By Adediji  Funmilola 

Youths are the greatest asset any country in the world could possess. Their strength is second to none, they are the hope of our nation. Upon their shoulders lies a certain responsibility. The young children, the teenagers, and the aged look up to them to make a change. The young ones try to walk in their path. They are seen as the light, expected to shine in the current darkness that has obscured the most populous black nation.

In the current situation of the country, can the youths still be seen as the light? Can they bring about the change we are expecting? Arguably I can say that a tangible percentage of the youths of Nigeria have a wrong mindset about life. A large percentage of Nigerian youths are characterized by immeasurable moral decadence, crimes, violence, and corruption.

Nigeria has a youthful population of more than 70% of the population. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has postulated that more than 70 percent of Nigerian youths may soon become ex-convicts if the present rate of their involvement in cybercrime persists.

In the current socio-political reality of Nigeria, male youths are getting involved in cybercrime, while female youths are going into prostitution. With all of these in place, what do we expect? Quite a number of the youths planning to become future leaders and major stakeholders show enthusiasm driven by their selfish desires and quest for power.     

When we take a look into a reasonable number of youth-based associations, one will be mesmerized by the level of toxicity that comes with the tussle for power. This discovery blurs the confidence of a better future. With all of these negative roles played by youth, it’s only fear that sets in,  in the mind of the aged.

Taking a trip back to when Nigeria got her independence, the citizens of the country expected a lot since they were free. Unfortunately, all of these expectations were cut short. Can we say that the attitude and role played by our past leaders influenced our generation negatively? Can we blame family tradition? Can we say it is a result of peer pressure or influence? Can we say it is a result of a lack of responsibility? Can we also say it is because the youths are not involved in the present administration of the country?

Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “We cannot always build our future for our youths, but we can build our youths for the future”. How can we build our youths for the future? The basic unit of socialization is the family unit. The family should inculcate the right values into their children starting from when they are born. The family unit plays a key role in the life of a youth. 

How could this be? Most children of the world tend to follow the footsteps of their guidance, if the guidance is on the wrong track his actions could affect the perspective and mindset of the child even from a young age if not corrected, such a child would grow up with a negative mindset, thereby increasing the percentage of youths with a wrong perspective to life.

The government should be a good role model to the coming generation. A deliberate action to change the wrong mindset, beliefs, perception of youth should be taken, ‘Good habits formed at youth makes all the difference’ by Aristotle.

The youth remains the future leaders. If they are not properly informed, then there is no hope for a better tomorrow.