Preparing the youth for the future

By ALEX ABUTU

In May, 500 youths from 37 countries converged in Abuja to dialogue with policy makers on issues militating against a smooth transition of young people into adults.

Among issues tackled at that meeting, which was attended by researchers and scientists, were reproductive health and growth processes.

Sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the conference, tagged ''Investing in young peoples' health and development,'' provided a platform for youths to express their opinions on their welfare and how best to maximise their potential.

According to Prof. Oladosu Ojengbede, the National Chairman of the Conference Steering Committee, the forum became necessary following findings that the youth were ''very vulnerable'' to issues plaguing the society today.

''What we are creating is a unique gathering of researchers and policy makers to freely share knowledge that will promote and prepare the youth for a new world,'' he said.

Ojengbede declared that the youth formed 40 per cent of the world population and ''cannot be neglected by any responsible government''.

Nigeria's First Lady, Hajia Turai Yar'adua, who shared Ojengbede's call for proper attention to the youth, challenged policy makers and leaders to ensure a ''very meaningful investment'' in young people.

''Without proper development of young people, society is doomed as there will be no future,'' she said.

''A youth who will effectively deliver on the future is the one that has been adequately prepared for it; one in whom the society has sufficiently invested and provided relevant opportunities to optimise potential.

''With over one billion young people between the ages of 10 and 24 living today, the need to confront the challenges facing them in various areas of development -- health, education and employment -- has never been greater.''

In her remarks, Ms Elizabeth Lule, of the World Bank, said that the current global youth bulge provided an unprecedented opportunity to take advantage of the largest pool of children and youth in record history.

''The youth can be a positive force for change for the future,'' she observed.

But perhaps the most crucial aspect of the conference was when researchers and organisations presented their findings concerning the youth.

Reports from the World Health Organisation (WHO) raised an alarm over the growing number of youths hooked on tobacco.

In its paper presented by Dr Elizabeth Mason, Director, Department of Child and Adolescent Health and Development, WHO revealed that 150 million adolescents use tobacco.

According to the paper, 80 per cent of those youths started smoking before the age of 18.

''If the pattern of tobacco use today continues, a lifetime of tobacco use would result in the death of 250 million people alive today, most of them in developing countries,'' the organisation stated.

Besides tobacco, another major cause of death among young people is road traffic accidents.

The WHO director suggested a ban on adverts promoting tobacco usage, and also advocated high tariffs that would increase the prices of cigarettes.

Another paper, presented by Akinrinola Bankole, of the Guttmacher Institute, New York, acknowledged that today's youths are confronted with the risk of HIV and AIDS, as well as unplanned pregnancy.

To minimise the effect of such dangers, Bankole said that the young people must be supported and empowered to successfully confront the challenges of Sexually Transmitted Infections, especially HIV.

''Because of the unique dual protection it offers for sexually active people, the use of condom must be promoted among the young people,'' he suggested.

Bankole said that findings from years of research had shown that youths in the West African sub-region did not use the condom satisfactorily.

''Education, especially practical education, is a major determinant of knowledge of correct condom use and must be taught,'' he said.

Another study, presented by Ann Moore from the same institute, showed a prevalence of exchange of money and gift for sex among unmarried adolescents in Africa.

The study thus blamed promiscuity in the African region on poverty and particularly cited another research conducted in four African countries.

''The research by Nyovani Madise of the University of Southampton, UK, said that poverty appeared to influence early sexual debut, especially among females.

''That study also showed that the poor were less likely to use condom, which means that poverty, by influencing sexual behaviour, could influence the transmission of HIV infection,'' the study stated.

Giving credence to youths' claims that they had suffered neglect over the years, Mrs Saudatu Sani, the Chairman of Nigeria's House of Representatives Committee on MDGs, said that government had not done enough to improve the youths' fortune.

She, however, blamed the executive arm of government, noting that the legislature had always done its part by passing laws to protect the rights to education, shelter and equal opportunities.

''As legislators, we have always done our part by passing these laws and appropriating monies for their pursuit.

''But we are always surprised that such appropriations as contained in the budget are not implemented even when the National Assembly has passed them,'' she said.

To force government to listen to them, she advised the youth to ''be more active'' and monitor the implementation of the budget, especially in areas that affect them.

''You as youths should have a strong voice on issues that concern you, especially when appropriated resources to address your critical needs are not implemented,'' she said.

In his remarks, the Minority Leader of the Senate, Sen. Olorunnimbe Mamora, blamed the neglect of the youth on the communication gap between them and their leaders.

He called for more interactive fora that would provide leaders and the youth the opportunity to converge and discuss issues.

Prof. Uche Onwudiegwu, of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife-Ife, however, disagreed with Mamora that there was a communication gap.

''I think government has always deliberately left out the youth in all its programmes.''More than one million youths take the UME every year which has provision for only 200,000, but no one cares what happens to the rest 800,000 who cannot make it to the universities,'' he said.

He said that the continued approval of private universities charging outrageous fees was another pointer to the fact that government was not interested in what happened to the youth.

For Master Hassan Mohammed, a youth, the government is paying lip-service to issues affecting them.''We are fondly called the leaders of tomorrow but no one prepares for that tomorrow; today most of us are out of school for reasons beyond us, while many others are roaming the streets.''

Muhammad called on government to plan ahead if it was really sincere about positioning them to take over the reins of power. At the end, the conference called for more attention to youth programmes by government, NGOs and donor agencies.

It suggested closer linkages between research programmes and policy development.

The participants also called for improved laws and policies as well as their prompt implementation, while advocating attention to adolescent girls who are among the most vulnerable of all the groups.

For many analysts, youths deserve special attention as they are always the victims of child marriage which impedes their right to education and robs them of every economic opportunity.

Such a marriage subjects the girl-child to sexual violence, they argue.

One such analyst, Dr Laura Laski, of the UN Fund for Population, calls for concerted efforts to check the trend as 100 million girls are anticipated to be married as children in the next 10 years.

''If we do not address this issue by getting the attention of governments through the UN, it will be difficult to achieve the MDGs as they affect the young people,'' she notes.