BUILDING A HOLISTIC FUTURE TOGETHER: A KEYNOTE ADDRESS DELIVERED BY DR EYOH ETIM AT THE 2024 OKOBO YOUTH SUMMIT HELD ON MONDAY, 12TH AUGUST, 2024, AT THE OKOBO DEVELOPMENT UNION (ODU) HALL, OKOPEDI, OKOBO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, AT 10. A.M.
Protocol
I am pleased and honoured by the opportunity granted me by the leadership of Okobo Development Union (ODU) to deliver a Keynote Address at this summit. First of all, I thank God Almighty for making this day a reality and a success, for gathering us here peacefully and in harmony, because where there is peace, there is development.
I most profoundly appreciate the Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State, His Excellency Governor Umo Bassey Eno, for his people-centred and visionary leadership in the State, especially where it concerns the welfare of the Youth. I thank the Okobo Transition Committee Chairman, and the soon-to-be-elected and soon-to-be-sworn-in Executive Chairman of Okobo Local Government Council, Hon. Engr George Henshaw, for the love he has for the Youths of Okobo.
Let me acknowledge the foresight and ingenuity that characterise the leadership of the Okobo Development Union led by Prince Walter Edward, especially seen in the putting together of this Youth Summit, because they have realised the importance of young people in the development of any society. I appreciate all the dignitaries present here; our chiefs, our leaders, politicians, pastors, community leaders, women and children, who have found time to be here because they appreciate young people and what they represent in the development mix of our communities. I thank the peace-loving youths of Okobo Local Government Area who have gathered here today to listen, to learn and to be inspired to rise and build Okobo Local Government Area.
Let me begin this Keynote Address by stating that any development plan of any society that does not factor in the Youth is bound to fail. This is what all leaders must understand in the 21st century. Young people are not only important to the future of society, they are also very important to our present because the security and stability of our communities rest on the security and stability of the Youth. But how secure are our youths today?
The foregoing question is necessary to our understanding the problems that young people in our communities face in our time, because addressing these problems will invariably lead to resolving the issues bordering on security and stability of our nation and communities. There is a general lack of opportunities for the Youth in the Nigeria of our day. It appears to me that young people have been systematically locked out of the system and denied key opportunities for growth and development in contemporary Nigeria. They are denied access to sources of power, economic opportunities and social advancement. It appears that a select set of elderly people make it their duty to ensure that young people do not grow as much as they should for whatever reasons, including the idea that they are too young to become successful, rich and powerful. It is possible that these elders got their opportunities for upward mobility at an advanced age, so that they think that young people should also wait until old age in order to advance.
I appeal, most fervently, that those who still have this mentality in our society should change. The fact that you went through hell to get to where you are today does not mean that those coming after you should go through the same ordeal. Otherwise, your success had been in vain. You succeeded so that you could make it easier for others. There is no reason why very old and almost invalid people should occupy positions that require youthful energy and mental resources to run, including offices meant for the Youth. Just as we have affirmative action for gender inclusion in political and economic spaces, there should be an affirmative action for the inclusion of young people in political and economic power spaces in society. The Youth themselves must alley the fears of the elders and prove themselves to be trustworthy of the positions that they occupy. Youth should not imply irresponsibility.
The poor education system in our society means that we produce graduates who are generally not prepared for life and the challenges in the world of work. Our education system is due for an overhaul. The society for which the current education system was built had seen evolved and we must evolve the education system to fit the new nature of society. Today, parents who have the means prefer to send their children to private schools because the public schools are in a state of serious ruination and deterioration. The truth is, there is no way you can discuss the development of the Youth without factoring in the education of the Youth. So what kind of education should we give to the Youth of the 21st century in our society in order to give them an edge over their peers in other parts of the world? This is the 1 million dollar question.
A comprehensive education system in our time should be one that incorporates science and technology alongside the arts, culture and the mores of society. This kind of education system should sharpen the mind, the heart and the hand; the mind to think and be rational, the heart to feel and to love humanity and the hand to work hard in order to achieve success. I propose an education system whereby young people are able to pick up two skills during their primary education, another two skills during their secondary education and additional two skills during their tertiary education. Thus, by the time they graduate, they will not be stranded in the labour market searching for non-existing jobs. With their skills, they can comfortably earn a living for themselves. Such an education system will be very expensive but if we love our young people and the security and stability of our society, we will invest in that education system.
The problem of unemployment and hunger plaguing our youths today arises out of the skewed education system and the resultant lack of job opportunities in our society. When we train young people for today’s work space, they will definitely find or create jobs after graduation and no one will be hungry or begging another to survive.
A skewed education system, lack of opportunities, unemployment and hunger have led to the rising spate of violence and other social vices among young people in our society. Among these social vices are cultism, drug abuse, rape, get-rich-quick schemes, ritual killings, internet scam (yahoo-yahoo), kidnapping and political thug’s syndrome. Our youths must get rid of these vices among them if they must make progress and if society must remain peaceful and progress-bound.
Cultism has eaten deep into the fabric of the Nigerian society and the Youth are the targets. Studies have shown that cultism is now prevalent not only in tertiary institutions, but also in the lower tiers of education in Nigeria. Young people are enticed to join cults with mouth-watering offers and promises, including access to political power, economic and employment opportunities, as well as influence and fame. In return, these naïve youths are made to serve, in various capacities and levels, the whims and caprices of the cult masters, including stalking, threats and intimidation, killing and maiming the political enemies of their masters, passing of secret information and disturbance of the general peace in society. In the long run, it is often seen that the promises made to these cultists are never realised because conventional rules in society do not favour the upward mobility of the damaged personality that most cultists have. Apart from this, most of them usually die through revenge killings before they attain their goals in life. Indeed, most cultists usually die at the verge of achieving their dreams in life.
Okobo youths must realise that it is not profitable to be a cultist. The cultist does not have a life and mind of his own. Every minute of his or her entire life is controlled by another person. They live their entire existence following the dictates of other people whose dreams and aspirations they fulfil without ever fulfilling their own. If you are already in a cult, it is time to come out of it. If you are in the process of joining cultism, please, for your own good and the good of society, retrace your steps. If you are not in a cult, keep your hands and your soul clean. Do not let any form of desperation, whether it is for jobs or political power, to make you lose your soul.
I call on the government of our state and nation to be sincere about fighting cultism by ensuring that cultists are not empowered with political offices, since such an empowerment might make it appear like an endorsement of cultism. If cultists are refused access to power and other economic opportunities, with time, there will be no incentive for anyone to want to join cult in our society. Young people must remember, at all times, that cultism is a crime in society and should not be led astray by anyone.
Substance abuse is another major setback among young people in our time. In a bid to cope with frustration arising from hunger, poverty and unfulfilled dreams, young people could take hard drinks and drugs. Sadly, this is not the lasting remedy; it is rather too temporary and risky to be considered potent at all. The risks involved in drug abuse could permanently destroy the individual and they include the risk of mental illness and other health crises, becoming a social outcast, loss of jobs and social standing, addiction and its consequences. Okobo youths must shun cultism and drugs in order to live and fulfil their purpose on the earth. An individual under the influence of drugs can act dangerously without control, including causing an accident if he or she is driving, killing, maiming, beating, raping and destroying the lives of others and themselves.
I could go on and on in listing the problems that bedevil the youths in our society, but I would like to pause here and discuss the solutions and the way forward. The government both at the state and the federal levels should have a comprehensive Youth Development blueprint that is tied to education and empowerment of young people, the raising of moral standards and a programme that aims to reduce poverty and unemployment among the Youth. Youths should be taught to love motherland, imbued with patriotism, and not the current situation whereby young people look down on their leaders and the potentialities of the motherland because the leaders have not provided the right leadership.
Parents must teach their children the basic values of life before the children leave home for school. Both teachers and parents should be partners in raising young people. One quality I think Youths in Nigeria should have is grit; the ability to persevere despite difficulties. Okobo youths must equip themselves with the soft and hard skills for survival in the 21st century. Remember that there is dignity in labour and that there is nothing shameful about learning carpentry, plumbing, welding, tailoring/fashion, cooking, car repairs and other related skills. Okobo Youths in the 21st century should acquire tech skills like project management, graphic design, coding/programming, website development, digital marketing, artificial intelligence, data analysis, cyber security, blogging, content creation, drop shipping, CPC marketing and software development. It is important for Okobo youths to study mostly courses that are in high demand in our age. They should also check their environment and study courses to anticipate the relevant industries to be sited in their communities so as not to lose job opportunities to outsiders. Such sectors include oil and gas, aviation, marine and mining.
Most importantly, Okobo youths must not be anti-government and anti-development. There must be peace in our communities if we want development. However, the Youth also have a responsibility to protect their communities and secure the destiny of the people. Hence, they should be guided by a sense of justice at all times. They must study so as not to be taken advantage of. They must understand how all the systems in society work and how they can well position themselves to benefit positively from the political and economic systems in society.
I would like to end my speech by quoting from John Oxenham’s ‘What Can a Little Chap Do?’ to illustrate the importance of young people in society.
What can a little chap do
For his country and for you?
What CAN a little chap do?
He can play a straight game all through;-
That’s one good thing he can do.
He can fight like a Knight
For the Truth and the Right;-
That’s another good thing he can do.
He can shun all that’s mean,
He can keep himself clean,
Both without and within;-
That’s a very fine thing he can do.
His soul he can brace
Against everything base.
And the trace will be seen
All his life in his face;-
That’s an excellent thing he can do.
He can look to the light,
He can keep his thoughts white,
He can fight the great fight,
He can do with his might
What is good in God’s sight;-
Those are truly great things he can do.
And in each little thing
He can follow the King.
Yes – in each smallest thing
He can follow the King.
He can follow the Christ, the King.
That’s the very best thing he can do.
Long Live Okobo Youth!
Dr Eyoh Etim,
August, 2024.