Mentoring Nigerian youth ‘ll galvanize economy, reduce crime – Mentors

Folalumi Alaran in Abuja

IN a bid to fast-track growth and development of the economy, eminent, Nigerians who are mentors, weekend, called for mentorship of young people across the country to galvanize the nation’s economy.

Speaking at a one-day ‘National Discourse on the Mentoring Bridge’ with the theme ‘Linking Experience with Aspirations in Nigeria’,
organised and hosted by MyGoRe Mentoring Club, the resource persons including the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Economic Affairs, Tope Fasua; President, Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Ayam Osigwe; Senator Shehu Sani; Managing Director, Peremare Minds; Eugene Abels; Chairman, Cyrus Group, Dr Peter Agada; Nana Kazaure; the Convener, MyGoRe Mentoring Club, Mevon Samuel Jr; and other personalities, said mentoring Nigerian youths will also drastically reduce social vices across the country.

They also said there is the need to review and repackage the over 52 years old Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme, SIWES, introduced by the Industrial Training Fund, ITF, in 1973, in line with the global development trends in order to make the expected impacts on national development.

Therefore, charged Nigerian youth to rise up to the occasion to chose mentors who will help them achieve their dreams and establish themselves in the scheme of things including politics instead of taking to unprofitable ventures that would make them failures in life, and added that they are not to see success achieved by a sprint but see life as a marathon, hence, be humble and ready to be moulded by genuine mentors.

The Senior Special Adviser to the President on Economic Affairs, Tope Fasua speaking on the sidelines of the Dialogue said, “We tend to look at students as students, these guys are not supposed to be useful but that is the most productive age when they have the most energy.

“And I am not talking about using them for free, I am talking about that if they get involved in those projects, they should be paid, maybe not at commercial rates as proper workers because they are still learning, and they should be mentored by the big companies who get the big projects.

“So it spans across in the environmental sector, there’s a lot we can do in environment in this country, from waste management to greening to desertification issues.”

He also added that, “Now we must train our students to venture into entrepreneurship, to use their knowledge to find what they can do for themselves while the government will provide an enabling environment for economy to thrive, it can’t provide enough jobs. So people must of themselves create jobs, put their knowledge to use.”

Also speaking was the President, Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Ayam Osigwe, pointed out that “in the Western world, students invent things even while being students because they are encouraged to think outside the box.

“We must have an education system that prepares people to think outside the box and knowing that people must have divergent views about things and that they must not always agree with us as their teachers.

“Youth are to create jobs, put their knowledge to use, and there must be practical content to our education. Not theoretical content where the students simply cram and come out and only think that they are good enough for employment.”

Osigwe further stated that, “We shouldn’t train students with a mindset that somebody must employ them before they can sustain themselves. They should be able to put their knowledge to use and provide much needed services that the society needs people to come forward to provide so that the economy can thrive.”

Meanwhile, the asserted that Convener, MyGoRe Mentoring Club, Mevon Samuel Jr, explained the essence of the mentorship conference, saying that it is basically to inspire the young people about the story of success by successful personalities in different works of life, therefore, could also become their mentors who could guide them to achieve even greater success.

Samuel Jr said, “The first thing anybody needs to come out from where they are is information. When you begin to know, your life begins to change.

“So the reason we put up this Programme, we invited them, we made it free because it’s cost-free, so that they should come and hear from people’s story. These people are not ostracized with their cases. There are people like us who have also experienced that kind of life but if we can pull out, they too can pull out.

“So the whole idea is they should come and be exposed to information, because it is information that brings transformation. So listen to these people and be inspired. So that way you can also achieve your goal.”

However, he called for review of the Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme, SIWES, as it is not really meeting its objectives, which serves as a major scheme for mentoring youths in all sectors.

“The scheme was established in 1973, to date, there’s no proper review. Every serious government should at least review their policies in 10 years. What is the success rate of the scheme? Is there a data showing us what the scheme has achieved as of today? Nothing.

“There’s no proper review to that SIWES. So that’s why I say that this is a policy to call on the government to look at it critically. Mentorship is a clear-cut pattern to economic growth, if we mentor people properly, our economy will come out faster.

“Wealth is actually transferred, so we should find a way to cascade wealth, because true wealth is not even money it’s wisdom. So when people are wise, they make informed choices, they do things better, so we should find a way to pass those wisdom to the next generation, and that’s why we are advocating economic growth”, he stated.

Also, former Senator for Kaduna Central Senatorial District, Sen Shehu Sani urged young people to rise up to the occasion to press on against all odds to be genuine leaders instead of being “protesters against leadership because it makes no point to me.

“You are a 30-year-old protesting against a 30-year-old person who is already holding position of power and authority. Whatever change you desire in your country, whether it’s political, economic, or anything, you should be the driving agent of it.

“So mentorship and building bridges is what we are here for, and that is the best advice I can give.”