Monday, March 14, 2011
Managing Director of the World Bank, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has taken a swipe at corrupt public office holders, whom, she said, have become bad influences on the youths. Besides, the former minister of finance traced the spate of unrests in the country to the neglect of the youths.
Okonjo-Iweala
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Okonjo-Iweala, who spoke at the weekend, shortly after she was honoured with a Doctor of Science in Economics by the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife, Osun State, called for concerted efforts to reduce the rate of unemployment among the youths.
“We can send all our children to the university but when they come out and they don’t have jobs, then it makes them to be demoralized and this breeds unrest and other social problems.
“And it implies that the country is not making use of the demographic dividends it should be making use of. So, the biggest thing we have to focus on is how to keep our youths employed including our young women and girls”, she stated.
While appealing to different tiers of government to give priority attention to the welfare of youths in order to guarantee the development of the country, the former Finance Minister stressed the need for high moral etiquette from the nation’s leaders to serve as encouragement to the younger generation.
On the part of the youths, the World Bank chief admonished them to be creative by looking inwards on what they could do for themselves but not what the government could do for them.
She charged those in positions of authority to provide the enabling environment, including finances that could enable the youths stand on their own.
The revered economist, who was one of the four prominent Nigerians honoured on the occasion, urged the youths to regard service as honour to the nation but not necessarily as a means to amass wealth.
”In other to encourage our youths to serve well, we must uphold strong moral values. Youths cannot do well when they see the elders doing the wrong thing. If we glorify criminal behaviour; if we glorify corruption; if we glorify stealing money; then our children will behave like that and I am sure nobody wants to see children going down the wrong path.
”So it means that those of us, the elders, the parents and those who are in power have to watch the way we behave because we are automatically sending a message to the young people. In essence, it is not only just about giving them education and skills, it is also about inculcating in them, the right moral values otherwise this country has no future,” she added
She noted that while many people in the country found it difficult to make ends meet, few privileged Nigerians corner the resources of the nation to satisfy themselves.
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