Ekemini James|16 August 2016
The truth is, of all the recent events and happening in this world of hardship with particular reference to our country, Nigeria, where politics has become a breeding domain for all manners of evils and religion a factory where these hardship are designed, constructed and manufactured, nothing was strong enough to politically, psychologically, emotionally, socially, and economically arose my pen nor shrewd my interest other than the theme for this year International Youth Day tagged “THE ROAD TO 2030: ERADICATING POVERTY AND ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION”. The question is how can we achieve this? The idea of eradicating poverty to me, is not solely government agenda nor individual thing but a collective responsibility of each and every one of us.
International Youths Day is an awareness day designated by the United Nations. The purpose of The day is to draw attention of youths to a given cultural and legal issues surrounding youth worldwide. It was first observed on 12th of August, 2000.
This year's International Youth Day, I like to state categorically that Nigeria under the current political architecture would continue to give birth to well-trained arm robbers until government and her agencies thoroughly purged out those things that infest the system negatively.
However, one of the things that infest the system is poverty. Poverty is walking naked in Nigeria. We can't claim ignorance of it. Nigerian's population is said to have reached about 167 million people in 2012 (National Bureau of Statistics). The National Population Commission (NPoC, 2013) states about half of the population is made up of youth, defined as individuals between 15 and 34 years of age.
Unfortunately, as youth population grows, so does the unemployment rate. In fact, unemployed youths numbered about 11.1 million in 2012 and that is when the economy was better who knows maybe 22.2 millions in the current political dispensation.
Let's not keep mute on vital things bothering us. Government can't be claiming to fight corruption when there are no jobs. There is need for revolution else things be done right because we can't continue like this. President Buhari should gather youth and discuss various government policies and programs that will address unemployment and bad economy.
I know we can't create a society that is devoid of poverty. Even in America, there is poverty; but we can build a society that poverty and corruption will drastically reduced to atomic size. The only way Nigeria can meet up with the world's standard by 2030 is by restructuring Nigeria.
Any sensitive Government should know that any attempt to neglect youths in the polity is a call for revolution, corruption and violence.
Secondly, I like to state practical ways of achieving sustainable consumption because the global consumption of natural resources is unsustainable. Rapid economic growth in Nigeria and the growing population put an increasing environmental conditions and natural resources meaning future consumption pattern have to be markedly different to avoid catastrophic environmental and social consequences.
However, the issue of food loss and waste is properly the most striking example of the profound imbalances in consumption and production patterns. We need to return to era of agriculture.
According to the Central Bank of Nigeria's data (2003), oil still accounts for our major revenue (gearing towards 80%) and still almost 100% of our export earnings. Although agriculture (particularly forestry, livestock and fishing) is shown to serve as the major activity of the majority of Nigerians; it is clear that we indulge in agriculture purely as personal survival strategies rather than as a calculated effort to warming the engine of our countries economy. This is where our national economic problem lies.
The gospel of economic salvation, achieving sustainable consumption and embracing natural resources cannot be preached without due regards to agricultural development. It is the major and most certain path to economic growth and achieving sustainable consumption and eradicating poverty.
In this year International Youth Day, I call on every youth and government to avoid financial recklessness which is the bane of our economy, create jobs, embrace peace and invest in agriculture as this will make Nigeria great again.
Happy International Youth Day 2016
Ekemini James
Writes from Akwa Ibom State