Recently there has been a flurry of articles across the Nigerian media spaces which suggest that our youth are a ‘time bomb’ waiting to explode. Some of these articles are based on the notion that our large numbers of uneducated and unemployed youth pose a threat to the nation’s security if urgent steps are not taken to address their situation. The authors of these articles find ready examples in the Niger Delta ‘militancy’ and the current Boko Haram crisis.

One such recent article was written by Paul Luberk and Michael Watts in NEXT newspaper. The duo demonstrate considerable understanding of the Nigerian situation by integrating a range of social theories – Marxism, youth bulge, greed, grievance, and horizontal inequality, to explain the causes of youth involvement in violence and the possible consequences of ignoring them. They have a point. Many of our young people are disgruntled, unhappy, disillusioned and have no sense of hope. Many leave university and are unable to find work for several years. Some do find work but are grossly underpaid. In the circumstance, many are unable to pay for health care, decent housing, and even food! Perhaps it is this sense of hopelessness and the inability of the youth to achieve their goals that could cause an uprising.

That said it is important to note that a large youth cohort also presents opportunities for economic growth over time. This is because if skilled, they could provide low-cost manpower needed for public works and infrastructural development projects. A youth population engaged in technology utilisation, innovation and viable economic activities presents enormous opportunities for economic growth. However, there are two problems. One is a skills deficit and the other is unfavourable business environment, which makes it difficult for small businesses to thrive.

To address these problems we need to invest massively in technical and vocational training both at basic school and senior secondary levels. We also need to invest more in the government technical colleges and crafts development centres. Unfortunately, there has been less and less emphasis in the development of artisanship and this is not healthy for economic growth and development. Then we need to make it possible for youth to own small businesses. We should address multiple taxation (harmonise federal, state and local taxes, and give tax breaks to youth-owned businesses), we need to address legal processes related to starting a small businesses. The one stop centre model established by the investment promotion council to encourage foreign direct investment can be replicated to enable youth receive advice and support towards completing legal processes related to starting their businesses.

Suffice it to say that our youth throughout the country are engaged in building small and medium scale businesses, some of them are thriving in the creation and utilisation of new technologies. Across the country, there are youth using their skills to do things differently, and these youth are law abiding tax payers. We can build on what currently exists and work towards achieving more. States could underwrite bank loans for youth starting their own businesses, and pursue vigorously ‘local content’ policies that ensure the youth resident in their states are employed on all public works projects. States need also to pursue labour laws which dignify work, regardless the category whether it is in a barber shop or a managerial position. This will encourage more young people to work, regardless where. It is also consistent with ILO’s decent work agenda, and I believe this is what many developed economies have achieved.

The other day, I saw young men my age collecting refuse, and I said to my taxi driver ‘our boys (and girls) are willing to work they just need to be given a chance.’ Contrary to claims that our young people are a disaster waiting to happen, I will say that many of our youth are creative, hardworking and innovative. With the right policies and support mechanisms in place, they will contribute immensely to the growth and expansion of our economy. We just need to give them a chance to prove themselves.

Recently there has been a flurry of articles across the Nigerian media spaces which suggest that our youth are a ‘time bomb’ waiting to explode. Some of these articles are based on the notion that our large numbers of uneducated and unemployed youth pose a threat to the nation’s security if urgent steps are not taken to address their situation. The authors of these articles find ready examples in the Niger Delta ‘militancy’ and the current Boko Haram crisis.

One such recent article was written by Paul Luberk and Michael Watts in NEXT newspaper. The duo demonstrate considerable understanding of the Nigerian situation by integrating a range of social theories – Marxism, youth bulge, greed, grievance, and horizontal inequality, to explain the causes of youth involvement in violence and the possible consequences of ignoring them. They have a point. Many of our young people are disgruntled, unhappy, disillusioned and have no sense of hope. Many leave university and are unable to find work for several years. Some do find work but are grossly underpaid. In the circumstance, many are unable to pay for health care, decent housing, and even food! Perhaps it is this sense of hopelessness and the inability of the youth to achieve their goals that could cause an uprising.

That said it is important to note that a large youth cohort also presents opportunities for economic growth over time. This is because if skilled, they could provide low-cost manpower needed for public works and infrastructural development projects. A youth population engaged in technology utilisation, innovation and viable economic activities presents enormous opportunities for economic growth. However, there are two problems. One is a skills deficit and the other is unfavourable business environment, which makes it difficult for small businesses to thrive.

To address these problems we need to invest massively in technical and vocational training both at basic school and senior secondary levels. We also need to invest more in the government technical colleges and crafts development centres. Unfortunately, there has been less and less emphasis in the development of artisanship and this is not healthy for economic growth and development. Then we need to make it possible for youth to own small businesses. We should address multiple taxation (harmonise federal, state and local taxes, and give tax breaks to youth-owned businesses), we need to address legal processes related to starting a small businesses. The one stop centre model established by the investment promotion council to encourage foreign direct investment can be replicated to enable youth receive advice and support towards completing legal processes related to starting their businesses.

Suffice it to say that our youth throughout the country are engaged in building small and medium scale businesses, some of them are thriving in the creation and utilisation of new technologies. Across the country, there are youth using their skills to do things differently, and these youth are law abiding tax payers. We can build on what currently exists and work towards achieving more. States could underwrite bank loans for youth starting their own businesses, and pursue vigorously ‘local content’ policies that ensure the youth resident in their states are employed on all public works projects. States need also to pursue labour laws which dignify work, regardless the category whether it is in a barber shop or a managerial position. This will encourage more young people to work, regardless where. It is also consistent with ILO’s decent work agenda, and I believe this is what many developed economies have achieved.

The other day, I saw young men my age collecting refuse, and I said to my taxi driver ‘our boys (and girls) are willing to work they just need to be given a chance.’ Contrary to claims that our young people are a disaster waiting to happen, I will say that many of our youth are creative, hardworking and innovative. With the right policies and support mechanisms in place, they will contribute immensely to the growth and expansion of our economy. We just need to give them a chance to prove themselves.

Interesting NEXT editorial.

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What drives Mr Jonathan’s agenda? Nigeria’s economic interests? Nigeria’s need to align itself with global forces? A humanitarian and development approach to nations that need our help? It is very confusing for any observer of our foreign policy to understand exactly what our national policy direction is. How is Nigeria engaging the world? The truth is – no one knows for sure.

What has been our response to the crises in different parts of Africa, especially Libya? What was our official position on the upheaval in Egypt? Is it the promotion of a strategic interest or is it, as we suspect, a scattershot approach to international relations that does not derive from any doctrine or policy? Yes, many problems in Nigeria’s past have been the results of weak leadership and a lack of direction, but our foreign policy has mostly been muscular and well defined.

Read full article here: http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Opinion/Editorial/5705417-146/story.csp

The leaders of the so-called Bric emerging economies have called for more influence – including Russia’s speedy entry to the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

The Bric countries are some of the world’s fastest-growing economies – China, India, Brazil and Russia.

South Africa is attending the group’s annual summit for the first time.

As well as the WTO call, the group has asked for certain changes to the global financial system.

These include a call for the International Monetary Fund to expand its use of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs), which are used as a quasi currency to transfer funds between member governments.

The Brics called for a broad-based international reserve currency system “providing stability and certainty”.

A joint communique, termed the Sanya Declaration, said the current system was no longer representative.

“The governing structure of the international financial institutions should reflect the changes in the world economy, increasing the voice and representation of emerging economies and developing countries,” it said.

At the summit on the southern island of Hainan, the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa said the recent financial crisis had exposed the inadequacies and deficiencies of the current monetary order, which has the dollar as the world’s most-used currency.

Chinese President Hu Jintao said: “The era demands that the Brics countries strengthen dialogue and co-operation.”

These countries are worried about the long-term direction of the dollar because of the US’s large trade and budget deficits.

China has been diversifying into euros to reduce its dependency on the value of the dollar.

The Brics also called for a greater say on the UN Security Council, on which only China and Russia of the group have a permanent seat.

Brics is a term coined by Goldman Sachs investment banker Jim O’Neill to highlight Brazil, China, Russia and India’s similarities in terms of their potential for development and growth.

It did not include South Africa.

He told the BBC it was a mystery as to why South Africa had been invited to participate in their meeting: “South Africa is small compared to these countries. South Africa is about half a per cent of global GDP.

“And there are other economies which have much more justification if they were to really look at similar potential to the Brics. Turkey, Indonesia, Mexico, Korea, even Saudi Arabia, Poland. I don’t really understand why the Chinese and the others agreed to it.”

The four nations have 40% of the world’s population and almost a fifth of the world’s growth.

BBC article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13076229

So the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has finally opened the floodgate for declaration of intents for the 2011 elections by announcing a timetable that includes voter registration in November, primaries by November and elections into various positions at state and federal levels in January 2011?

For those of us in the diaspora, 2011 represents a watershed in Nigeria’s history. If nothing, the election presents an opportunity for us to turn on a new leaf as a nation. This is no ordinary election but one in many. It is coming just after 50 years of slow, none or retarded national progress at different stages. This election is coming at a time that Nigerians for the first time have a real opportunity to upset the ‘establishment’ system of doing things. By establishment one refers to the ‘god fathers’ and ‘god mothers.’ Hopefully, this election for the first time would focus on the issues and not individuals. Although one expects that the persons presenting themselves for the presidency and governorship need to be above board and free of blemish.

For one, any presidential candidate has to tell us how s/he will solve the electricity problem once and for all. Every presidential candidate needs to tell us how our roads and infrastructure will become more functional. Every presidential candidate needs to tell us how portable drinking water will flow into people’s houses. How our airports will become better and functional. How our Civil service will be professionalized. How our universities will become true citadels of learning. Institutions that will place Nigeria once again on the highest levels of global education ranking, that will attract some of the best minds from all over the world to teach in Nigeria’s universities. Along with these, we need candidates who will tell us how they will tackle the problem of unemployment that has affected the entire country. 

We need candidates who will effectively address the health care system from primary through to tertiary levels and put a stop to this policy of ‘foreign treatment’ for senior government officials. We need candidates who will tell us clearly their security strategy for the country. We need candidates that understand global diplomacy. We need candidates who are ready to fight corruption regardless of who is involved. Candidates that will make sure our foreign policy is one that represents Nigeria’s interest and the interests of her citizens abroad, and not based on estacode driven foreign travel. We need candidates who will provide clear, time bound solutions to the Niger Delta challenge. 

Over these many years, Nigerians have received endless promises about how the problem of electricity supply will be solved, and it has never come to fruition. For one time, Nigerians need to ask for clear solutions. The recent mantra has been that ‘government has no business doing business.’ This is very funny. We cannot privatise wholesale. Government has to provide the basics. In a developing country like ours, infrastructure projects should be the responsibility of government. Unfortunately, all our efforts seem to focus on decentralisation and privatisation. While it is agreeable that decentralisation is a reasonably acceptable policy, can the same be said of privatisation? Does Nigeria have the needed institutional framework to make privatisation work for the tax payers? Along with privatisation comes the so-called public private partnership. In the end, do these partnerships yield good returns on the tax payers’ resources invested? To me, privatisation amounts to ‘passing the buck.’ But the buck stops with the government! There is no point trying to pass it along. Those presenting themselves for elections need to show that they have a good appreciation of the problems and are able to proffer solutions that work.

Solutions need to address the root causes. Why can’t the electricity system work in Nigeria for example? Is it corruption? Or is it the centralised nature of the institution responsible? Why can’t rail transport work in Nigeria? Is it the legal and legislative framework establishing the railway corporation? In these two sectors, why has it been impossible for states to truly invest directly? Why do we constantly need outside help even when our institutions have budgetary allocations that cover so many expenses? We need to ask the right questions in order to find solutions that work.

But asking questions needs to start from the grassroots. The village people, the community leaders, the women, the men and the young need to ask questions. They need to ask questions about health care, about education, about security, about transportation, about infrastructure such as roads, about social support, about employment, about electricity, about spaces for young people to play. There are many things to ask about, but the communities need to shape what to put on the agenda, and the candidates should be made to provide appropriate answers. 

In addition to asking, communities need to act. At different levels, there is a commitment that the votes should count. One would think that the first step for communities to make sure votes count is to go out en-mass to register when registration begins in October. The next step is to make sure that communities engage with their political representatives and those seeking electoral positions about what they have to offer. This should not be based on ethnic sentiments or such like, but based on issues. The third step is for people to go out and vote. Communities need to make sure that every vote is counted at the polling stations and the results declared. This is within the ambit of the electoral laws. Communities need to ‘encourage’ their kids not to carry arms or cause disruption. Communities need to take responsibility to report any of their ‘kids’ planning to cause disruptions. In these elections, the responsibility will not only be INEC’s, it will be everybody’s- communities, law enforcement, government institutions and most importantly the young people.

In our chequered national history, the young people have always being the real kingmakers. They have been the ones with the highest population. They have been the election riggers and ballot box snatchers. One hopes that in the 2011 elections, the young people will be the real heroes. The ones that will make sure every vote counts. They will be the ones to support their communities and ensure that the elections produce the best candidates. This task is a Herculean task, but it can be done!