Empowering the youth through education
Iwas born and raised by a poor (medium class) parents in Shinkafi town of Shinkafi LGA of Zamfara State. My parents gave me the opportunity to attend both Islamic and western education schools right from my early childhood. My father was an Arabic teacher who rose to the rank of a supervisor in Shinkafi Local Government Education Authority (LGEA) before he retired in 2009. My mother was a full-time house wife.
The youth during our time were so passionate about education but the major constraint then was lack of support from parents who mostly did not value western education. Some of our friends who do not want to continue with education will travel to Lagos, Abuja and other big cities to work and return during Eid celebration.
Those of us who were passionate about education kept on struggling until we found ourselves in the universities, colleges and polytechnics. I can remember every year about 30 to 40 (which is a substantial number) indigenes of Shinkafi LGA graduate from Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto alone not to talk of other tertiary institutions.
This was the era when FREE JAMB FORMS were not distributed to any one of us, but we still went to university in large number? But now you could hardly find up to 10 people from Shinkafi
LGA graduating in a year at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto despite the FREE JAMB FORMS given to people by the government. The government at time does not pay for the registration fees of students though it provided allowances in the form of monthly scholarship. What then is causing this backwardness in education?
The determination to pursue for higher qualifications in us youth then was the driving force behind the success of all of us. Today, in no organisations within Nigeria or other countries in the world that will I visit will not have a friend I met, either during my first degree or MSc or PhD.
One of my undergraduate course mates is from Liberia, is now a medical doctor. I wonder what is happening with our youth who are mostly either redundant (idle) or have become beggars on the streets and on Facebook instead of using their God-given talents and physical strength to do something that will give them some money to pay for their school fees and to also take care of their minor problems.
Unfortunately, most of the thugs following politicians are young people who are supposed to be independent and making meaningful contribution to the development of our societies but they are being abused by other people whose own children are studying in expensive schools within and outside Nigeria. I think we can confess that the statement of Chief Obafemi Awolowo is making a lot of sense now; “the children of the poor you refused to train will one day become a problem to your children”.
Our youth should understand that they have the key to determine their success in life. If you want to enjoy in life you have to make adequate preparations for the future. They say “work hard today to enjoy the rest of your life”. You can do a lot of things to live a comfortable life. Don’t feel you have to follow or wait for anybody to assist you to get to where you want in life. It is what you do that determines what you become is life.
Continue to pursue the dream of who you want to be and I assure you that you will achieve it. We all passed through those stages and we never relied on anyone and we made it in life. The solution to the current challenges our country is facing can be solved only through making adequate arrangements for the youths through education. Educating the youth in Nigeria will solve nearly 90% of the criminal activities happening in this country.
Dr Tijjani Salihu Shinkafi, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto tjshinkee@ gmail.com