I weep for our generation
SIR: It is clear that, our generation have bargained reality for illusion, hard work for idleness and success for failure. Every body wants to make money by all means. Some of the youths want to cruise the most expensive of cars, build the most beautiful houses and go around with women or men of their choices without actually working for it. Perhaps, they should be reminded that Rome isn’t built in a day.
Kidnapping, banditry, drugs trafficking, drug abuse cyber crime and other related crimes committed by persons, most of the perpetrators being youths have become a major source of livelihood for ungrateful youths, the trend which without doubt is connected to the mad chase for materialism; though some blame it on the economic realities as poverty and unemployment.
The irritating part is that, the society is not helping matters; rather it is contributing enormously in sabotaging the efforts of government and key stakeholders concerned. For example, in Southern parts of the country, Yahoo boys are celebrated and looked upon as heroes. In the East, drugs and human trafficking is considered a lucrative business by some youths. Coming down to the North, it is true that some of these kidnappers are among us; some might be our friends, neighbours or even brothers; we know them but we cannot report them to the appropriate authority for action out of love or fear. This bad attitude on our part if not addressed as a matter of urgency will bring doom upon us all. No wonder we occupied 17th position in the crime rate index in the world as of mid 2020.
We need to teach the younger generation that possessing a car is not a symbol of achievement and that walking does not mean poverty. I wept for this generation when I see young graduates without skills parading along the main streets with certificates they cannot defend in the name of seeking for a job. Ironically, it is common to see non- literate personalities occupying offices that pays well simply because of the connections they have with people that matters in the society. Hard work is no longer rewarded. This is contributing significantly to the falling standard of morality among the young folks.
However, we can still turn our fortune around before it is too late. It is said that when your coin falls unto the ground you can see it only if you scratch the surface. Against this backdrop, the attention of the younger generation should be drawn to acquiring basic skills like tailoring, mechanic, barbing, makeups, legitimate online marketing, etc. To school goers, take what you learnt in schools beyond the four walls of the classroom, for the essence of education is to teach you how to think and proffer solution to your problems.
Hafsat Mahmood, Department of mass communication,
Abubakar Tatari Ali Polytechnic, Bauchi.