Young People and the Challenge of Insecurity

Resumen o Introducción

This paper x-rays the over a decade intractable conflicts that have ravaged the socio-economic fabric of Jos Plateau State North Central Nigeria and its implications for youth participation in the democratic process. It further lays bare the barriers to national integration among the multifarious nationalities that make up the Nigerian teritory.

Insecurity is a problem common among developed and developing nations that constitute significant threat to peaceful co-existence, interaction, stability and development. It charges people with threats, tensions, anxieties and uncertainties.

At the receiving end of insecurity are sadly youths who are recruited to either fight for a cause not their own or have their educational pursuits abandoned in the wake of these violent conflicts. As a resultant consequence, the supremacy of the constitution which is the ground norm for conduct is interminably jettisoned. Farmers and herdsmen clashes have given a new definition to the dynamics of insecurity on the Plateau. This is manifested in the horrific manner in which villages are razed to rubbles over such disputes. When the constitution fails to hold accountable, perpetrators of heinous crimes owing to favoritism or selective justice, the sanctity of lives are lost. This is the fundamental precursor to youth’s engagement in violent conflicts over the years with the menace of Boko Haram at the zenith of radicalization. As the nature of terrorism assumes an even dangerous dimension owing to significant advancement in technology, the future of our youths leaves a lot to be desired. This is in view of the fact that when youths are not groomed for leadership but rather occupied in destroying the future, the survival of the society beyond this generation becomes bleak and frightening. Arms stockpile and manufactured of IEDs is no longer news as many communities have been devastated by suicide bombings and hundreds of lives lost. One may be tempted to ask whether the government is unaware of these occurrences. When government seemingly tolerates the activities of lawless elements in the society, it inspires other young people to look forward to unleashing mayhem on unsuspecting members of the public with great zeal.