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The Nigerian youth is a complex individual. He is socially amputated at many levels by the devious objectives of a clandestine government who has no plan for the growing population. At another end, he creates some of his problems as he directs his energies to unproductive ventures like restiveness, hooliganism, cultism and stealing. One of the burdens of the youths of this generation is the passive attention they pay to the workings of governance, economic theories, national income and budget system. The Nigerian youth is buried in sports and entertainment. He knows everything about the football clubs in the world and what they are worth financially but he doesn’t understand the importance of the nation’s GDP. He is usually at a loss when he listens to the Minister of Finance reeling out tools for economic analysis. It is difficult for the average Nigerian youth to question their leaders because their knowledge of the working of government is shallow. It is this failing that makes the youth easy tools for the political class to use. They use them for political thuggery and the females are constantly dragged in for sexual expeditions. It is truly a society that works against itself. The leaders whose responsibility is to protect the citizens have turned against the very ones they should care for. It is so because the youths have failed to question their leaders; they don’t have the courage to demand for justice. The youths will remain subservient to their leaders as long as they remain dormant in the face of extreme social injustice. This generation of youths wants instant wealth and it really doesn’t matter how they get it. They had gone to school with the belief that life will show them the side of fortune. Now they are out of school only to discover that there are eighteen generations of unemployed graduates in Nigeria struggling for job placement. The Nigerian political leaders have long hijacked the political terrain and locked it against the youths but the youths are still told they are the leaders of tomorrow. It is this deceit and delusional practice that has made the youths to lose hope in the system. The desperate ones take to crime; like taking a sword against a sea of trouble. The very contented ones find themselves deluded, gasping for breath under the weight of poverty. The state and federal government must collaborate to curb this social malady before it gets out of hand. Employment is the critical issue that must be tackled first. The youths must be gainfully employed to enable them get busy doing things that will enhance the image of the country. Proper attention should be paid to the educational sector to bring about innovation in the system. No country can make any headway while its educational sector suffers setbacks of all sorts ranging from lack of funding to lack of qualified manpower. Lastly, the youths must read to expand their intellectual horizon, develop strategies and ideas.The energy channeled towards football information should be spread across bigger economic and national concerns for the purposes of getting a grasp of the workings and distribution of economic resources. If their knowledge is sharpened on the proper functioning of government and the dynamics of policy making, they can raise requisitions and criticize government intelligently when governments policies contravene the laws of the land. We must develop the strategies to achieve economic justice and expand the aspiration of Nationhood.             About the Writer: Evans Ufeli is a lawyer and the author of acclaimed novel, ‘Without Face’. He is also an Alumni member of the Writers Bureau, Manchester, a highly sought-after conference speaker with a passion for the concept of change. He lives in Victoria Island, Lagos. You can contact him via Facebook: Evans Ufeli, Email: evanylaw@yahoo.com, Twitter: @Evansufeli and Phone: 08037712353. He blogs at www.ethicsafrica4u.wordpress.com.    
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This article was first published on 17th June 2015

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