There is no gainsay
ing the fact that youth of a nation represent and stand as the pillar and the future leaders of that nation.
If the youth of a nation have failed in their responsibilities and are weak, what then, do that nation hold for a better tomorrow?
According to the wall Street Journal (April 6, 1990), one may define the Ideal Youth as a balanced individual exhibiting a highly spiritual life, informed by absolute moral values and whose behaviour demonstrates qualities such as righteousness, honesty, humility and conscientiousness in everything he or she does. It is clear that the above attributes are contrary to the attributes seen in 70 per cent of our youth today.
It is obvious and unarguable that today, our youth are facing a lot of challenges which include identity crisis. Identity is one of the vital things any individual should have one without identity, is lost. It is obvious that most of our youths have lost their identity directly or indirectly, most especially in terms of our culture and tradition.
It is regrettable that our today’s youth now practice and prefer the western,  culture, abandoning our own culture, Traditions are no more valued in our society today. How many of our youth can proudly speak their dialect. How many of our youth know about the customs and traditions of their people? Strange enough most of them are not even interested in having a view about it.
Today, our youth no longer value the traditional marriage. When they are just able to do the white man’s tradition, white wedding as they will call it, they won’t bother again about the traditional ceremony in as much as they have seen the bride’s parent.
Unknown to them that our traditional marriage have greater significant than the white wedding because that is the white man culture.
This is critical in our country because we consider the whiteman’s culture to be superior and we have taken all their words hook, line and sinker. They use the name of Christianity to term our culture evil and bad. Yes, there are some repugnant culture that should be abolished, but there are basic culture that easily tells where one hails from.
How many people or youth still value our native attire? How many  people still offer cola nut as a mark of welcome to visitors?
How many of our youth still bow when greeting their elders?
Much as it seems, parents contribute greatly in pushing our culture away from our youths and children. Some parents want their children to learn the whitemans’ language before their dialect. If by tomorrow the children cannot speak their dialect how then can they teach their own children their dialect? If parents still practice and teach their children their basic culture and tradition, most of these atrocities committed by youths will not be in the increase.
Government should ensure that our Nigerian Languages and culture are strictly taught in our various institutions, from nursery to tertiary. On their own part, young parent should not stop the flow of our culture and tradition to their children. Our culture is our identity, and our identity is our pride and it should be valued.
Another area is moral conduct. Our today’s youth lack morals in terms of speech, behaviour and dressing. Foul language has become the order of the day. They lack respects.
Today’s youth, especially boy no longer prefer to feed on vegetables, foods. Rather, they spend their whole money to feed on drugs, alcohol and cigarette even when they are aware that these habits are detrimental to their health. And this is why Nigerian youths die young.
But giving this case a closer view, one will agree that taking drugs alcohol  and cigarette is not bad, but what makes it bad is when it is abused.
You will agree with me that to an extent the Nigeria military force have hand in this together with some top officials and eminent people in the society. The military men started misusing it and are still doing so, they take it to get themselves high, so they can freely intimidate civilians without fear. When some civilian youths who look up to these military men as role model find out the secret, they freely gave in to the behaviour.
It is all too well known that drugs like cocaine have been banned in this country, so how then do some youths still get access to them. It is obvious that some custom officers and other security personnel are not doing their work loyally.

Ikejemba, writes from Tansian University.

Now government is using force to stop these immoral conducts. How can they be tackled when thye themselves are the law breakers?
Something is dirty we use water to wash it. When water is dirty what shall we use to wash it? So the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) should look out and lets call a spade a spade.
In the aspect of dressing, most youth are yet to realize that there is more to decency. Skimpy, wears, nude dressings and sagging have become the order of the today’s fashion.
Little do they know that it exposes them to sexual harassment and depicts irresponsilities. It is said that the way you dress shows who you are and determines the manner of approach to you.
If you are not a prostitute and you dress like one, people will definitely address you as a prostitute. Similarly, if you are not a criminal and you dress like one, obviously, people’s eyes will be on you.
It is sad that some parents are the ones encouraging these. Even fashion designers are themselves not helping matters at all. They unveil designs neither they nor their children would wear.
Are nude dressing and fashion pant of civilization? Government should check the activities of fashion designers in Nigeria.
Some lecturers in some of our various institutions permit any kind of dressing code into their lecture hall. Yes, it is a university and everybody has his/her own life to live the way they want. But they are still student. So a student should dress like a student when coming from lecture and not dressing like a party order. If some parents could not pass such conduct to their children, institutions should help as they are citadels of learning.
Worse still, is the negative impact of electronic and social media: Entertainment. No doubt that the birth of technology and social media have brought about transformation and globalization. In our country and the world at large. But is has done more harm than good in our society.
Most youths have allowed themselves to be addicted and drawn into social media activities like chatting, hacking and frauding online.  More than average Nigerian youths spend nothing less than 12 hours of their time doing nothing, but chatting online with friends while others are on pornography movies and photos.
According to John McCdwels view on the negative impact of technology that we are witnessing a phenomenal advancement in technology over the last three decades, and our citizens are expressing remarkable social and cultural change.
That technology has influenced the way we think about life in general and interpersonal human relations in particular. Certainly, religion should influence all aspects of our life. It regulates our relationship to God and fellow human beings.
Also that television in particular has gone beyond it mandate to assist the family and the school  in providing visual aid and education to the young. It has taken upon itself to the destructive and distingrative instincts, to provoke greed, unlimited self-gratification, and absence of moral restraint in its young audience.
There is a need for Muslims to join other religious groups in the quest for more responsible TV programming.
Religious groups must create alternate avenues for recreation and social interaction. There should be avenues where spiritual and social activities combine to make the average child a whole human being whose life is directed to God.
In accordance to Mrs Adebisis on an interview, she said that the major problem is that most youth have turn away from the part of God and that most youth have deviated from righteousness. And that if youths amends their way and change their mind setting towards the way of God, that definitely  half of these challenges will be tackled. So she is calling on all the youths to follow the way of God and do the right thing at the right time.
In conclusion, it is time we realize that we have challenges that we must face. All hand msut be on deck to tackle it. Let all the youth know that the nation and society needs their strength and ability. The youths should give the nation and society hope for a better tomorrow and not to make them think we are lost generation.
Ikejemba, writes from Tansian University.

Chianugo Ikejemba