| THE YOUTH, CURBING RESTIVENESS AND | | | | make their voices heard, they resorted to violence. |
| VIOLENCE THROUGH EDUCATION, | | | | The fight against youth restiveness is |
| ENTERTAINMENT AND SPORTS | | | | not won with threats but in letting the youths see |
| | | | | reasons to be rather constructive than destructive. |
| Youth is the period between childhood | | | | This can be achieved by empowering young people |
| and adult age and the qualities associated with being | | | | with functional skills that will make them economically |
| young. Restiveness is a state of restlessness and | | | | self reliant and able to contribute to the growth of |
| impatience. The youth has two assets: brain and | | | | the country. It is the right of every Nigerian to be |
| brawn. When brawn which is the physical ability is | | | | educated. There should be study centres were |
| employed in negative areas, the result is violence but | | | | youths are registered and sponsored by institutions, |
| the former brain which is intellectual ability is mainly | | | | foundations and states across the country and |
| for meaningful pursuits. When the brain has no | | | | abroad. The issue of youths not having certificates |
| opportunity for expression and it combines with | | | | and skills to be gainfully employed would be narrowed |
| brawn in negativity, one can only imagine the extent | | | | down through skills acquisition programmes and |
| of damage this will bring. | | | | institutes. Private companies can award scholarships |
| Youth restiveness and violence is a | | | | to deserving youths towards finding a lasting solution |
| reaction to the failure of the government, | | | | to youth unrest. Youths should be sponsored to get |
| multinational companies and Nigerians. An instance is | | | | trained in film, music and art schools. A particular fixed |
| the issue of the Jos crisis. For years people have | | | | amount can be constantly awarded to students who |
| divided themselves into various religious groups and | | | | excel in these educational centres as avenue for |
| the embers of ethnic and religious strife have been | | | | them to start their own commercial activity to |
| glowing but no action was taken to extinguish them. | | | | prevent idleness. Education should be taken to the |
| Youths formed illegal security bodies/militia and took | | | | creeks and riverine areas since they do not have the |
| laws into their own hands but the government did | | | | means to reach it. |
| nothing about it. This result has led to killings in Jos | | | | Entertainment brings people together. |
| for many years. In March 2010, people were killed | | | | Programmes to teach the youth how to explore the |
| again, both men, women and children. Youth are used | | | | many career and entrepreneurial opportunities |
| to perpetrate this kind of violence in the guise of | | | | available in the entertainment industry should be |
| fundamentalism and propagating their own faith. | | | | organized. If the youth develop a strong sense of |
| Another example is the ‘Boko | | | | mission and responsibility, they would have a driving |
| Haram' which means ‘Western Education is | | | | force which would encourage peace and progress. |
| unlawful'. It was an opportunity for youth's | | | | Foundations to support entertainment in schools and |
| perpetrated violence. Extreme fundamentalists | | | | communities can be established. These foundations |
| preyed on poor ill-educated people for | | | | motivate the youth to develop their practical and |
| self-aggrandizement. The Boko Haram sect opposed | | | | competitive skills. They could partner with sports |
| everything Western, including education. Lots of | | | | organizations that work with the youths in developing |
| youths joined the group in the hope of wiping out | | | | responsibility and financial independence. |
| Western education and even the government in all its | | | | Shows for youths to showcase their |
| ramifications. They were taught to use guns and | | | | talent in entertainment and sports should be |
| they abducted children. They had clashes with the | | | | organized regularly. Sports have a special attraction |
| law enforcement agents leading to death and arrests | | | | to young people as it offers opportunity for physical |
| of many youths. | | | | challenges. Organized sports has a potential to attract |
| The Niger Delta is a region in Nigeria | | | | young people who are unmatched by other voluntary |
| endowed with enormous natural resources of which | | | | organizations. Sports give them an area to channel |
| oil is the most exploited. The genesis of conflict and | | | | their energy. |
| militancy in the area goes back to the perception of | | | | The youth are the greatest |
| injustice surrounding the distribution of oil wealth. A | | | | investment for a nation's sustainable growth, |
| secondary cause was severe environmental pollution | | | | stakeholders should help in empowering the youth |
| from oil exploration which rendered the vast territory | | | | since the government alone can no longer handle it. If |
| agriculturally useless. The people could neither fish nor | | | | the youth are usefully engaged and aware, they |
| farm. This turned fledgling community conflicts into | | | | would not resort to violence as a solution to every |
| hard core criminal activities by the turn of the last | | | | disagreement. |
| century. | | | | The long term solution is to explore |
| The government did not respond | | | | youth potential for enterprise revolution through |
| when the youth initially called for aid and in order to | | | | youth empowerment. No youth should be left behind. |