By Socrates Odje, Warri.
Political Office holders in the country have been advised to embark on functional youth empowerment programs which transcends beyond giving people money for political patronage, buying and distributing Motor-Cycles for local transportation business (“Okada”) or buying Umbrellas and chairs for GSM call services.
The call was made by Mr. Justus Iwegbu in his paper titled “Youth Empowerment: A Pivot for Sustainable Community Development,” presented at a one-day seminar organized by Ute-Okpu Youth Association held at the weekend at Ute-Okpu, stressing on the need for re-orientation of the political class towards youth empowerment.
Mr. Iwegbu a lecturer with the Department of Social Studies, College of Education, Agbor, Delta State, described youth empowerment as an attitudinal, structural, and cultural process whereby young people gain the ability, authority and power to make decisions and implement change in their own lives and the lives of other people.
He decried the present trend being entrenched by some greedy politicians who hide under the name of empowerment to enslave their people, adding that the only potent way forward for youth empowerment is youth development through entrepreneurship education.
“Effective and functional youth empowerment programmes transcends giving people money for political patronage, buying and distributing Motor-Cycles for local transportation business (“Okada”) or buying Umbrellas and chairs for GSM – call services. This form of empowerment will only end up mortgaging the future of our youths and perpetually enslaving their lineage.”
“Functional youth empowerment programmes means giving our youths skills, knowledge and competence that will make them self-reliant and have a secured future, a future full of hope, a future where they will have enough to eat and to train their children, a future where they will be in position to contribute their own quota to all community development efforts. We must collectively do our best to end the deceit of limiting youth empowerment programmes to “Okada” riding and pay – phone service,” Mr. Iwegbu stated.
He regretted that the whole idea of this “Okada” debacle is to keep the youths in the village where they will remain ready tools for use in perpetrating political crimes while the children of the political masters are sent abroad or Nigerian cities for quality education, so that political leadership and economic power will remain in their household.
“Empowering young people means creating and supporting the enabling conditions under which they can act on their own terms, rather than at the discretion of others who are determined to perpetually destroy the future of these youths. The only potent way forward for youth empowerment is youth development through entrepreneurship education.”
“Entrepreneurship has lifted nations like Germany, China, Japan, etc to the level they are today. We can collectively achieve a perfect youth empowerment programme if we pull resources (Cash and Knowledge) together to give our youths who are the strength of our community skills, knowledge, competence and managerial abilities. Let us learn to teach our youth how to fish instead of giving them fishes. Let the era of “Okada” and pay – phone business come to an end today so that our youths and community can experience economic transformation and improved standard of living,” Mr. Iwegbau conclude