For how long shall we continue to neglect the Northern youths of Nigeria?
The sight of children alimajiri under the bridge at Kawo, in Kaduna is no longer news to regular visitors to the state.
Similar sight is replicated under the bridge as you enter the ancient town of Zaria. Students of Ahmadu Bello University can testify to this.
The same applies to Zuba in Niger state. Zuba is a border town between Niger state and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Zuba itself does not replicate a town which shares a border with the ‘almighty’ Federal Capital Territory, ABUJA, but this is a story for another day.
The shocking revelation to some of us who hardly go far north is the level at which the almagiris (children) have grown up to adolescents and yet left to wander on their own aimlessly .
Unlike those in Abuja of the same age bracket who engage in petty trading and menial jobs, those in the remote villages in the North are mostly idle just as some also occasionally engaged in petty trading like selling sugar canes and the likes.
In actual sense, however, they can be classified as idle as they are not engaged to their full capacity.
This brings us to the issue of banditry and kidnapping. As it is said, idle hands are the devil’s workshop.
A drive from Funtua, an ancient town a few kilometres from Zaria brings the true picture that this write up wishes to paint. .
Funtua is the gateway to Zamfara state from the northwest axis. Many youths in Funtua seem wandering aimlessly.
Little wonder there is so much kidnapping and banditry in this part of the North.
This sight of idle youths are visible also in Mairuwa, Sheme, Magazu, Tsafe, Kotarkoshi
All these towns lead to Gusau, the Zamfara state capital.
A drive through these towns shows that the minister of youth development has a lot of work to do.
These youths must be fully engaged if the issue of banditry must be put behind us.
They must be taken care of and engaged meaningful through skills acquisition .
These youths are willing to become something in life but the capacity is just not there for them.
In order to reach these youths, the federal ministry of youth development MUST establish satellite offices in all states of the federation.
Sincere leadership must be ensured in such offices who will deliver to the yearning and teaming youths.
Since most of these youths do not have any form of former education, the best way is to embed them into artisanship, apprenticeship and craftsmanship in such a way to become self-reliant.
Only then and then will the idle youths be kept off the streets and sanity ensured.
This action will have a positive impact on the farming system as farmers will now be free to go back to farms and no more fear of kidnappers and bandits.
Those who say the North is feeding the nation are not wrong after all .
Despite the ugly incidence of banditry, trailer loads of food items such as grains and vegetables are common sights all heading towards the south.
Imagine if there were no incidences of kidnapping and banditry, Nigeria would have truly been feeding herself by now.
As it is right now, the output from the farms is low compared to what it ought to be.
Fingers they say are not equal, so also are the states of the Federation.
While Kano is able to send her youths abroad yearly to acquire professional skills, states like Zamafara are most likely not as the source of revenue is just not there.
A northerner, Hamza Mohammed will however not applaud such gestures from the Kano state government.
He considers it a waste as such resources taken abroad for overseas studies can be utilised to upgrade the tertiary institutions in the country.
Be that as it may ,there is an urgent need for federal government interventions to the youths in this part of the country.
Continuous neglect of these youths poses great danger to the entire country. READ ALSO:
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Members of the National Assembly from these regions should please rescue their youths and take them off the streets.
Rashidat Yusuf writes from Abuja.
Yusufrashidat12@gmail.com
0803384
