Dear Moderator,
I hope I am not getting to the nerves by appearing to be making excess inputting into the forum. If so, please bear with me for I cannot help it because as per as I am concerned the issue on hand is equivalent to designing new molding machine to produce building blocks for rebuilding the failed Nigerian state. I am so happy to be part of it all with the hope things will pick up for better of future Nigeria.
I concur with Mr Robert Kibaya of KIRUCODO Uganda on youth lacking seriousness. You see, In Nigeria youth negative attitude to agriculture is also a product of ‘LIVE GOOD WORK LESS’ system that was perpetrated by unpatriotic corrupt leaders. Generally, youth of the age in focus are at two-barrel social-gun point. One barrel is leadership system that flourish corruption of the highest order and it radiates from petroleum fortunes of the country but not agriculture or taxpayer’s. The second barrel is life style demonstrated by off-springs of the corrupted leaders and their cohorts. The effect on up-coming youth is loathing agriculture, its practitioners and advocators alike. Corrupt leaders are all over the place rural and urban hence their off-spring too who cannot hide their gaudy life style of riding latest car models at under 18, dressing in exquisite movie-styled local attire, distorting marriage folk norms and living in electricity wired tall concrete fenced house often referred to as ‘private prison’ by victims of the system.
Poisoned minds of ‘normal youth’ suddenly develop into a rush to make money and live similar pseudo life style. In school they pursue accountancy and banking courses with the intension to become cashiers in secured employment but certainly not interested in pursuing agriculture-based courses or become owners of farm business. Those that failed to continue schooling because the social disease has become serious canker worm boring deeply inside them, such youth can list all the team members of Manchester united football club off-head with no mistake. But for sure ask them to differentiate maize and bean at germination stage you will be disappointed.
Whether we like it or not, these youth will by next 30 years be children bearers and leaders by design or mistake, let us work towards the positive. Majority of all religious disaster in the country have large youth content. Just recently, youth of the lower post 18 are found involved in kidnapping for a ransom (emerging fast money making industry in Nigeria), latest involving woman senator that which has now prompted national and state assembly debate to pass a bill with heavy penalty - to hopefully contain escalation of the crime?
The challenge is herculean. Restoring youth mindset on agriculture, give them knowledge and skill, encourage legitimate productivity, create sustainable opportunities for them and strategize to retain them on the job to the point they become mentors and advocators of agribusiness to new upcoming youth generation.
Thank you.
Mr. Rabiu Auwalu Yakasai