Popular film maker turned youth ambassador, Umanu Elijah, has lamented challenges faced by Nigerian youths, and urged Federal and state governments to address their lingering plight.
In a statement issued during the week, the award winning film maker noted that about 80% of our political class in the country today started as youth.
According to him, the political elites are aware of the power that lies underneath the young force, and that’s why they are doing everything possible to make the country’s political system scary and unattractive for the youth to get involved in it.
“They make it look like an occultic society, where you have to bathe yourself in the stream of Vibranium before you can get involved. But as citizens, we should never turn our back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If we do that, we will double the danger,” Elijah stated.
The film maker, however, posited that engaging youths would prepare them for a better future instead of engaging in kidnapping and other social vices inimical to the development of the country.
For him, if the youths are properly engaged, we would automatically reduced the looming danger by 50%.
“There is a great potential in young people. It is like dynamite. Dynamite can do great good when used in the right way. It can pave the way for new buildings, schools, lakes, highways, and numerous other projects which will benefit mankind. In the wrong hands, though, it can be used to take life, often thousands of lives. Young people have the same potential for good or bad.
“Adolph Hitler understood the power of young people. After he came to power in Germany in 1932 one of the early actions he took was to outlaw all youth groups, especially the religious ones.
“In their place, he formed the Hitler Youth and the German League of Young Girls. In these organizations, young people were taught to revere Hitler and serve him without question.
Elijah, who’s the founder of TUDI Africa (an NGO that focus on Edo state development) and also one of the pioneer of Edo Focus,’ however, maintained that it’s the duty of every citizen according to his best capacities to give validity to his convictions in leadership and political affairs.
Stressing further, the film maker noted that there is an urgent need on the part of youths involved in criminal activities to retrace their steps while the government tries to engage unemployed youths in decent means of livelihood.
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