THE YOUTHS IN
CONTEMPORARY NIGERIAN SOCIETY
(IT IS OUR TIME TO REIGN!)– PART ONE
In all parts of the
world, the youths are regarded as the bedrock of their societies because of
their various contributions to the economic, moral and spiritual development of
their countries. They are seen as engine for growth in their various societies,
and they form the nucleus of the active workforce in any economy. Also in most
societies the youths are given leadership positions for maximum impact on their
society. Hence the roles of the youths
in any society are pivotal to the growth and stability of that society.
Regrettably, the Nigerian
youth has always been sidelined in the delegation of responsibilities which has
direct impact on the entire society; and many factors are responsible for this,
but I’ll mention two; and they include:
·
the
youth’s apathy or laxity towards leadership matters;
·
Cultural
inhibitions/manipulations/ideologies: all concurred by elders to have a firm
grip on leadership in various societies; among them is the belief that wisdom
comes with old age, and in some cultures it is viewed as a taboo for a youth to
object to issues raised by elders no matter how wrong it may be.
The Nigerian youths
are therefore victims of the degeneracy in the society which was foisted on
them by culmination of fast – evolving social, political and religious changes
that overwhelmingly swept through the society – most of which have brought
untold hardship on the masses and most especially the youths and have further
provoked resentment in the souls of the disappointed youths – who are
disappointed by the fact that majority of the elders in leadership positions
have deviated from the standard they set for them (the youths) to imbibe.
This has led to
revolt by some youths against their society through armed robbery, kidnapping,
piracy, cultism and other social vices. Although I strongly condemn these acts
because of my firm believe that the youths should serve as change agents in
their societies, hence I do not subscribe to violence as a means of attaining
such change. And as it is written in Ecclesiastes 1 vs 15, and I quote “that
which is crooked cannot be made straight and that which is wanting cannot be
numbered. In the light of this, there is no justification for engaging in
violent crimes by any youth.
The above scenario
created an aura of suspicion and mistrust between the youths and elders. Why?
Because the youths perceive a palpable inconsistency between the theory and
practice which these elders dole out to them; the youths therefore thinks the
elders should not be trusted. (before progressing from here, it is pertinent to
note that my analysis is based on the entire Nigerian society, and not the
church alone as the church is only an integral part of the society, so it
functions are channelled towards society, therefore it cannot function outside
the society- but as an adage goes – ‘we in the church should always count
our teeth with our tongues’).
Some elders in our
society in their acclaimed wisdom see the youths as inexperienced and lacking in
wisdom. But ultimately considered, the youth as well as the elders have their
wisdoms as illustrated by another adage which says that “wisdom is a goatskin
bag, everybody carries his own. Yet it is necessary to let both parties know
that as illustrated in Proverbs 1 vs 7 that the fear of the lord is the
beginning of wisdom – that is the real wisdom.
My research revealed
that most elders have an aversion to the audacity of the youths, their
boldness, their unbridled quest for their rights and their spirit of adventure.
On the other hand, the youths criticize the elders for being too pretentious,
hypocritical, authoritative and selfish. As perceived by the youths, some elders
especially by the way they manage national affairs, constitute a group that is
bent on leaving nothing to posterity. As should be expected, adults are often
in positions to be heard; therefore they easily manipulate issues to their
favour.
But we should be humane by looking at the case of the youths from an empathetic perspective, because my research findings shows that many of the reasons or behaviours for which most elders hold youths in derision are merely their reactions to the environment in which they find themselves.
Critics of today’s
youth compare them with youths in a ‘golden age’ or rather ‘primitive era’ when
according to them youths were very respectful, bashful, timid, patient, less
adventurous, obedient; to sum it all: when they had all the virtues of a
pristine environment. But it is necessary to remind these critics that this
environment has become extinct as a result of modernization and civilization.
In fact many contemporary youths know nothing about it. To ask them to conform
to the norms of a world they do not live in is to ask them to live a false
live. Rather the youth should be encouraged to read the word of God as in them
are issues of life – and knowledge of the word of God and its application in
life has been tested and approved as a sure guide in life.
Nigerian youths are
victims of overwhelming flux in values. They are straddled between a world of
fading pristine traditions, which they do not find very useful and one of
modernism which they cannot approximate forces on, a life of ever shifting
norms, which becomes a basis for action. Our youths are daily exposed to
various agencies of communication and education which exceed the control of
tradition. Books, newspapers, computers and other communication media are parts
of an environment that is natural to many of them; they therefore live in an
information surfeited environment; a world reduced to a small village by
increased access to information.
If the youths are
impatient it is because they want to ‘meet up’ with the standard of success set
by elders (as they are aware of the division that awaits them if they fall into
a lower class). If the youths are too bold, it is because they have been
victims of exploitation by elders. They have on a number of occasions watched
elders; even their religious leaders put in control of affairs betray trust.
They therefore speak out boldly through various means in order to stop elders
from exploiting them (a typical example is the crisis in the Niger Delta).
If the youths do not
show enough respect to some elders, it is because very often they do not find
reason for doing so. They have seen these elders embezzle funds meant for them
or for national development. They have seen even their teachers and lecturers
exploit them in one way or another, and some have even seen their parents fall
short of the same moral standards they demand from them. If they are violent,
they are merely reacting against the pressures which frustration resulting from
inappropriate interest in their affairs has built up in them..
Their hostility
emanates from the fact that they do not get empathy they expect from society
(which the elders control); so to survive in their environment they put on a
façade of hostility and toughness which sometimes do not stand strong test. The
pathetic aspect of the life of the Nigerian youth is that in most cases he or
she finds no model in most people around him as some of these people are
equally victims of the trauma that change brings.
In my opinion
therefore, what the Nigerian youth needs is empathy not derision, love not
abandonment, understanding not insensitivity, and opportunities to take
responsibilities; as it is definitely more difficult for them to survive in
their world than it was for their parents to survive in their simple world of
yesteryears.
While urging
our youths to imbibe the fear of God as it is stated in Proverbs 1 vs 7-12 that
it is only fools that despise wisdom and instruction.
As also stated in
verse eight of the same Proverb chapter one, we must hearken unto the
instructions of our parents for they shall be an ornament of grace and chains
about our necks. It also charged us not to allow ourselves to be lured into
sin, but rather we should overcome sin.
Finally, I firmly
believe that God doesn’t lie, so if we hearken unto his words by seeking him
first, the provisions as stipulated in Mathew 6 verse 33 shall be made available
to us. We should also know that we are princes and princesses by our connection
to his divinity, so failure cannot be part of us, we are meant to succeed in
life. Yes, the lines shall fall in pleasant places for us. Yes, we are reigning
because it is our time to REIGN!
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