The quality of fatherliness in a family is the considerable level of evenness each of a family member concieves to relate, and be related with in the confidence that an equal treatment is always nearly given or completely given to all.

Such a family must have understood and take to bear, the basic principles of dealing with one another and creating space for all to feel secured and progress. This of course is a standard that not all families can be said to enjoy and so the government of a people.

If the government which is a larger interpretation of the family stands in the best blossoming way to coordinate its members, in a considerable measure of discipline, equity, fairness and justice. Such a government will be nearly called a HAVEN or simply put” good government”.

What happens in Nigeria today is totally condmnable and Most truthfully, is the negligence of the people by the government.

Overtime, things have not been fine with Nigeria, ranging from bad governance, unpatriotism on the side of the citizenry and lack of unity from ethnic diversity and religious bigotry. Most to note is the serious negligence of the youths in the arts of governance.

The youths in Nigeria and its states have been made tools by indoctrination. The politicians make the youth carry out mainly heinous acts and better Messengers of doom to the society. Most times, after using these youths for space widening in politics and the records of gains, these youths are never empowered nor ever been considered as a possible tool of enhancing good governance, hence, they stray to become callous, frustrated and finally dangerous to the society.

In recent times, amidst the frustration of the youths, it becomes patinent in the sights of the youths that, neglecting them is not enough but serious molestation, harrasement, unemployment, insecurity and worse, unprofessional conducts by the security agencies most especially the “SARS” is worrisome and condemnable. The strides by youths to vent their anger became sacrosanct, hence, ” the #EndslSarsProtest.

This protest has actually generated a lot of concerns to the international communities and as well shown the level of grudge the people of Nigeria have against their government. Worst is the revelation that implies, food items being distributed either early or late to the states for onward distribution but ended up being vandalized for probable anger and frustration. A scenario that transcended to stealing and lawlessness.

Funny to note is that, in a number of states in Nigeria, the youths have not been filled in in their rightful space to make the true inscripted machinery of governance.

Take a case of plateau. The present government which came with the slogan of ” A RESCUE ADMINISTRATION” and tried to prove to its citizenry that such a goodness is brought to them by concentrating to fix the lapses of the administration before them ie, back log if salaries, scholarship for students, the plateau youth council scrapped by the then administration, and a hosts of other campaigns.

Most corroborating to the trends of today is the fact that, the plateau youth council as a machinery of governance which has a constitutional ministry to serve the needs of the people has no structures. It is quite a shame that, a responsible government tags on governance without its most macro meaningful constituency and hopes to end well. How can a ministry exist in governance without its embodied constituency? What then is the function of the ministry and the commissioner? Again, how can the ministry be there for close to a year without the structure of the youth council and still feels comfortable? Now that the center cannot hold and things fall appart and are gradually detoriating , who is to be blamed? The institution of the ministry of youth and sports is supposed to in collaboration with the youth body take in activities and programs to enhance youth development and contribute to national conciouseness but the government has actually failed itself and the youth. What do the government expect from the youth?

Way forward, the government must employ its basic constitutional make ups as to what it is obligated to do as a duty and not at discretion, to move plateau state forward. Conduct the PLATEAU YOUTH council elections from the district to state, empower the youths to grow meaningfully and be part of governance, step up in the need of the people you govern, and most importantly, be a responsible government that the people can owe much legitimacy that is now totally Lost.

God bless plateau state.

Amb. GK . Dewan. The UN YOUTH ambassador to North Central Nigeria.

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Leadership and the place of the youths in governance