| At in-dependency in 1960, the Nigerian population was | | | | upliftment. It is also our duty and if we are indifferently |
| about 50 million. Currently we are an estimate 158 | | | | disposed to it, we are certainly disregarding our duty |
| million, meaning that 120 million Nigerians are below the | | | | towards the society and nation. Under such |
| age of 43 years. If those above 60 years are only | | | | circumstances, we have no right to initiate peace |
| about 38 million, it therefore means those between the | | | | process, because if we cannot find people in |
| ages of 18- 43 years are the majority. That is about | | | | ourselves, therefore finding peace in others is |
| 110 million. Registered voters are currently 130 million | | | | impossible. |
| according to Electoral Commission of Nigeria, clearly | | | | Encourage the youth in nation building is something that |
| more than half of those eligible to vote are 18 years | | | | is character oriented, and if our leaders in government |
| and above. The pertinent question is therefore: where | | | | despise these salient issues, then it is glaring that they |
| are the rest of potential voters as out of the 110 million | | | | are profiting from the violence, and the current national |
| registered voters, only less than 80 million voted in | | | | quagmire. |
| 2007? | | | | YOUTH AND NATION BUILDING NETWORK |
| The hard fact cannot be bailed out, as more than 142 | | | | From the above analogy and largesse, the reason for |
| million people by the Nigerian law are eligible to vote, | | | | CLO, NGOs and government participation in the |
| excluding the ex-convict and the de-franchised. | | | | facilitation towards ending the conflicts in the region |
| Then the following ethical summations are put down | | | | between militants and multinational corporations on one |
| figuratively:o 20 million youth aged 18 and above have | | | | hand, Government and Militants/Youths Leaders on the |
| no Identity cards automatically eliminating them from | | | | other hand, and coalition of the willing to prevent further |
| the voting process.o A significant number of them | | | | crisis in the region, which houses the leaders and |
| have no birth certificates therefore they do not exist.o | | | | representative from Multinational Oil Corporations, |
| Majority (34.3%) of the youth who have votes are | | | | Stakeholders in the peace process, the Government, |
| apathetic to the whole process. They feel their voting | | | | civil liberty organization and the international community |
| would not make a different.o For the youth that vote, | | | | on another end, is to put an end to the violence and |
| majority (32 million) vote for the wrong reasons such | | | | under-development in the region. The State and |
| as: electing leaders from their ethnic groups even | | | | Federal government demonstration of amnesty |
| though they do not merit, electing those who have | | | | initiative is a welcome development, and should be |
| dished out the most money, peer pressure and often | | | | embraced by all stakeholders in the area in order to |
| pressure from one's family to vote for particular leader | | | | sue for dialogue. |
| as a block.o A large percentage of the youth watch at | | | | The political independence is essential for the upliftment |
| the periphery as they are ignorant of the importance | | | | of a nation, but it is not the end. Much is to be achieved |
| of being in political party specifically in the mainstream | | | | on social and economic fronts. Probably, the political |
| politics were crucial decisions about a nation are | | | | independence was regarded as the ultimate goal. |
| made.o Civic education has yet to fully incorporated | | | | Therefore, the contemporary generation of youths |
| and emphasized that there are youth who are great | | | | was not given any definite guide-line; with the result |
| leaders and merit a chance. | | | | they had no knowledge of their duties towards the |
| As for those youth in mainstream politics, they face | | | | society or the nation. To avoid further deterioration of |
| the following:o Patronage; where senior party | | | | the situation, it is necessary to guide the youths in right |
| members do not create spaces for the youth to play | | | | direction, so that they may engage themselves with |
| crucial roles in the political parties.o Lack of clear | | | | the task of completing the unfinished process of |
| political party ideology and value system that guides | | | | upliftment of their nation. |
| the operation of the party and the conduct of its | | | | The responsibility of preparing the background and |
| members indiscriminately especially on age and | | | | creating a congenial environment in this respect lies |
| gender.o Ethnicity where membership of most political | | | | with the intellectuals and the leaders of society. But if |
| parties is dictated by ethnicity stemming from the | | | | the leaders through pride and personal ego fail to |
| founders of the parties or the individuals that are | | | | realize these facts, then we will continue to embark on |
| funding it. This has caused chaos, and a lot of | | | | the enslaved marigold problems. |
| heartache for youth who find themselves barred from | | | | Separately, the government, NGOs and CLOs have |
| progressing or participating in crucial roles. The shift of | | | | been trying to mediate and facilitate peace process in |
| loyalty, distrust, corruption and vertical solidarity | | | | the area through several MDGs projects, sustainable |
| determines who gets what within the political parties.o | | | | initiative with communities in the region, and to negotiate |
| Gender discrimination has had a negative impact on | | | | with youth leaders, warlords; who because of lack of |
| young ladies within the parties whose participation is | | | | cooperation and misplaced agenda have been fighting |
| limited and their contribution unrecognized. The culture | | | | themselves over ethnic, religious and political matters |
| of violence, mud slinging and character assassination | | | | and not because of the plight of their people (Asakitikpi, |
| has discouraged many competent young ladies from | | | | 2007). These are indeed reasons why any form of |
| fully engaging in politics.o Lack of resources, especially | | | | peace process in the area has failed, why the |
| funding political activities and maintaining the required | | | | Amnesty initiative of the federal government and |
| mechanisms. | | | | genuine stakeholders in the Niger Delta will not work, if |
| In terms of the employment process, just like the | | | | these leaders through a forum of sincere peace |
| political process and structure development paradigm, | | | | builders in line with government's plans for development |
| young people have the highest rate of unemployment | | | | do not come together through consensus. |
| and in many ways are the most vulnerable to the | | | | Asakitikpi went further: |
| social depredations that are caused by unemployment | | | | "The headline which quote Alhaji Dokubo as stating |
| and poverty. At the same time they are the promise | | | | that 'we must control our resources', suggest the he - |
| of the future, and failure to invest in the young | | | | Dokubo is not fighting for the rights of his people to |
| generation imposes great constraints on the potential | | | | have control their resources, but for powerful |
| for future development. Whether it is investing in the | | | | individuals like himself". |
| creation of decent work for young people which | | | | Going by Asakitikpi's analogy, it is to say that while |
| boosts the economy and lowers the demand for | | | | there are no genuine youth leaders, other than illustrious |
| social services, or whether it be supporting peer to | | | | personalities like Isaac Adaka Boro, Professor Ake and |
| peer models of HIV/AIDS education, or supporting | | | | their likes; the manner in which some of the claimed |
| youth in creating food security for their community, | | | | freedom fighters, Militants (MEND) and co, Youth |
| research has shown that investing in youth brings | | | | Leaders and their various administrative structures are |
| about healthier youth and healthier communities | | | | composed is not to say beyond measure, |
| STRATEGY AND MOBILISATION FOR YOUTH | | | | unacceptable. Literarily we are all aware of the |
| DEVELOPMENT | | | | bunkering episode that brought some of these leaders |
| The federal Government and its Amnesty group of | | | | to financial fame, and the criminal activities to convert |
| trustees, and other stakeholders such as NGOs, CLO | | | | federal and state laws into personal enterprise. One |
| and other Private donors are a multi-faceted strategy | | | | must quickly re-visit the differentiation between |
| that focuses on recognizing the on-going work of | | | | legitimate leadership structure and a mob operated |
| youth on the key urban issues of: economic | | | | scheme, which at certain time terrorized the inhabitants |
| development; urban peace and conflict; HIV /AIDs; and | | | | of their communities those who stood in their way of |
| environmental degradation. These four areas that has | | | | justices and legality. These Militants leaders that |
| become paramount a leverage to resolving the | | | | preaches irrelevancy of the amnesty package today |
| unending national and regional conflicts both religious | | | | were also instrumental to the building of the foundation |
| and economically motivated, that 73% perpetuated by | | | | along with militarized economic misnomer of the |
| the Youths. The core of the SC strategy is the | | | | antecedent of military regime, the inability of a decent |
| recognition that youth have the capacity to be | | | | society across the region. Will it not be refuted with |
| meaningfully engaged in urban development | | | | regard to the rationality of these leaders' genuine |
| programmes. The SC through various youth | | | | course for development in the area, when they were |
| development initiatives will be a vehicle to mobilize | | | | actors in the vandalization of the moral and economic |
| resources to support those most marginalized youth | | | | good of their host communities; while circumventing |
| populations in initiating and sustaining youth led | | | | their people and playing the gimmicks with Multinational |
| programmes. | | | | Corporations and shady government officials? In my |
| Strategy 1 | | | | Ernest opinion, those leaders that will reject the |
| Creation of urban based youth resource centres that | | | | amnesty initiative of the Federal government are the |
| directly support youth led development issues, such as | | | | real terror of the region, and they should face the full |
| the Youth Development and rehabilitation, a program | | | | blow of the law. |
| set up by various states and local government in | | | | This is indicative of Alhaji Asari Dokubo's recent |
| Nigeria, especially glaring in the Nigeria Delta, Western, | | | | nationwide activities as per the crisis in the region, and |
| Northern and Eastern geopolitical zones of the country. | | | | his docile and incurrent acumen to fully comprehend |
| The focus of these hubs will be a space for youth to | | | | the dynamics and sincerity as an in-depth mythology |
| organize youth-led programmes in the area of | | | | of the peace building and Youth development initiative |
| economic development, prevention of violence, and | | | | of the region. The reason for this exercise is, for both |
| delivery of education and services on HIV /AIDs. This | | | | the Federal Government, MNCs, NGOs, CLOs and |
| strategy is further outlined below. | | | | Militants Groups to admittedly compensate the people |
| Strategy 2 | | | | of the region of the havoc melted on them, for the |
| Training youth as peace builders: The World Youth | | | | long years of economic degradation, political |
| Report 2009 states that a majority of warfare takes | | | | marginalization, economic deprivation, and barricading |
| place in developing countries, particularly in Africa, | | | | terror weighed on them by both Military operations of |
| where an estimated 200,000 young soldiers between | | | | the Federal Government in their drive to eliminate |
| the ages of 10 and 24 risk their lives in the course of | | | | Militants, and Guerilla warfare on them by Militants. |
| armed conflict willed by adults. Even in countries not | | | | Through Nation Building, empowerment of Youths in its |
| plagued by armed conflict, the youth have often been | | | | entire ramification is likely to lead to human capital |
| misused in the political arena. While their energy and | | | | development which in turn is expresses to reduce the |
| enthusiasms are powerful tools in promoting social or | | | | tendency towards anti-social behaviours that affects |
| political issues, they are also vulnerable to being misled | | | | societal norms, ethics and values. Youth development |
| and misused, often leading to disruptive results. Youth | | | | is not about increase capacity in terms of knowledge |
| need to be involved in violence prevention strategies, | | | | and skill acquisition as pronounced in so many |
| not just conflict reaction strategies. Youth can take the | | | | organizations' mission statements nowadays, rather it |
| lead. There is also an implementation strategy through | | | | equally requires that individuals have access to capital |
| collaboration between Federal government agencies | | | | so that their means of livelihood could be sustained |
| (MYA) and their subs, local and national youth | | | | and realized. A decent society where there is a wide |
| organizations, NGOs and local authorities focused on | | | | gap between the rich and poor creates the condition |
| creating effective and sustainable models for urban | | | | for desperation and the undermining of societal values |
| youth development and employment in Nigeria. | | | | as individuals will do anything possible to avert poverty |
| Plans are now in place to assist in the design of other | | | | by any means. This should be discouraged by creating |
| regions/states of the country since by virtue of its | | | | a forum for filling these society gaps, such as |
| implementation in Niger Delta with the following | | | | government's concentration on youth development in |
| objectives: | | | | nation building, as they are the leaders of tomorrow, |
| Objective of the SC Youth Centres Project: | | | | and the workforce of present and very near future. |
| - To encourage partnerships with relevant | | | | POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT |
| stakeholders in the delivery of youth development; | | | | This project conception was initiated, in part, to |
| - To increase knowledge, skills and attitude change of | | | | describe why a "shift in approach" has been |
| young people; | | | | advocated for how we address youth issues in this |
| - To respond to educational, socio-economic, | | | | country. We are going to be focusing on the ways in |
| recreational, emotional and psychological needs of | | | | which differing points of view have converged to form |
| young people in an integrated way; | | | | the field of positive youth development in recent |
| - To encourage youth to have greater ownership of | | | | Nigerian centric polity. With the twenty first century's |
| development; | | | | "discovery" of childhood and adolescence as special |
| - To offer leadership and mentorship to young people. | | | | periods in which children should be given support to |
| Six Key Areas of Intervention: | | | | learn and develop, society assumed an increased |
| 1. Employment and Entrepreneurship: To build capacity | | | | sense of responsibility for the care of its young people. |
| of youth to participate effectively in urban poverty | | | | Increases in juvenile crime and concerns about |
| reduction through training and by offering employment | | | | troubled youth led in the 2007 of the commencement |
| opportunities in self-employment, formal and informal | | | | of the Yar 'Adua Administration in the beginning of |
| sectors. | | | | major federal funding initiatives to address these |
| 2. Governance and Advocacy: To enhance youth | | | | issues, which is collectively packaged and address in |
| contribution towards better governance by promoting | | | | several initiative to booster youth sensitization and |
| increased youth participation in local government | | | | National identity. These trends accelerated during the |
| matters, particularly those concerning youth | | | | 2008, as did national rates of poverty, economic |
| development. | | | | degradation, and other bad government policies which |
| 3. Health: To provide services aimed at preventing and | | | | indeed has been instrumental to violence; hence |
| solving reproductive health problems amongst the | | | | unfortunate returns to Nation building. In the summary |
| youth by provision of information, skills training, | | | | put forward by (Nicholas Idemudia et al (2006) An |
| education on reproductive health, counseling and | | | | Essay on the Nigerian Political society :) |
| referral services. | | | | Yet again, with the impressive research conducted in |
| 4. Communication and Information: To establish | | | | the early part of 1995 - 1996 by tow foremost |
| mechanisms to effectively communicate and | | | | American scholars and researchers; |
| disseminate information to youth, youth organizations | | | | Changes in socialization forces that have historically |
| and other partners involved in youth work. | | | | nurtured the development of children - especially in the |
| 5. Environment and Resource Management: To | | | | family - necessitate reconceptualization of school and |
| strengthen youth engagement in the protection and | | | | community practices to support the family in its mission |
| improvement of the environment by promoting their | | | | to raise successful children (Hernandez, 1995, from |
| participation in environmental justice and governance | | | | Weissberg & Greenberg, 1997: 5). |
| initiatives. | | | | Any Youth Development and Outreach Program |
| Needs for financial support: | | | | should seek to promote the participation and leadership |
| - Establish satellite resource centres in informal | | | | of Nigerian Youths and young people in the |
| settlements | | | | development process of nation building. The purpose |
| - Define and initiate employment creation programmes, | | | | wherefore should be to highlight the value that young |
| micro-credit programmes | | | | people can play in the effort to build a region with |
| - Enable more health services to be offered free | | | | stable democracies, sustainable economies, and |
| - Build more networks and partnerships both locally | | | | equitable societies. By establishing alliances with the |
| and internationally | | | | public and private sectors, non-governmental |
| - Provide the library with books and information | | | | organisations (NGOs), and youth, the government and |
| - Provide computers for office work and internet | | | | all stakeholders should emphasize participation and |
| access | | | | leadership, entrepreneurial development, technology, |
| - Build employment training programmes including global | | | | and community service to the end of: |
| mentoring and monitoring | | | | Empowering young people to become involved in their |
| - Establish a youth trust/small grants programme for | | | | personal development and that of their communities, |
| entrepreneurship | | | | and advocating youth development and participation as |
| This partnership has been constructed in order to learn | | | | an integral part of development; mainstreaming youth |
| from each other best practices regarding how to | | | | development and participation throughout the nation's |
| address the diversity of challenges facing youth today | | | | Ministry of Youths Affairs operations, and promoting |
| in urban communities, systems to enable them to | | | | inter-organisational partnerships to advance youth |
| make sustainable decisions, and the inter-generational | | | | development and participation. |
| transfer of values. | | | | Although is difficult to implement at first hand, yet with |
| THE OBJECTIVE OF YOUTH DEVELOPMENT IN | | | | systematic efforts to enforce actualization, the |
| NATION BUILDING | | | | government through what this research material can |
| A nation will add a feather to its cap and process of | | | | offer give attention to issues which will turn out as |
| its development will continue if its ambitious, agile, virile | | | | effective than any other implementation one may think |
| and strong youths are guided on the right direction. The | | | | fit for Youth awareness campaign strategy. |
| youths of a nation are powerful. They are agile and | | | | Activities should include: |
| are inclined to work, but it is usually seen that the | | | | (1) YOUTH AND CAPACITY BUILDING: Capacity |
| youths are unable to yield desired results for want of | | | | building, which involves creating training, initiatives and |
| proper guidance. | | | | projects that develop the managerial, technical, |
| Consequently, whatever they do neither it gives | | | | entrepreneurial, and leadership skills of youth, so that |
| satisfaction to them nor does it fulfill the needs of the | | | | they might become actors in the development process |
| nation. Under these circumstances to speak of the | | | | rather than the subjects of that process. Facilitation of |
| welfare of Youth in Nation Building, and Human Capital | | | | communication among youth in the form of a regional |
| Development is meaningless; until priority is giving to its | | | | network of more than 13.5 Million youth leaders and |
| articulate program that will set them in vogue. | | | | social entrepreneurs across Nigeria actively engaged in |
| The fact is that after independence the successive | | | | socio-economic activities who will serve as agents for |
| generations failed to carve the path of progress on | | | | development in their communities should be a |
| right lines, simply because of the innocuous poor | | | | government at all levels investment planning. In the |
| articulation of youths in government's actions to make | | | | area of outreach and communications, the creation of |
| certain future decisions in terms of continuity. The | | | | public awareness among the general public, |
| moral question is, how can a nation be developed if its | | | | government agencies, and the non-profit and private |
| youths, those who are willing to undertake any kind of | | | | sectors on the contributions and value of youth |
| work, one would only but imagine how strenuous it will | | | | participation and development. In addition, the |
| be, if they are not guided properly? | | | | programme should develop communication tools and |
| It will ultimately result in a chaotic situation like the one | | | | promote the best practices and model programmes of |
| we are faced with, such as the issues of youth | | | | youth development through conferences, audiovisual |
| restiveness in the Niger Delta and in other parts of | | | | materials, publications, television programming, press |
| Nigeria and Africa. The society is divided and trapped | | | | articles, a quarterly newsletter, and The Youth |
| in the cob-web of problems. Self interest has become | | | | Development and Outreach website such as those of |
| dominant, corruption is rampant and what alarms us | | | | the National Youth Council of Nigeria and several |
| most is that the national character is on decline. | | | | others. |
| In order to attend to the problem prevalent with youth | | | | (2) INTER-ORGANISATIONAL COLLABORATION: |
| restiveness and their role in nation building in the region, | | | | The creation of strategic alliances with public, private, |
| there is need for overall human capital development. | | | | and non-profit sectors to advocate for effective youth |
| Because development brings together the production | | | | participation as agents for development in that region |
| and distribution of commodities, and the expansion and | | | | through information exchange, project collaboration, |
| use of human capabilities. For youth to lead a long and | | | | resource mobilisation, and dissemination of best |
| healthy life there is need for intellectual and | | | | practices promotion of the importance of |
| socio-economic enlightenment on their rights, thereby | | | | Inter-Regional collaboration and inter-agency |
| creating those articulate acumen to navigate their | | | | partnerships to better respond to the needs of youth |
| paths in accessing resources needed for their decent | | | | representation of the MYA in the Geopolitical Working |
| living, and their involvement in Nation Building. This is | | | | Group on Youth Development (GPWGYD)), a |
| where investing in human resource development | | | | consortium of National donor agencies (such as |
| amongst the timid youths of the Niger Delta, as part of | | | | philanthropist, Governments, and national NGOs) that |
| the Federal Government's "Operation Youth for Nation | | | | supports new approaches to positive youth |
| Building" strategy is imperatively of utmost concern and | | | | development and participation in Niger Delta and Nigeria |
| urgency. There is no gain saying nevertheless that the | | | | as a Nation. Intra-agency mainstreaming, that is, the |
| productive capacity of youths is wider than all other | | | | development of internal alliances with other |
| forms of wealth taken together, which perhaps is the | | | | departments and MYA parastatal Offices to integrate |
| centerpiece of this caption. | | | | youth development and participation into the Federal |
| In my earlier paper presented on the lunching of the | | | | government through the MYA's mission and project |
| Edo State's Directorate of Youth Affairs and Social | | | | pipeline, and Policy advocacy and formulation that |
| mobilization; part of the paper quotes as follows: | | | | promotes a supportive policy environment for youth |
| The problem of youth restiveness is a mirage until | | | | development and participation by engaging in policy |
| recently when a coalition of civil liberty Organization, | | | | formulation initiatives with other partners. |
| NGOs, Government and other international agencies | | | | YOUTH ACTIVE PARTICIPATION IN NATION |
| expressed largesse concern over Youth Global | | | | BUILDING |
| development as they collectively and genuinely seek to | | | | It is now obvious that the future of Nigeria lies in good |
| address the ills and disproportionate spur of Youth | | | | leadership and those responsible are without dispute |
| affairs in government and their apartheid in Nation | | | | young leaders. We all agree that good governance, |
| Building; such as in the Niger Delta and other parts of | | | | democracy, constitutionalism and nation building are |
| the country, with regard to Militancy, sectarian and | | | | heavily shaped by the quality of a country's politics. If |
| religious violence, Illiteracy, unemployment, | | | | the future of Nigeria lies in the youth, how then can |
| disempowerment etc. | | | | space be created in the mainstream politics to realize |
| Generally speaking, several militants and youth leaders | | | | it? Let us take the antecedent of Ghanaian political |
| might not hold the ace on how the solution to the | | | | scene for example. |
| economic, socio-political and environmental problems of | | | | The overarching goal of the present Administration's |
| the Niger Delta region and its timid youth. However if | | | | initiative is to mobilize and harness the abundant |
| the region's leaders and representative of various | | | | resources of Nigeria's youth towards improving the |
| organization are truly sincere in the ongoing peace | | | | quality of life in cities and towns with a view to |
| process, their actions are capable of creating a | | | | empower vulnerable urban youth groups for improved |
| vacuum in the economic mainstream and survival of | | | | socio-economic inclusion and development. |
| our federal hegemony - Nigeria. In order to facilitate | | | | Imperatively, a new dawn has emerged where the |
| steady and speedy youth capital and human | | | | luxury of comfortably sitting back and complaining as |
| development; there is need to address the following:a. | | | | youth has long gone. Nigeria cannot continue being a |
| Provision of sufficient mechanism and infrastructure to | | | | continent of succession without successors, youth |
| boost youth capital initiative and sustainable | | | | leaders are the best alternative. With regard to the |
| development.b. Initiate programme for youth interactive | | | | researches conducted over time, both in Nigeria, United |
| sessions and intellectual model in the discussion of | | | | States, Europe, Asia, The Caribbean and South |
| issues such as youth restiveness, the society and | | | | America, some of the forward include:o Legal backing |
| economic development of youths in nation building, an | | | | through Political Party Bills, a strong National Youth |
| agenda that reflects on the youth.c. Discussing and | | | | Policy and lobbying for Affirmative Action Bills for the |
| articulating programs to quell corruption, political | | | | youth (The MYA has through the Federal initiative |
| irresponsibility among political representative, and | | | | calculated efforts to make this possible amidst its |
| inefficiency within government systems and weak | | | | National Agenda).o Strategies on resource mobilization |
| social safety.d. Solution to uplifting the meager status | | | | to support potential youth election candidates, civic |
| of the youths in issues such as hunger, illiteracy, | | | | education with a special focus on the critical role of |
| unemployment and economic disempowerment should | | | | youth, networking and coordination of youth activities |
| be resolved, and programs should be set up at various | | | | to form a platform where we speak in one voice and |
| quarters to attend to these problems. | | | | push our agenda, working with media for the benefit of |
| With the above paradigm, different strategic indicators | | | | youth and building their capacity as leaders who work |
| should be put in place to assume its full mandates of | | | | with and for the people they represent and thus, the |
| youth capital development by ending restiveness, | | | | community at the grassroots. Encourage youth to join |
| militancy, violence and all forms of crisis in the Niger | | | | sound political parties.o Youth have to develop good |
| Delta region, both internally motivated, nationally alleged, | | | | leadership skills and learn from others. Practice |
| or some sort of 'International Oil Conspiracy'. Although it | | | | leadership that enables positive transformation in our |
| is also pertinent to remark that at the root cause and | | | | countries.o Focus and scope of leadership should not |
| effect of youth conflict in the Niger delta and | | | | be limited to politics and national level; it should |
| elsewhere in Nigeria is due to the high incidence of | | | | transcend boundaries into regional and international |
| state failures over time to address certain economic, | | | | levels. We should be able to have competent youth |
| political and sociological issues affecting and reflecting | | | | representatives in such bodies. It is imperative to adapt |
| albeit Youth Development. National leaders instead of | | | | universally accepted value systems, broaden our |
| focusing more on the federal process that brings | | | | knowledge by exposing ourselves to what youth |
| about equitable development across the nation. The | | | | leaders and leaders from other age-groups and |
| National Leaders are over indulging in paraphelia | | | | countries are engaged in, learn and adapt what works |
| Federal structure which is suppresses the concept of | | | | best. |
| peace building, and reneging Youth development in | | | | In order to implement the youth initiative both nationally |
| Nation Building. | | | | and locally, all the stakeholders in youth awareness |
| The inability of the Niger Delta states to meet its | | | | and mobilisation should kick-off with their own style of |
| primary social obligation notably youth and other | | | | campaign coupled with statutory funding; where |
| socio-economic development provision and | | | | agenda are specified and accessed by a committee. |
| maintenance of internal order as well as its | | | | A key focus of these partnerships will be to take the |
| unconcealed order for misrule, epitomize a total failure | | | | local initiatives of youth nationally as expression by the |
| of national leadership process and structure within and | | | | Mission statement of the National Youth Council of |
| without. | | | | Nigeria (NYCN) and the National Youth Initiative Forum |
| Even though the youths of Niger Delta is wholly or | | | | (NYIF), and this is to ensure it bring them all, collectively |
| partly marginalized and displaced, the historical pivotal | | | | to a level in which they can be shared with other |
| causes of youth restiveness, which comprises of 96% | | | | youth, researchers and policy makers. This effort is |
| youth force in Niger Delta region is nonetheless caused | | | | unique in its approach in that it starts from the belief |
| by the antecedent of greed, political ambition and | | | | that youth are agents of change within their |
| individualized cause. This of course is an emphasis on | | | | communities. Most development programmes see |
| the disunity that has rocked the region's leaders, and | | | | youth as being the problem, on whom development |
| basically for the lack of various established | | | | programmes can fix. They treat youth as passive |
| organization's commitment in the region's politics, as the | | | | receptors, unable to act, and needing to be acted upon. |
| leaders are not accountable and transparent; or simply, | | | | This in recent time have been refuted, gnashed at and |
| militant groups finds it difficult to focus on a common | | | | fought with the last youth blow ever known. It is |
| goal, vision and ideology of the region's long national | | | | unacceptable, and any political process that |
| and economic deprivation over time, that makes the | | | | encourages such a misconception and |
| crisis seem even more complex, tactical and | | | | misrepresentation of the ideology of the youth as the |
| dangerous. | | | | fountain of nation building is doomed to fail, and |
| Let us give a helping hand to the young generation, | | | | research indicates that such a process will continue to |
| uplift their morale to enable them to revive the national | | | | fail. |
| character and to carry on the process of national | | | | |