By Sikiru Kayode
Youths are significant in every sphere of life. They are seen as strong, agile and fitted, being that they have the strength to achieve whatever they set their mind at achieving. Unfortunately, the youths of today would rather channel their strength to activities of doom that will eventually plunge their life into a lifelong abyss and leave them frustrated, dried and wounded.
They have the age advantage and the promising future to be the leaders of tomorrow, but they have started engaging in activities that render one irrelevant and irresponsible in the society. It was never recorded in time and space that nationalists like: ObafemiAwolowo, Nnamdi Azikwe, Ahmadu Bello, etc. started their youth days with any fraudulent activity. Instead, we were told of how they strived to achieve education at all cost in order to liberate their people from ignorance and bring independence to the Nation.
In our society today, Education is variably considered as an option amongst various means. The popular saying that“Education is the best legacy” has been rephrased by the present-day youths into “Education is a scam”. Whereas,fraudulent activities have been pushed into crescendo. They downplay the many adverse consequences that will eventually accompany the fraud committed by anyone in the society and embrace the act without consciousness. They shunned the clear signal that fraud brings on the reputation and honour of theirfamily.
An average teen in a University is not interested in a reading group but will not hesitate to have a sleepless night with group of guys in other to get ‘update’ that enable them to dupe a client. They have no interest in group reading but call themselves names like ‘my gee’, ‘senior gee’ which signify their expertness or hierarchy in fraudulent activities. Names like scholar, professor, efiwe, igiwe are not constant among tertiary studentsanymore. The value for Education is gradually turning into insipidity amongst the so called “glory of tomorrow”. Crime rateis alarming these days and fraud has eaten deep into our core value.
They view Education as a “play to be acted on a stage bynonchalant characters whom will mock the seriousness in the term” through their attitude and action. The future of our youthsis at stake with the direction in which things are heading. A disdainful argument amongst some youths of our generation is that Education does not liberate one from poverty while fraud will liberate one from misery. Is this not an inevitable confusion? Is this thought and action not a looming doom? Our society celebrate young boys probably at the age of 25,20,18 years when they ride exotic cars, drink expensive wines, sleep around with young ladies and spend lavishly on mundane things.
Engaging in fraud is like hiding behind a finger which is absolutely impossible to achieve, a popular proverb says “All day for the thieves one day for the owner” the tentacle of law and justice will definitely catch up with any one engaging in fraudulent activities.
The best way to eradicate or revise this inevitable confusion is to place more value on Education and increase the pace of discipline among the youth. Parent should buckle up in their parenting responsibilities and shun any appearance of fraud from their children.
SIKIRU KAYODE EMMANUEL
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
LAGOS STATE UNIVERSITY.
