Three issues of importance on youth matters came to the fore a few days ago. The need to empower youths with leadership skills, the imperative of adequate security to curb continued abductions in schools, and why drug abuse should be put under check to breed a generation of responsible youths for the nation.
Starting the discourse, the President, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB) Students’ Union, Comrade Michael Oloyede, has decried the inability of some student leaders to possess the needed leadership and entrepreneurial skills that would guide and make them responsible for achieving their goals in life. He stated this during the Southwest Leadership and Entrepreneurial Summit, themed “Optimum Representation and the Role of Student Leaders in Nation Building: Challenges, Opportunities and Prospects”.
Comrade Oloyede disclosed that the present state of the country had negatively affected the psychology of youths, who are future leaders. He stressed that this has also affected the quality of representation of youths in different strata of the economy. The President, however, emphasised the need to create an avenue for essential leadership and entrepreneurship skills to be impacted into the future leaders of this country, stating that Nigeria needs future leaders who would be able to put the country on the global map. Comrade Oloyede added that the programme is targeted at changing the leadership orientation of over 60 tertiary institutions in Southwest, which is also aimed at producing over 2,000 students that are qualified and competent to lead the country and drive global development. The Alake of Egbaland, Oba (Dr.) Adedotun Gbadebo, represented by the Baamowe of Egbaland, Prof. Ajao Adelakun, commended the student leaders for organising the summit at a time when the country was faced with various challenges.
According to him, “We are all stakeholders in the project Nigeria. The challenges we are faced with today are not just for the leaders to solve, but you as the future and leaders of tomorrow, must also play your part”.
The event was graced by students from various higher institutions across the Southwest region of the country. In the same vein, an appeal has gone to the Federal Government to increase budget allocations to the defence sector, to improve the security architecture in the country. The appeal was made by Mr. Isaac Ogunbunmi while featuring on the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Ogun State radio station, FUNAAB Radio 89.5FM live interactive programme, Boiling Point. Mr. Ogunbunmi is the Principal of FUNAAB International School (FUNIS). According to him, for the menace of abduction to be curbed, there should be proper awareness and education for children, adding that children should be encouraged not to keep secrets and be free to talk to their parents. Mr. Ogunbunmi stated that the Parent Teachers’ Association (PTA) can make decisions to assist schools in getting security gadgets that would help in securing students.
The Principal maintained that students in public schools were more vulnerable when compared to those in private schools, saying if the government wants to improve security in schools, teachers must be recruited on merit. He advocated for collective efforts at protecting schools from kidnappers, stating that schools should employ God-fearing personnel that would not serve as informants to kidnappers.
The Principal argued that ransom payment was a way of encouraging kidnapping, arguing that if the government had been proactive enough and put necessary measures in place, the payment of ransom would stop. He noted further that if kidnapping persisted in the country, there would be no need for formal education because of a hostile environment. Mr. Ogunbunmi disclosed that there exists an excellent relationship between FUNAAB and its host community, which makes it easy to have adequate security. The government and relevant stakeholders in the health sector have been urged to provide all general hospitals in the country with standard facilities for the treatment of drug addicts. Dr. Sunday Amosu made the appeal while featuring on the radio station.
According to him, all hands must be on deck at putting an end to drug abuse in the country, adding that law enforcement agencies must be equipped and given the necessary support needed at curtailing the problem in society. Dr. Amosu said there should be primary, secondary, and tertiary controls of drug trafficking, stressing that parents should get their children closer to God while media houses should engage in public enlightenment of the citizens to address the challenge of drug abuse. He added that the government should provide centres for counseling as well as made helplines available for people to call.
He stressed the need for parents to also watch out for their children’s behaviour by giving them moral support. In the final analysis, Nigerian youths can be better empowered to contribute their quota to national development by assuming leadership positions when given the requisite skills, when the recurring losses occasion by abductions and the monster called drug abuse are addressed, and in doing this, the relevant stakeholders must actively play and be seen to be playing their roles.
