The Nigerian youth is the greatest amongst his equals. This is because of his excellent innate potentials. In addition to all the other potentials mentioned earlier on, the Nigerian youth is resourceful wherever one finds him in this world.
Some examples of such youths that readily come to mind are Kanu Nwankwo, JJ Okocha, Victor Moses and our dear Ajunwa among several others who have made great strides in the field of sports. Others are Chimanda Adiche (novelist) Tade Ipadeola (poet) few among several young literary artists and many other youth like Jide Omokore in steel, oil and dredging Industries Igho Sanomi in oil and gas industries, Fola Adeola in the banking industry, Gbenga Oyebode in law and investment, Michael Ade Ojo in car distribution business among so many youth whose activities are impacting positively on our national economy. If they can make it, you can!
However, like other nations, there are exceptions. There are some youth who have continued to drag the name of this nation to the mud by their conduct and attitudes. These are the bad guys! Youth who are resourceful take advantages of the current Transformation Agenda to add value to their lives; and many are doing so through various platforms.
The growing number of youth who are involved in vices is alarming and impacting negatively on Nigeria’s national image. This situation is totally unacceptable, because our youth should represent the hope and hub of our nation and indeed the prosperity of our posterity or future. For us, the immediate future is not far. It is captured in vision 20:2020 and it will soon be with us. No nation toys with a lofty ambition such as ours, and risks to hand over such a dream to youth who can not deliver.
We know Nigerian youth can deliver. This is why we have organized this summit, so we can interface on those issues or vices that impede our national transformation and on values and virtues that engender national development. This summit is well thought out with you in mind; with some of you as resource persons and participants. This is to confirm to you that there is now a paradigm shift from talking down on you to positive dialoguing.
What type of a nation for instance, would you like to see by the year 2020?
Our youth can only get there through guidance. There are obvious challenges on the way to getting to our national goals. The truth is that these threats are not outside us but inside us; and the threats are real and purely attitudinal and behavioral.
Attitudinal problems are not unsumontable; many youth whom their parents or society have given up on them are today the good guys. So change is possible! And change must begin with you. Let us deploy our positive peer group influence on the right people as a way of helping them to come out of vices.
Culled from The Nigerian Vanguard.
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