For how long shall we continue to neglect the Northern youths of Nigeria?The sight of children Alimajiri under the bridge in Kawo,in Kaduna is not news to regular visitors to the metrpolis.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 on between Niger state and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja.
Zuba itself does not replicate a town which shares border with the almighty federal capital territory,Abuja .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 almajiris ( children ) have grown up to adoleslefce 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 engage 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 hand is the devil’s workshop .
A drive from Funtua , an ancient town few kilometres from Zaria brings the true picture that this write up wishes to paint. .
Funtua is the gate way to Zamfara state from the northwest axis.
Many youths in Funtua are seem wandering about aimlessly .
Little wonder there is so much kidnapping and banditry in this part of the North.
This sight of idle youths are visible also inMairuwa, 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 issue of banditry must be put behind .
They must be taken care of and engaged meaningfully 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 this 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 which will deliver to the yearning and teeming youths . Only then and then will the idle youths be kept off the streets and sanity ensured.
This action will have positive impact on the farming system as farmers will now be free to go back to farms, with 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 be feeding herself by now .
As it is right now the
output from the farms are 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 its youths abroad yearly to acquire professional skills ,states like Zamfara are most likely not able as the source of revenue is just not there .
A northerner, Hamza Mohammed will however not applaud such gestures from Kano state .He considers it a waste, since 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 urgent need for federal government’s interventions to the youths in this part of the country.
Continuous neglect of these youths poses great danger to the entire country. Members of the National Assembly from this region should please rescue their youths.and take them off the streets .
Rashidat yusuf write from Abuja.
Yusufrashidat12@gmail.com
08033840804.
