Checking Youth Restiveness

CHECKING THE UNCALLED QUEST FOR MATERIALISM AMONG THE YOUTH AS WE UNDERGO ANOTHER ERA OF EMBER MONTHS

The three basic needs of man remain food, clothing and textile. It is also worthy to note that the three major desires of any sane being are wealth, fame and power. It is pathetic that presently mankind has derailed profoundly as regards the avenue being embraced towards obtaining any of these three desires.

Quest is a long search for what one desires; it can also be described as an extreme passion attached to what someone wants or whatever he/she wishes to possess. In the same vein, materialism is an act in which one thinks that money and other material possessions are the most important things on earth.

On the other hand, those months that mark the end of any annual calendar, which invariably start from September and end with December, are referred to as ‘Ember months.’ The term ‘Ember’ is not unconnected to the suffix that accompanies virtually all the months in question.

Unequivocally, the manner in which most people, Nigerians in particular, parade themselves during the Ember months has become worrying and devastating to all concerned that if proper and drastic measure is not taken by the appropriate authorities or institutions, it might degenerate into an unimaginable state of doom.

The uncalled and irrational quest for materialism among mankind, particularly the youth, especially toward the Ember months, is one of the major causes of the various lingering social vices taking place in all nooks and crannies across the globe. No doubt, the current astonishing increase of death rate is attributed to some of these vices, to include cultism, armed robbery, thuggery, prostitution, kidnapping, drug trafficking, assassination, and what have you.

The ongoing alarming quest for materialism or youth restiveness, which is quite appalling and disgusting, is mainly attributable to inconsequential rivalry, greed and/or lack of contentment. This implies that the anomaly is a product of man’s inability to face reality in any circumstance he finds himself.

Inconsequential rivalries are those competitions that are not called-for or that might seem unreasonable and barbaric. On the average, politicians or established business men often indulge in this practice. It is usually observed among the aforementioned set of people during electioneering era or when battling over supremacy as the case may be. Some youths also indulge in this act in order to showcase to the world that they belong to the ruling or most powerful class in order to prove that they are ahead of their contemporaries.

On its part, greed or lack of contentment has also contributed negatively to man’s intolerable quest for materialism, which often sets the period that leads to any festive season such as the Ember months, ablaze. Greed has indeed brought humanity to a state of mockery, and has succeeded in tearing several unions or societies apart. Considering this fact, it is needless to say that, for decades now, greed or lack of contentment has remained a menace to the world in its entirety.

As we undergo another era of Ember months, it is our collective responsibility to ensure that the commemoration of the forthcoming festive seasons, Christmas and New-Year precisely, takes place in a peaceful atmosphere so that every one of us would be filled with unquantifiable ecstasy.

Thus, I call on various governments, the civil society organizations, religious institutions, the media, and all well-meaning individuals to do everything humanly possible towards ensuring that the awaited Ember months will bring nothing but a blessing to all Nigerians and the world in general.

On their part, the various law enforcement agencies should not hesitate to arrest any individual/group caught in the act or that happens to be a suspect irrespective of his/her status, and must ensure that the suspect in question is brought to book at all cost. In view of this, the judicial custodians should endeavour to maintain speedy hearing of any case relating to youth restiveness, which is expected to serve as a deterrent to all prospective criminals. 

Above all, those who are already part of any of these uncivilized and blasphemous acts as well as those who intend joining the chorus, ought to exonerate themselves from the ungodly behaviour and seek for the face of the Almighty, because it is only the fear of God that can guarantee a remarkable wealth, power or fame. Think about it!

 

COMR FRED DOC NWAOZOR

(The Media Ambassador)
Executive Director, Centre for Counselling, Research
& Career Development - Owerri
_____________________________________

frednwaozor@gmail.com

+2348028608056    

Role of Women in a Society

PROMOTING THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN A SOCIETY

The BBC English Dictionary defines a woman as ‘an adult female human being’. On the other hand, a society is an organization of people who have the same or similar interest/aim. The overall people in a particular area or locality can also be referred to as a society. Thus, a society is simply a union of people in a given area.

Undoubtedly, no society in existence can be said to be complete if a woman is yet to be found in it, regardless of its nature or size. We can testify to this fact by considering how a woman came into the world. Of course it is no longer news that having created man, God the creator thought it wise to form a woman from the rib of a man; this was so because God realized of what benefit a woman would be to a man in any society/arena he finds himself.

A family for instance – a nuclear family precisely, which remains the smallest society on earth, can never strive successfully or attain to its anticipated height if a woman is missing. Realistically, a family cannot be formed in the first place if a woman is nowhere to be found.

And along the line having created or formed a family with the help of a woman, if she eventually dies, the affected family will live to suffer the vacuum her eternal demise has created. This implies that, psychologically, no widower can boast of being a happy man, especially a situation where the late wife left some kids behind.

Sometimes even when the widower has gotten married to another woman, provided the late wife left some indelible footprints behind such as the kids or that she was made up of some irreplaceable features, he shall remain in an unending emotional trauma until he is being compensated with one thing or the other by the Almighty.

Ab initio, the womenfolk has been considered to constitute the integral part of the wider society. It is obvious that a social gathering or union cannot achieve an effective and efficient goal if the women are not carried along.

It might sound a bit controversial but the truth remains that nature had ordained woman to be the most attractive being in any society she happens to be a member or a part of; this is the reason whenever a social group of people intends to pay a courtesy visit to a certain office holder, if they fail to include at least a woman among the delegate, the said outing might end up being fruitless. Why? Simply because the presence of a woman has a natural tendency of arresting the heart of any man irrespective of what the man in question is made up of.

The political terrain is not left out. Surely, any man occupying a political position can boldly testify to the fact that his beloved wife is the reason he is striving assiduously and successfully. Suffice it to say that, a woman is indeed in charge of any leadership position even when her impact seems invisible.

The   advisory role, both morally and otherwise, a woman plays in the life of a political office holder who happens to be her spouse supersedes whatever advice or counsel he receives from his employees/appointees, or friends and well-wishers, as the case may be.

Considering the church, which is an institution as well as one of the oldest societies across the globe, there is no need reiterating the fact that its sustainability from the onset has been possible owing to the effort of the womenfolk. A woman has been proven to be more religious than a man; this is why she remains the engine room towards the uplift of our children’s spiritual lives. And we are all aware that someone or a family whose spiritual life is porous is apparently living like a tree without a single root.

Due to the fact that a woman is closer to the church than a man, the easiest way to conscientize a married man toward the uplift of a church is by winning the heart of his wife, since it is obvious that a woman has the key to a man’s heart.

Frankly, the role of a woman both in her immediate and wider society cannot be overemphasized. From the aforementioned facts, it can be pinpointed that without a woman, the children cannot be properly raised, be it morally, academically, religiously and what have you. Similarly, without a woman, a man’s social, political and emotional life shall remain incapacitated and in shambles.

But it is noteworthy that, it is only a virtuous woman that can impact positively on her family or any society she belongs. Needless to say; it takes a virtuous woman to bring the desired change in any society. A virtuous woman, in a nutshell, is that woman who is morally correct; that woman who possesses an acceptable lifestyle; that woman whose interior idiosyncrasies are welcoming or near-perfect.

Thus, at this juncture, I challenge the womenfolk to endeavour to possess welcoming attributes. To say the least, a woman’s lifestyle can be said to be acceptable if she is homely, humble, sensitive, sensible, and above all, god-fearing.

And, it is only the church that has all it takes to inculcate such qualities in a woman; this is why there’s a compelling need for us to support the church in its relentless stride toward uplifting humanity in its entirety.

In view of the aforementioned facts, we are convinced that the role of women in any society, regardless of the circumstance, is invariably inevitable. To this end, we are required at all times to contribute our individual efforts toward the promotion of the womenfolk in its entirety in our respective communities or societies as well as preach against any form of violence against women. Think about it!

 

COMR FRED DOC NWAOZOR

(The Media Ambassador)
Executive Director, Centre for Counselling, Research
& Career Development - Owerri

_____________________________________

frednwaozor@gmail.com

+2348028608056    
  

Youth Involvement in Nation-Building

PROMOTING YOUTH INVOLVEMENT IN NATION BUILDING      

         

It is generally noted that the youth is the main productive class of any nation. In the same vein, anyone in a youthful stage sees himself as one of the major parts of the engine room of any society he belongs.

         

Suffice to say; any existing society that cannot boast of at least a youth is not unlike a tree that is being deprived of its major root. This is why any country that has lost its youths to social vices lives like a blind man as well as sleeps with both eyes open.

         

Though the definition of the youth regarding the age bracket varies from one school of thought to another; but in a nutshell, it could be defined as a group of young people who are in their adulthood stage. Thus, a youth is simply an adult or a fully grown person that is young.

        

Considering the above definition, you would agree to the fact that the youth is indeed the engine room of any nation. To this end, it is pathetic and devastating to see a society comprising irrational youths. It is no longer news that presently, about ninety percent (90%) of the overall youths in most countries in the world, particularly developing nations, have intensely derailed thereby constituting series of inconsequential cacophonies as well as societal menace.

         

In Nigeria for instance; during the post-colonial era and thereabouts, virtually all the political positions in the country were occupied by the youth who were mostly in their twenties such as the likes of Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, Chief Tafawa Balewa, Gen Murtala Mohammed, Gen Theophilus Danjuma, Gen Ibrahim Babagida, Gen Sani Abacha, Gen Shehu Musa Yar’adua, Gen Aguiyi Ironsi, Gen Chukwuemeka Odumegu-Ojukwu, Gen Olusegun Obasanjo, Gen Mohammadu Buhari, and many others too numerous to mention.

        

But today, the reverse is totally the case; you would hardly see a youth in his thirties becoming a commissioner in his/her home state, let alone occupying a ministerial position. Unequivocally, the ongoing profound apathy coupled with complete loss of vision among most of the new generational youths who occupy about one-third of the country’s population, calls for an outcry.

         

Wednesday August 12, the world over commemorated the 2015 International Youth Day. The International Youth Day is annually held on August 12 to celebrate the achievements of the world’s youth and to encourage their participation in enhancing global society. It also aims to promote ways to engage them in becoming more actively involved in making positive contributions in their respective communities.

        

The idea for International Youth Day was proposed in 1991 by young people who were gathered in Vienna – Austria for the first session of the United Nations (UN) World Youth Forum. The forum recommended that an International Youth Day should be declared, especially for fund-raising and promotional purposes to support the United Nations Youth Fund in partnership with various youth organizations.     

         

In 1998, a resolution proclaiming August 12 as International Youth Day was adopted during the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth Affairs. That recommendation was later endorsed in 1999 by the UN General Assembly. The International Youth Day was first observed in the year 2000; one of the highlights of the event was the presentation of the United Nations’ World Youth Awards to the eight Latin American and Caribbean youth and youth-related organizations in Panama City.

        

As Nigeria joins the global community to mark the International Youth Day, I’m soliciting for awareness-raising campaigns to ensure that all the youths are fully sensitized in order to revive the ongoing alarming rate of moral decadence, docility, laxity, and mediocrity found among them.

         

Against this backdrop, I call on the governments, non-governmental bodies, religious institutions, the civil society, the media, and what have you, to join hands in this enticing crusade so that in no distant time Nigeria can boast of a country filled with only resourceful and conscience-driven youths.

        

We can contribute our respective quotas by initiating or sponsoring both social and academic activities such as youth seminars cum conferences on education and empowerment, concerts promoting the Nigerian youth as well as various sporting events, parades and mobile exhibitions that will showcase young people’s accomplishments with a view to thoroughly sensitize the mindset of the said group on their civic responsibility, rights and privileges. A stitch in time, they say, saves nine. Think about it!

COMR FRED DOC NWAOZOR

(The Media Ambassador)

_____________________________________

frednwaozor@gmail.com

+2348028608056

Twitter: @fdnnwaozor