Nigerian youths have been charged to strive towards acquisition of requisite education and relevant skills prior to contemplating relocating abroad in search of greener pastures.
This was contained in a communique by The Companion, an association of Muslim men in business and the professions.
The communique, on Sunday, which was jointly signed by Muideen Adeleke, Tajudeen Balogun and Dr. Saheed Adeyemo, was issued at the just concluded 2024 Conference and 6th National Discourse of the organisation at the National Universities Commission, Abuja.
The event, the communique indicated, held with the theme: “Between Patriotism and Self-Preservation, with the topic: Dilemma of the Nigerian Youth: Challenges At Home, Uncertainties Abroad.”
The statement pointed out that the theme of the discourse was informed by the raging challenge of brain drain, otherwise called Japa, among Nigerians, especially the youth and different categories of Nigerians in the formal and informal sectors.
The National Discourse, the communique revealed, featured eminent speakers, including the Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Ibrahim Jibrin, who superintended over the programme; Minister of Youth Development, Dr. Jamila Bio Ibrahim, represented by the Minister of State for Youth Development, Hon. Ayodele Olawande; Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, represented by Hon. Abdul-Rahman Terab; and the Co-Guest Speaker and former Vice Chancellor, University of Abuja, Prof. Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, among others.
The National Discourse, according to the communique, posited that migration (Hijrah) as permitted by Almighty Allah for Prophet Muhammad and his followers is inevitable, given the high labour demand in Europe and other developed continents of the world, yet, stressed that the legitimate process must be followed by individuals who desire relocating abroad.
While decrying the hardship in the country and uncertainties abroad, the Discourse acknowledged the spirited efforts being made by the present administration in Nigeria at tackling the challenges headlong.
According to the communique, speakers at the event enjoined the government to provide the enabling environment and necessary incentives that could assist the youth to realise their potential and dissuade them from risking their lives on tortuous journeys.
While stressing that there is no el dorado situation anywhere in the world, the Discourse lamented that many Nigerian youths till date have been subjected to harrowing experiences like rape, dehumanising and exploitative labour, prostitution, illegal detention and extrajudicial killing in their desperation to travel abroad.
Speakers at the Discourse tasked the country’s youth to change their mindset and resolve to be part of efforts in finding solutions to the nation’s woes, especially as the government bridges the gap between it and the citizenry.
According to the communique, many Nigerians who have travelled out of the country would soon have reasons to return home when many of the social interventions and economic rescue initiatives and schemes by the present administration begin to yield results.
The resource persons, according to the communique, described the Nigerian youth as a vibrant and formidable population, which confers much comparative advantage on the country, but regretted that majority of them today spend hours daily on trivial issues on social media, failing to add values to themselves for personal and overall development of the country.
The session, the communique pointed out, charged the youths to be resilient, make sacrifices, calling on those at the helm of affairs of the country to lead an exemplary life and cut down the cost of governance.
The Companion appreciated the invaluable contributions of Jibrin; Dabiri-Erewa; Na’Allah; Senate Committee Chairman on Information and Communication Technology and Cybercrimes, Senator Shuaib Afolabi Salisu; Registrar, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede; its members; as well as The Criterion (Women Wing) members on their roles towards success of the exercise.
Other side attractions at the event included recognition of dignitaries and a panel discussion, which featured youths of different professional and career backgrounds, who further x-rayed the theme of the Discourse from different angles.
The session also featured an intellectual game, which aimed at dissecting and resolving challenges of japa syndrome in Nigeria.
It was packaged by The Dawn, the youth wing of The Companion and The Criterion.
Meanwhile, the organisation, according to the communique, empathised with Nigerians on their struggle to survive the current socio-economic hardship occasioned by petrol subsidy removal.
The communique indicated that this was expressed during the plenary session of the group’s National Conference, which followed immediately after Discourse, also in Abuja.
While recognising and appreciating various palliative measures put in place by the government to cushion the effects of hardship, The Companion complained that the Federal Government’s implementation strategy appeared flawed as the intended relief measures did not reach the targeted people.
The communique reads in part: “We call on government to establish social registry departments in all local governments and development areas in the country, to facilitate access to people at the grassroot for the dispensing of government well intended social intervention programmes, without delay.
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“No nation thrives economically without full proof protection of her natural and human capital resources. Government is advised to intensify effort to rid the country of petrol pipeline vandals and stop crude oil theft in our shores.
“In addition to bringing back Operation Feed the Citizens, government must devise ingenious security service that would give confidence to Nigerians who have been scared away from farmlands for close to one and half decades now.”
The Companion urged the President Bola Tinunu-led administration to bridge the infrastructure gap between “our cities/urban centres and local government headquarters in order to stop the abnormal urban drift and promote ‘Back to Land’ culture for effective utilisation of abundant natural resources in rural communities”.
