of patriotism within us.
Even with the #NotTooYoungToRun campaign still going strong, the Nigerian youth have a long way to go.
The morally and mentally upright youth choose to abstain from politics, and this is why we’re still where we are today.
There’s still low representation and active participation of the youths in virtually all the corridors of power.
Those who are capable of bringing about positive change and contribution to the nation through politics stay away leaving the crooked ones to fill-in the gap.
It is painful to see youths clamouring for a picture with renowned looters and leaders.
Our youths are more interested in getting a picture than asking thought-provoking questions or engaging in meaningful discussions about them and the future of the country.
It is also disheartening to see that most youths are not well equipped with adequate knowledge and experience to positively contribute to all the sectors of our nations.
Private organizations are complaining about the rise of unemployable applicants in the labour market.
The few employed by the government imbibe the lackadaisical attitude of government places, incapable of bringing new, innovative, fresh and exciting ideas on how to be more productive and efficient.
This needs to change.
Salim Yunusa, Abuja

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