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Int’l Youth Day: Our Expectations In 2021 And Beyond
Continued from last Friday. Young people are on the frontlines of the struggle to build a better future for all.The Covid -19 pandemic has highlighted the dire need for the kind of transformational change they seek and young people must be full partners in that effort”.This was a comment of United Nation’s Secretary -General,AntonioGuterres during the 2021 International Youth Day which was celebrated worldwide on 12th August 2021 with the theme,”Transforming Food Systems -Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health”.
In view of this, The Tide reached out to young people to voice out their feelings concerning their hope in 2021 and beyond in relation to the theme of this year’s celebration.
Nengi Emmanuel, Student, University of Port Harcourt
I hope to see our country Nigeria have a balance and measure up with other countries of the world.I also hope to see a reduction in the area of corruption and crime rate in this country. It is a pity that young people are involved in some of these things due to poverty. I know that young people can do something for themselves even before graduating from university.
We, as young people should be actually involved in agriculture. Our parents have a lot to do on this through encouragement. I do fish farming and poultry business owned by my family. I started working there when I was in secondary school.
Here in Nigeria,we import more than we export. Young people can champion food production. Those that have similar interest can come together and work towards achieving good security in our country. There are so many Non – Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Nigeria that can help people achieve this. Government on the other hand should create more opportunities for young persons to work. Government can also make available machineries in farms,that will help the various steps in production like planting and harvesting, this can help create a suitable work place.
For Health,there hasn’t been proper sensitisation. We ,the young people, we have the power of the social media to carry out sensitisation programmes online, we can give out information and follow up the masses to make sure they are in tune with the information. We can also move around physically, we have the strength,we can cover more areas than the older ones,we can give vaccines. We can have health/medical centres where young people who are in the medical line can go into medical research work and come out with vaccines that can cure some of the diseases we are experiencing. It is not only Covid-19,we need to come up with vaccines for malaria.
Anozie Emmanuel Okechukwu, Registered Nurse
I hope to enjoy my success in a safe environment. I also hope for Nigeria to fix poverty, insecurity and create jobs.When most youths graduate from school, there are no jobs.The older generation is sitting tight on the jobs. Government should come up with apprenticeship programmes to train the youths for government jobs so that when the older ones retire,it will be easy to replace them. When the youths don’t have job opportunities, they will be forced to do bad things to survive but the sensible ones go into entrepreneurship to survive. The youths need guidance from the older generation.
Here in America,youths go under the wings of the elders in society. They have job opportunities right from schools. They have a lot of grants for youths especially this Covid period where a lot of people lost their jobs. Government gave “Stimulus Money”(about $1000) three times. I know some NGOs gave out food and money to people in Nigeria,this should be more than food.They should help old people,widows to start businesses and orphans to go to school.
In the area of agriculture,Nigeria’s economy will do better if government seriously go into this sector. They should cut down on importation and use our own natural resources to feed the nation. They should think of exportation and give the youths the chance to harness this area. This will make our economy stronger. For me,even as a medical person, I can focus on livestock, maybe poultry farm and cow rearing,where I can get processed meat,milk and cheese. Government should help the youths to create avenues to own farms because we have the energy and we can do a lot,we cannot waste our strength in kidnapping and armed robbery.
For the health aspect,this is my area. When most youth graudate from medical school,they look to go abroad. I don’t blame them because medical practitioners in Nigeria are not compensated. This encourages braindrain. This is a problem because most of the best experts are abroad. Government should work on the youths, train them well so that they don’t leave the country. I wish Nigeria could be like other countries where we could perform major surgeries instead of people travelling abroad for healthcare services. Nigerian government should cut down the healthcare cost especially for the old people. In the U.S,old people are being paid $500 a month which goes into their medicals and covers them. There should be a change. Government can start small and grow.
Lilian Fubara, Entrepreneur.
I hope to see Nigeria change for good. I believe that the future is bright because Nigeria is a great country. We have all the resources we need to make it. Employment should be available for the youths,even men and women are ready to work but no jobs. I hope to see good roads, constant electricity and better healthcare for everyone.
Agriculture is very good and important. Government should involve the youths in this area to boost food production. Like I know many youths that are farming in Etche Local Government Area. Even in Ogu Town here,youths are into fish farming and piggery to survive. Government can expand on all these . Like now,more people are not planting cassava,that is why garri is very expensive. If youths are encouraged to plant more cassava,and other crops,the price of food stuffs will come down.
For me, I can plant cassava and vegetables,if I have the opportunity and resources. I’m into hair dressing. jobs don’t come every day but it is better than nothing.Concerning healthcare,government needs to train more workers especially youths, I am one of the youths that were trained to go round the local government areas to administer vaccines for children immunization. There is joy in us to work for four days round the clock every time there is immunization,but we are not encouraged.
By: Ibinabo Ogolo
It is the idea of God that family should exit. Children form part of the family. God loves family so much that Jesus was born into the family of Joseph.
Everyone’s family is good and important. Children should not look down on their family whether they are rich or poor.
Children should respect and honour their family and foster love among their siblings. They should work together and make peace in the family. They should always stand in the gap. It is good for family members to carry all along since everyone may not be doing well.
The Christianity that children learn is practised in family. Faith-based organisations do a great job in moulding children’s character. Those are the behaviours that children exhibit towards siblings in family.
Every child born in a family is there for a purpose. A baby born into a family is supplying something. It may be joy, wealth and so on. Everyone is important in a family.
Adolescents who have graduated from school but may not be contributing financially can do one or two things at home. You can engage in preparing meals at home while parents are away for a job or business. Contributing in house chores will go a long way to relieve parents of stress after a day’s job.
What do you contribute to your family, especially during holidays both in nuclear and extended family?
The family you were born is constant but friends are temporary. You can decide not to continue in friendship but you cannot cut off your family. No matter how bad you think your family is and you decide to leave home, you must surely return. Your friends can harbour you for a while.
The child’s first identity comes from the family. What the child learns first comes from the family.
Family is the centre of love and care. People have started playing down on marriage because of neglect on basics of family. Marriage starts today and and the next few months, it is threatened. Respect for family plays a crucial role in marriage.
No child grows without parental control and influence. If a child refuses to grow without taking instructions from parents, he may grow up being wild. There are consequences when children do not obey their parents. There are those who want to be rebellious against their parents. They should know that their length of days are tied to their parents.
Your bioligical parents know you more than every other person. There is the wisdom and knowledge your parents have that you do not so it is proper to listen to them before choosing carriers both in academics and job. A young man or woman can choose who to get married to, but a greater role in the choice of who to marry and the marriage proper comes from the parents.
They know what is best for you. No matter how modern trends will influence you and prove it wrong, parent is the key. No one can love you more than your parents because they are your blood.
A lot of parents have been traumatised due to the fact that children they nurtured and trained turned their back on them at older age. Children should not abandon their parents for any reason.
As you grow up, situations may arise in marriage when you decide it is over with your spouse, but no matter the level of provocation with your parents, they will not despise you. Parents will also play a role in that regard. Problem arises in every family but how it is handled matters a lot.
Some children honour their mentors more than their parents. Although there are parents who shy away from their responsibilities. It is important that parents take full responsibility of their children. You cannot bring a child to the planet earth and refuse to perform roles as a parent. But parents may not quantify what they spent from childhood to adolescence. That is a blessing children cannot get from another person.
There are people who have attributed their failure in life to the fact that their parents, especially mothers are witchcraft. It is wrong to feel that your mother is instrumental to your failure in life. The only way to success is hardwork.
Let money not determine the level of love for your parents. Wherever a child goes, family is constant.
Eunice Choko-Kayode
Naturally, when a child is born, it is the role of the father and mother to decide a suitable name for the child. The husband and wife normally discuss and suggest the English or vernacular name of the baby.
But sometimes, when a baby comes into a family, grandparents hearts are usually filled with joy to the extent that they want to answer present, by giving their own names not minding the fact that the biological parents have given theirs.
This happens mostly when the marriage is an inter-tribal one. It also happens even in intra-tribal marriage. Grandparents want equal representation as far as naming a child is concerned. They also have special names as a result of circumstances surrounding the birth of the child.
This is still happening till date.
A lot of people have viewed this in different ways but there is nothing wrong about it. The most important thing is that the child bears as many names as he or she can. But one thing is certain, the child must bear one name in school.
Should circumstance determine a child’s name?
Women who are more emotional are always eager to name their children considering the circumstances surrounding the child’s conception and arrival.
The issue of grandparents naming a child comes up mostly when it is the first of the family.
In naming children by some parents in the olden days, they named their children according to the days in the week in which they were born, like Sunday, Monday, Friday and so on.
You may be shocked to hear that whether a child is given 10 names by parents or grandparents, when he or she grows up, will decide to change. There are several cases where some persons decided to change especially when they feel that the names given by their parents and grandparents do not give them joy. If they are not doing well in life, they may claim that their misfortune is caused by the name their parents.
Competition among children in schools be it primary, (kindergarten) and secondary come in different forms. It can be Mathematics , debate, quiz, spelling bee,competition, from organisations like Cowbell, multi-national companies, faith-based organisations among others.
They are organised mostly for selected intelligent ones, the best among their peers to represent a class, school or group. Prizes are normally set aside for the best as well as consolation prizes for runners-up at the end of each session.
The question is, are children willing to accept defeat when they fail? As parents, guardians, can you encourage your children or wards to accept defeat instead of shouting and comparing them with others who may be performing better either in schools or outside.
Some parents may be blaming their children for not doing well in competitions. They will like to tell their children if others who may perform better have ten heads. Those group of parents blame their children for every failure.
For your children to do better in competition, the parents too must have emotional intelligence. When you continue to blame your children for failure, how intelligent are you?
Some parents always want their children to be in the 1st position and unhappy whenever they secure 2nd position. There were instances where children smashed their trophies because they never got the position they wanted to get and their parents supported them.
Children should be able to accept it whether they win or not. They should be encouraged for every performance. Discourage the issue of “shame, shame, shame, shame”.
A parent says she always tells her children to win even if they will fail. Always give them the mentality that they can win. Children should be given the impression that they can win prizes and laurels in every competition.
Parents should not isolate their children from others in the neighbourhood. Allow them to play with others. Don’t threaten your children that you may not pay their schools fees if they fail. Comparing them with others may encourage or discourage them.
Coming first or getting award as a first class student from the university sometimes does not mean that the person is the best. And if the child does not merit any award in the lower classes, does not mean that he can not merit first class also.
It should be noted that coming first in academic competition may not really mean that the competitor will be the best at work place or business.
Accepting defeat is a way to move higher. Even if a child who competed with others did not come first, there are consolation prizes for runners-up. When you advise the child to accept defeat, you are encouraging her to win in next competition.
Remember all children cannot be on the same knowledge level Their learning abilities defer.
Eunice Choko-Kayode
