Guts, Spunk and Moxie: The Other Side of The Nigerian Story
carving out honest paths through hard work, dedication and the support of conscientious leaders
“And so we push on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past” — F. Scott Fitzgerald
Nigerian Youths have been forced in the past few years to buckle down, fighting against strong odds to position themselves for a future which has often occupied their sleeping and waking hours.
In most countries, the youth have always led innovation and driven economic changes across the board. But not here. The narrative has been very different in these climes with a vast majority of the youth relegated to the background while the nation’s resources are constantly underutilized or misused completely.
There are thousands of unemployed youths and lots more poised to leave institutions of higher learning for the unfriendly labour market.
According to predictions by the Nigerian minister of labour, the unemployment rate is set to hit 33.5% this 2020 and this was in support of reports from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) who stated a 23.1% unemployment rate and a 16.6% underemployment rate among Nigerians in May 2019.
Living in such unfavourable statistics, Nigerian youths have sought to find leeways and create viable opportunities for themselves in an environment where opportunities have become the mythic unicorn, often spoken about but never seen.
The struggle has not been limited to just the acquisition of academic knowledge which is not an easy task on its own, instead, it has become a struggle to acquire relevant skills alongside academic qualifications to ensure our eggs are not all domiciled in the single proverbial basket.
These young and hungry people have surveyed the terrain and are ready to carve it into a platform for self-actualization. For them, it is not just business as usual.
Our forebears were birthed into favourable times. Born in the time of the oil boom and greater abundance both in terms of opportunities and resources. The country’s resources have continued to decline slowly over the past five decades and we, who bear the misfortune of being born into such chaos have chosen not to nurse our tears.
Instead, we have chosen to fight for a future where we do not continually point accusing fingers at the government or our environment. We want a future where we are job creators and change-makers and not just negative statistics.
Nigerian youths are determined to be the change they want to see. There are numerous positive thinkers, curators of change and drivers of innovation. We see them, we know them, and we applaud them.
Every youth who continues to legitimately seek a way out of poverty!
There exists a similarity between how our youths keep striving in the face of obstacles and hindrances to the leadership actions of the Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi from his inauguration in 2015.
He was sworn in at a transition time when the abundant resources and economic strength of the country were beginning to dwindle. He did not receive as much Federal allocations and support as his forebears, yet he was determined to make whatever he got to count for something.
To date, the state continues to benefit from his doggedness and determined spirit. He has been able to drag Enugu State by the scruff of the neck into the light of innovation and development.
Even with public criticisms and targeted harassments, he has continuously exceeded expectations by setting the pace.
Governor Ugwuanyi exemplifies an existing role model for the average Nigerian youth aspiring to turn the negative situations prevalent around us into an environment where hope thrives.
Walking through the Nsukka campus of the University of Nigeria, you are likely to find students with large backpacks strapped to their backs or a large handbag by their side.
These are not bookworms burdened by books or totting anthologies and large tomes in those bags. They are students who have had to multi-task, balancing their academic pursuits with legitimate side hustles to augment their allowances and build their entrepreneurial future.
There are several instances of these enterprising behaviours found among Nigerian students generally and students of the University of Nigeria in particular. When moving around the school public areas, do not be surprised to see students carrying clear plastic containers and selling snacks like cakes, buns, among others.
There are student bakers, freelance writers, hairstylists, graphic designers, programmers, fashion stylists, nail technicians and an avalanche of other skills applied by young students to legitimately earn cash while engaged on the quest for knowledge.
This is the common case for most students who do not have rich parents or wealthy sponsors. Forced to fend for themselves, they choose legitimate enterprises. Of course, it is not an exclusive purview of the disadvantaged, as some young people from rich and privileged homes also choose these routes to nurture their enterprising nature.
Too often, the fraudulent youths seem to have the podium and dominate public conversations. With their actions dragging our collective reputations through the mud, it is only right that we speak up for the other group. The diligent ones who toil and sweat legitimately in the background. The youths who engage in honest labour.
In our higher institutions, we find the young bespectacled student who does not talk much but is always bent over their books or the hair of another student, administering the perfect haircut.
Let us acknowledge the pastry whiz kids slaving over ovens, baking tasty cakes for an honest payday or the students who labour on weekends at construction sites or as event ushers all in a bid to raise a little cash.
Let us speak loudly and proudly about those who wear several hats, all of them honest and legitimate. These are the names that should occupy the front pages of our newspapers and media platforms.
Give us a new name! We are not the colour you have painted us all!
Armed with a transformative vision, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has created an environment that allows the youths in Enugu state to discover legitimate means of improving their situations and emerging at the light-filled point of an otherwise dark tunnel.
Under his stewardship, 3600 traders were given N50, 000 each to improve their already existing businesses. This gesture greatly empowered the young traders to improve on what they already started in their businesses.
In line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the governor has equipped over 750 youths with marketable and transferable skills that can place them in good stead for the future.
With such impartations, indigent youths can become employers of labour in a short time if they work as hard as they should. The empowered youth will not turn to cybercrime or other variations of crime to earn a living instead they can put the skills they have acquired to good use and be the difference we hope to see in the society.
Beyond skill acquisition and the promotion of entrepreneurship endeavours, governor Ugwuanyi has also shown great passion for education.
During this tenure, he has given generous scholarships to students in a bid to encourage academic excellence and improve the literacy level of youths of the state. 680 students from the Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu (IMT) and Enugu State Polytechnic, Iwollo have received full scholarships that cover the entire course of their studies.
The crowning jewels are the 22 students undergoing academic programs at Mewar University, India.
To build a world where innovation rules the day requires multiple efforts. By encouraging education and the acquisition of entrepreneurial skills, the Enugu State Government is taking the right steps.
While outsiders and some misinformed citizens continue to see Nigerian youths as scoundrels and criminals, the majority of us are carving out honest paths through hard work, dedication and the support of conscientious leaders.
Written by Ozichukwu Ifesie
Edited by Ese Okereka
Originally published at http://discoverenugu042.wordpress.com on August 26, 2020.
