THE ROTTEN PART OF THE NATION ON THE PATH OF THE YOUTHS by Olabanji Joel

I have decided to be quiet on some issues in order not to be a noisemaker like Femi Fani Kayode whom in his time contributed to today's collapse of the nation but suddenly turns an activist because his party lost grip of power. Also, I don't want to be like Femi Adeshina who because of money and stomach made his writing biased and not considering the sufferings of the citizens, this has made his writing irrelevant to many despite his status. The attitude of many the youths makes the elderly people wonder what the future will be like when these youths get hold of power and also become parents. Seriously, the actions and lifestyle of many youths require special attention and rehabilitation but what made the situation this bad? Why do we have more youths with immoral acts compared to those who are morally equipped? Reasons for the decay in society are not far fetched. It all boils down to two things, that is; Nature and Nurture but for this write up, I will dwell majorly on Nurture because it's the major determinant of what the nature of the individual will be used for. The Nurture aspect of a man greatly influences his nature and this determines what and whom he becomes - Banji Joel. The decay in the moral standard of youths is due to the faulty nurturing. Nurturing starts from the home and whatever a person is or will be, the home is a major contributor to it. So the elders are to be held accountable for any rottenness in today's society because it means the home which happens to be the foundation is weak thereby not acting as a good support and pillar for the children. Also, the faulty educational sector, the religious sector and the environmental/community sector have missed it when it comes to training, tutoring, educating, mentoring and guiding today's generation. Note: Today's generation is a representation of yesterday's generation- Banji Joel Furthermore, the political sector has totally failed the nation and this has invariably affected the youths. It's so painful that our present political leaders enjoyed free and the best education during their time but these political leaders have through their corrupt and greediness destroyed the country's heritage and future. The youths are being enticed by money to participate in various fraudulent acts for the old ones, the youths have been conditioned to believe that money is everything and it's a must to get the money by all means. The youths look at the older ones as mentors and they see what these people do to becoming who they are, so why won't they walk the same path? My message is that today's youths are who and what we are because of the failures of the older ones to be good examples, lead well and direct through the right path. Most of the youths who are morally sound today would be seen to having a good background, nurturing and tutoring. I give kudos to the true elders thriving so hard to uphold the heritage of the country and prevent decay from their area, I pray more of God's grace and wisdom. It's true that civilization and technology have exposed today's generation to various things which the elders have less control over but who built these technologies? Who started it? Are the youths not following what we met? If the actions of the youths can be traced back, it will be seen that we built on what we met on ground. The youths weren't given birth to with immortality but nurture has made us metamorphose into what we are seeing today. Questions; Is it the kind of Education that the elders enjoyed that we have now? Is it the kind of infrastructure that the elders enjoyed that we have now? Is it the way Islam and Christianity were brought to us that we practice them now? Is it the kind of home training that the elders enjoy that they give to the children now? Is it the kind of opportunity that the elders enjoy that we have now? Is the level of corruption in those days the same as we have now? Is high moral standard still hold in high esteem as it was in the days of the elders? So who has brought misfortune and immorality upon the nation? Now, the deed has been done and the way forward should be our major concern but we still have leaders with myopic mindset ruling the nation, these are sets of rogues, selfish and greedy individuals who only make and enforce policies that will favour them, and their political allies. Even policies that will make things better are not being enforced when being passed and some policies to curb immoralities in the community have been overridden by corruption. If we want to get it right again, the home need to get it right when it comes to training, guiding and discipline. We need to get it right politically, we can't continue with the same old rogues and expect a different result, we need to rise up and be responsible for the development/rehabilitation of the youths and this will guarantee a secure future for our nation. Don't forget "our today's action determines what our tomorrow will be"- Banji Joel Olabanji Joel A Nurse, A Writer and A Socialist Edited by Olatunji Damilola