Imperatives of Developing Youths in Bayelsa State: The RestorationParadigm by: Tony Adams

“The secret message communicated to most young people today by the society around them is that they are not needed, that the society will run itself quite nicely until they — at some distant point in the future — will take over the reins. Yet the fact is that the society is not running itself nicely… because the rest of us need all the energy, brains, imagination and talent that young people can bring to bear down on our difficulties. For society to attempt to solve its desperate problems without the full participation of even very young people is imbecile.” — Alvin Toffler

When the World Conference of Ministers made the recommendation in August 1998 to adopt 12 August as the day for renewed reflection on the issues affecting the youth, they probably could not have imagined the full extent to which the challenges and opportunities facing the youth would have become central development issues today. It is therefore fortuitous that the United Nations Secretary-General endorsed that recommendation in December 1999.

The role of the youths in the development of society is universally acknowledged. The responsibility of government therefore is to empower the youths to play their deserved role. They constitute the most vibrant work force that can propel the economy on the path of accelerated development. The Youths constitute the live –wire of any society and the fulcrum stability

Nigeria adopted a National Youth Policy in 2009, which recognizes five Priority areas that need to be addressed to enhance youth lives. These include the impact of globalization, access and use of communication technology, the impact of STDs and HIV/AIDS, intergenerational issues in an aging society, and youth perpetrators and victims of armed conflict. The 2009 National Youth Policy is guided by several national and international policy initiatives, including National Policies for education, gender, health, population for sustainable development, and the National Economic Empowerment Development Strategy (NEEDS). The Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, the African Youth Charter, and other international covenants.

Educating youth in Nigeria is prioritized with the goal of reducing poverty, inequality, and overall increasing economic growth. Youth in Nigeria school system consists of six years of primary education, three years of junior secondary, three years of senior secondary, and four years of tertiary education. Primary school completion rates are 93% for males, and 91% for females.

It is a requirement for every child in Nigeria to receive a minimum of nine years of free education. The government's dominant role with funding provides funds from the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), and Education Trust Fund (ETF).

In Bayelsa State, the Restoration Administration has opened a new vista in youth empowerment. This has been achieved through well-designed pro-youth policies. Youth development, in its holistic sense, is a pivot of the Restoration Administration. It was for this reason that Governor Dickson created a separate Ministry of Youth Development. The Restoration Administration has taken pro-active steps towards youth development. Now, the Ministry is manned by Hon. Collins Cocodia – a very vibrant, youth friendly Commissioner who has promised to better the lot of youths within the limits of available resources.

At inception, the Administration created a database of existing manpower by the Ministry of Manpower Development and that of Youth Development. The data base provides ample opportunity for government to identify training needs; manpower gaps and how to fill such gaps to create room for building the capacity of youth either for gainful for gainful employment or self-employment. The Ministry of Science, Technology and Manpower Development mounted capacity development programmes in technical and vocational skills include: Computer Technology; Welding; Auto mechanics; Electrical works; Plumbing and fitting; Hairdressing and Baking among others.

In the Ministry of Agriculture hundreds of Youths have been trained in Songhai farms in the Republic of Benin. These were trained in mechanized agriculture. The products of this programme will provide much-needed manpower in the states effort to leverage job creation through agriculture. Efforts are in top gears to revitalizing the Bayelsa Palm Limited to create job opportunities for youths. A survey has shown that Bayelsa Palm Limited alone, when reinvigorated can employ 2000 youths at the lower and intermediate levels.

Government has expanded the existing scholarship Scheme at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The effort is designed to assist youths to acquire education at the tertiary level and to build up a formidable stock of human capital in critical areas of the economy. About 789 persons benefited from the scheme even though the implementation ran to a hiccup because of the economic downturn in late 2014. So many beneficiaries have graduated from the scholarship scheme.

In pursuit of peace and security, Governor Seriake Dickson declared of Amnesty for repentant cultists: This administration assumed office with a burden of youth restiveness and proliferation of secret cult movements. Government’s resolve was that the youths had been misled by previous administration can be accommodated by the Restoration Government upon renunciation. So far about 11,000 youths across the state renounced cultism.

Recognizing that the educational system in the State needs access and quality, Governor Seriake Dickson declared a State –of-emergency. This pronouncement made primary and Post-Primary education free and compulsory. Implementation of this programme has taken root already though much still needs to be done.

Governor Seriake Dickson has also engaged about 3,000 youths in the Bayelsa Volunteers. The Bayelsa Volunteers have a mandate to police the water ways and the creeks to curb the ugly phenomenon of oil bunkering, sea piracy and kidnapping. So far the outfit has discharged its functions to the expectation of Bayelsans. Governor Seriake Dickson realized that the freedom and human capacities of individuals must be developed to their maximum hence all government policies are designed to develop and empower the youths of Bayelsa State.

In the foreseeable future, the Sports Academy at Asoama will come on stream. The Academy will provide ample opportunity for Bayelsa Youths to produce talented sports men and women who will earn foreign exchange for the country. Bayelsa State would produce the likes of Samson Siasia, Champion Daniel Igali, and other renowned sports men of repute. Similarly, the Restoration Administration has proposed the establishment of a Film Village. No one is in doubt as to the importance of Hollywood in Nigeria and the foreign exchange the industry rakes into Nigeria. The proposed Film Village is a potential talent developing platform and a huge foreign exchange earner for Bayelsa youths. Government intends to venture into tailoring, fashion designing, modeling, cinematography, photography training, motion camera training, tiling, fabrications and other vocations verging on film production. All these are programmes designed by the Governor Seriake Dickson administration.

The International Institute of Tourism and Hospitality Management will come on stream soon especially with the appointment of a new provost. The Restoration Administration established the Institute for two main reasons namely to enable Bayelsa Youths acquire the necessary abilities and competencies in various aspects of the Tourism and hospitality Industry and to boost the Internally Generated Revenue Profile of the State. For this reason, government has budgeted a sizeable amount of money to develop the tourism industry in the State, with its attendant spill-over benefits on job creation in other small-scale business outfits.

Another window of youth empowerment is the Bayelsa State Int’l Cargo airport. When completed the airport promises to employ trained youths ranging from Air ticketing to bagging, air traffic control, air hostesses and more. The same thing will happen when the Agge Deep Sea Ports is constructed. Whereas the airport will create jobs as from 2017, the Agge Deep Sea Ports is a long term project, which benefits may be reaped before the end of the Restoration administration.

Life is a race and there is no back-tracking. About 1,000 youths benefit from the ITF fund and 250 youths were sent to the King Amachere Royal Academy to learn skills relevant to the industry. s. Over 3000 youths have been engaged in the Izon-Ibe Volunteers and other such programmes. About 3000 youths have been trained in Songhai farms in Republic of Benin. Efforts are being made to absorb them in the Agro-allied sector. The Izon-Ibe Micro-finance Bank has commenced activities and soft loans are not being giving out to SME operators.

What Bayelsa youths need to benefit from these pro-youth programmes is a re-orientation and attitudinal change. We are in an era where technical and vocational skills provide blue collar jobs and our youths must embrace it. Bayelsa Youths must be ready to embrace entrepreneurial skills before scouting for financial assistance for business start-up.

While acknowledging that no human government is perfect, the Governor Seriake Dickson Administration has surpassed all previous administrations in the area of youth empowerment. Even political opponents of the Restoration administration will lavishly concede the truism of this assertion. It is not yet “uhuru” but things can only get better in the foreseeable future.

Tony Adams is a member of the Bayelsa Social Media Team.