Futile Wealth Accumulation: Redefining Success in the Universal Society - (Part I)
The emergent redefining force of globalization has wittingly eroded pre-existing barriers between cultures and triggered the emergence of a universal society in which economic, political, environmental, and cultural events in one part of the world quickly come to have significance for people in other parts of the world. This is consequent upon ground breaking innovations and advances in communications (Single Wireless-CDMA base stations are now being deployed in Kenya covering 120km radius and you have underwater fiber-optics communications cables in the Atlantic/Pacific connecting entire continents electronically and have now rendered satellite telecoms a secondary option), transportation (we now have jets like the Airbus-380 and Boeing 787 that can fly unprecedented distances and maglev trains exceeding 1000km/h) and information technologies (examples abound all around you). It explains the growing economic, political, technological, and cultural linkages that connect individuals, communities, businesses, and governments around the world and also involves the growth of multinational corporations (businesses that have operations or investments in many countries) and transnational corporations (businesses that see themselves functioning in a global marketplace).
The most dramatic evidence of expanding universal wealth is the increase in trade and the movement of capital (stocks, bonds, currencies, and other investments). From 1950 to 2001 the volume of world exports rose by 20 times. By 2001 international trade amounted to a quarter of all the goods and services produced in the world. As for capital, in the early 1970s only $10 billion to $20 billion in national currencies were exchanged daily. By the early part of the 21st century more than $1.5 trillion worth of yen, euros, dollars, and other currencies were traded daily to support the expanded levels of trade and investment. Large volumes of currency trades were also made as investors speculated on whether the value of particular currencies might go up or down.
Now, “Seven habits of highly successful people” (by Steven Covey; he visited Nigeria recently), “21 Irrefutable Laws of success”, “How to be successful”, “Success Power”, “Success Digest”, “Be the Best”, “Rich Dad Poor Dad ” …… (and the list goes on) represent slogans, publications and clichés that have become pervasive and crucial to functioning in our evolving, fast paced, digital, consumer driven and neo-liberal capitalist policy dominated dispensation. Prosperity indices (in GDP terms) the world over are striking unprecedented all-time highs and to be left behind in this revolution could be equated to being accursed or more simply put, uninformed! Huge Private investments, cross-border acquisitions and mergers, hedge, pension and mutual funds, corporate restructuring and debt financing are now becoming the norm in a global economy where neo-liberal and capitalist economic integration ideologies of the “Washington Consensus” (a term describing the predominant western indoctrinated institutions of globalization namely the World Bank and the IMF both headquartered in Washington) are reigning supreme.
We as individuals are now constantly being challenged and engaged to be more efficient, effective, productive, learned and emotionally intelligent if we are to attain and maintain the career and achievement heights we desire in what is now termed the knowledge society. The numerous ingenious publications on self/corporate development and actualization, financial security, communication and Success are very much aware of the opportunities presented by the thriving global free-enterprise domain where the individual who is able to harness potential, leverage resources, utilize appropriate technology and translate it into commercial success achieves competitive advantage and is labeled successful. Success in this era now incorporates both attainment and sustenance of societal recognition, respect and admiration.
Let’s now examine the lives of those currently experiencing success. Drawing on the U.S (land of the extremely wealthy) as our first case study, incomes especially for the upper and middle class have increased significantly over the past decades and are still increasing. Statistics has it that the top 30% earn as much as over 50 times what the lower 30% earns. Research (non-faith based) has however revealed a downturn in the level of happiness, (as they put it), contentment and fulfillment experienced by the people in this class. In-fact, some were candid enough to suggest that their soaring prosperity increased pressures and demands on them to at the minimum, maintain their levitating social status. To express this more succinctly, the more wealth they accumulated, the less peace they experienced. This sounds more like a curse but you couldn’t expect less when u have to be aggressive and highly speculative to consolidate social standing and remain on the success list!
By the late 1990s the 20 percent of the world’s people living in the highest-income countries had 86 percent of the world’s income; the bottom 20 percent had only 1 percent of the world’s income. An estimated 1.3 billion people, or about one-sixth of the world’s population, have incomes of less than a dollar a day. Inequality has grown worse, rather than better. More than 80 countries had lower per capita income (income per person) at the end of the 1990s than they had at the end of the 1980s. In 1960 the top 20 percent had 30 times the income of the poorest 20 percent. This grew to 32 times in 1970, 45 times in 1980, and 60 times in 1990. By the end of the 20th century the top 20 percent received 75 times the income of the bottom 20 percent. It’s been the rich getting richer all the way but how do you reconcile that with a survey published in Newsweek that authentically revealed that Nigerians, (classified as one of the poorest based on per-capita-income but an enormously talented mix of people who have been exploited for decades running) are the happiest people in the world!
Now, examining another survey of Australian millionaires, the study indicated that only one in twenty of them had a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment. The others simply felt they were still under-achievers and needed to work harder in order to create an enduring impression, an elusive dream anyway!
These findings defy the logic that more resources and a better standard of living imply peace of mind and improved psychological well being. Higher income inequality (a natural spawn of capitalism) resulting in a richer upper class at the expense of the poor workforce (who actually get the job done) ought to make the rich happier you might be tempted to argue but emotional satisfaction has remained elusive to the crux of the high achievers.
Could we then hypothetically relegate and de-emphasize the significance of wealth and social achievement in the true concept of success since the perceived notion of success includes happiness and fulfillment in addition to others? Bearing these in mind, would it be appropriate for us to classify the greater fraction of the proletariat of our societies as being successful? Was it Winston Churchill that said he had achieved so much but at the end of the day felt he had achieved nothing! A contemporary dictionary defined success as attainment of power, wealth and fame (fulfillment not included). Well, maybe success has lost its true meaning or that the word in itself is fundamentally deficient in describing what we should strive towards as humans! Maybe scholars out there could help find that word that sums-up all round fulfillment and accomplishment. Even if that single word exists, there’s only one true source. If you don’t know that source, you can call me or send an e-mail and I’ll be glad to deal with your potentially anathemic ignorance!
Friday, May 05, 2006
Saturday, April 01, 2006
MDGs and Developing Nations
Talking about the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals set by the U.N. aimed at bridging the developmental/digital divide between Africa/Asia and the West), it’s really encouraging that the developed world interfacing with the U.N., are now so committed to eradicating/containing extreme poverty in the world (living on less than a dollar a day, one billion people are affected worldwide mostly Africa and Asia). Many OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries (the big boys) have consistently scaled up the percentage of their GDP’s that gets routed to poor nations as funds for disaster relief, infrastructure development, improved governance and accountability (democracy), health (mainly HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria eradication), food (with innovations such as RUTF, ready to use therapeutic food) and you know the rest. Euro-Zone countries are giving as much as 0.4% of GDP while the U.S. still hangs on to 0.1%. Funds in the excess of $65b are being disbursed annually for these purposes but Jeffery Sachs (Consultant to the IMF, World Bank and WTO) thinks this amount needs to be scaled up to $195b annually by 2015 if we really mean business. In-fact, in his publication ‘The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time’, he states that Africa is poorly governed because Africa is poor! (we are used to the reverse but that’s his opinion!).
From Geneva (first phase) to Tunisia (2nd phase) to God knows where next, its been formulating one policy, establishing one forum and staging one follow up conference to another.
I applaud the focus and strategic nature of this global initiative but how effective it really has been up till now remains elusive. There are not enough authoritative statistics that validate perceived accomplishments of these goals and be sure we’ll be living in a fool’s paradise to assume we are progressing without substantive statistical progress indicators. Amir Attaran (Canadian Research Chair in law, population health and global development) once stated that the U.N. has misled by setting specific but immeasurable MDGs. Sachs (Director of the U.N. research millennium project) dismissed this claim by stating (in the PLoS medicine magazine) that only a handful of the MDGs are immeasurable but Attaran also replies citing the United Nations' own data analysis (which the UN subsequently blocked from public access) showing that progress on a very large majority of the Millennium Development Goals is never measured.
I do not intend to get into this argument but I’m a strong proponent of the Harvard style research methodology known as RACE meaning Research, Action, Communication and Evaluation. My focus is on the latter sub-component i.e. Evaluation. Inability to obtain specific metrics that are indispensable in ascertaining the efficacy of some activity is demeaning and unacceptable in our present global information age.
A report has shown that just about 10% of funds disbursed as aid actually gets to organizations that relate directly with the poor. (Looks like bureaucracy and graft are important issues in NGOs now!). The world bank recently halted all forms of financial aid to Chad (Chad govt. diverted oil revenue meant for infrastructure into arms to ward of insurgents), cut $800m worth of aid to India, scrapped unconditional aid to Zimbabwe all due to suspicion of graft and mismanagement.
2015 is less than a decade away and one has to wonder how achievable these goals really are. China successfully lifted 300m of its citizens from extreme poverty (living on less than a dollar a day) in the space of 20 years. This was largely internally and local policy driven. I strongly believe Nigeria and indeed, Africa can repeat same. It all depends on us, not just our leaders. NGOs accessing substantial funds but executing white elephant development projects, propaganda, dearth of sustainable development initiatives and ineffective leadership are depressing but certainly not enough to destroy the Spirit of a rejuvenated, educated, tenacious and development consumed citizen.
My community development group in zamfara state of Nigeria approached a ministry of education official with a proposal to impact secondary school kids and government with basic and then advanced ICT skills at zero cost. All they had to do was approve, give us a list of schools and provide some available hardware. He welcomed the idea initially only to convert the whole thing into his personal propaganda. He asked us to spend just a day at each school and do some publicity gymnastics under guaranteed press coverage. He didn’t realize we were not some press starved or State-award chasing service men. Intensive and sustainable education is what society needs, not some public awareness that many so called NGOs and advocacy groups are conducting around the country and continent.
(In same spirit as my elder one (synonym for mentor), Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.), I have been to the mountain top, I’ve looked over and I have beheld the Promised Land. Though I may not get there with you, we will get there as a people. Mine eyes have seen the coming of the Lord.
I have a dream that my (four or less) little children will one day live in a world where they will not be suppressed by the evil around them, but will be fired up through harnessing their limitless potential to effect a positive sustainable change in society by acting locally, but thinking globally.
adetayo bamiduro; +234-803-065-5386; trinitechnologies@yahoo.com; zm/05B/0276; www.adetayo.blogspot.com;
From Geneva (first phase) to Tunisia (2nd phase) to God knows where next, its been formulating one policy, establishing one forum and staging one follow up conference to another.
I applaud the focus and strategic nature of this global initiative but how effective it really has been up till now remains elusive. There are not enough authoritative statistics that validate perceived accomplishments of these goals and be sure we’ll be living in a fool’s paradise to assume we are progressing without substantive statistical progress indicators. Amir Attaran (Canadian Research Chair in law, population health and global development) once stated that the U.N. has misled by setting specific but immeasurable MDGs. Sachs (Director of the U.N. research millennium project) dismissed this claim by stating (in the PLoS medicine magazine) that only a handful of the MDGs are immeasurable but Attaran also replies citing the United Nations' own data analysis (which the UN subsequently blocked from public access) showing that progress on a very large majority of the Millennium Development Goals is never measured.
I do not intend to get into this argument but I’m a strong proponent of the Harvard style research methodology known as RACE meaning Research, Action, Communication and Evaluation. My focus is on the latter sub-component i.e. Evaluation. Inability to obtain specific metrics that are indispensable in ascertaining the efficacy of some activity is demeaning and unacceptable in our present global information age.
A report has shown that just about 10% of funds disbursed as aid actually gets to organizations that relate directly with the poor. (Looks like bureaucracy and graft are important issues in NGOs now!). The world bank recently halted all forms of financial aid to Chad (Chad govt. diverted oil revenue meant for infrastructure into arms to ward of insurgents), cut $800m worth of aid to India, scrapped unconditional aid to Zimbabwe all due to suspicion of graft and mismanagement.
2015 is less than a decade away and one has to wonder how achievable these goals really are. China successfully lifted 300m of its citizens from extreme poverty (living on less than a dollar a day) in the space of 20 years. This was largely internally and local policy driven. I strongly believe Nigeria and indeed, Africa can repeat same. It all depends on us, not just our leaders. NGOs accessing substantial funds but executing white elephant development projects, propaganda, dearth of sustainable development initiatives and ineffective leadership are depressing but certainly not enough to destroy the Spirit of a rejuvenated, educated, tenacious and development consumed citizen.
My community development group in zamfara state of Nigeria approached a ministry of education official with a proposal to impact secondary school kids and government with basic and then advanced ICT skills at zero cost. All they had to do was approve, give us a list of schools and provide some available hardware. He welcomed the idea initially only to convert the whole thing into his personal propaganda. He asked us to spend just a day at each school and do some publicity gymnastics under guaranteed press coverage. He didn’t realize we were not some press starved or State-award chasing service men. Intensive and sustainable education is what society needs, not some public awareness that many so called NGOs and advocacy groups are conducting around the country and continent.
(In same spirit as my elder one (synonym for mentor), Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.), I have been to the mountain top, I’ve looked over and I have beheld the Promised Land. Though I may not get there with you, we will get there as a people. Mine eyes have seen the coming of the Lord.
I have a dream that my (four or less) little children will one day live in a world where they will not be suppressed by the evil around them, but will be fired up through harnessing their limitless potential to effect a positive sustainable change in society by acting locally, but thinking globally.
adetayo bamiduro; +234-803-065-5386; trinitechnologies@yahoo.com; zm/05B/0276; www.adetayo.blogspot.com;
Saturday, October 15, 2005
I.T and the knowledge driven economy
The initial phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) was hosted by the Swiss government some years back and a broad range of themes concerning the information society was addressed culminating in the adoption of a declaration of principles and plan of action. This was widely perceived as the foundation for better informed societies which of course is an indispensable ingredient for stable economies in our present information-driven world that is taking advantage of fast reliable gigabit data networks, IP telephony (VOIP) and global satellite communications and positioning technologies such as Galileo, the much publicized European version of GPS. African nations, more or less called developing nations (or third world countries as we’ve been christened) certainly stand to benefit more from this transcontinental initiative.
The pace of change brought about by information, communication and other technologies has had a significant effect on the way people live, work, and play worldwide. New and emerging technologies challenge the traditional process of teaching and learning, and the way education is managed. Information technology, while an important area of study in its own right, is having a major impact across all curriculum areas. Easy worldwide communication provides instant access to a vast array of data, challenging assimilation and assessment skills. Rapid communication, plus increased access to IT in the home, at work, and in educational establishments, could mean that learning becomes a truly lifelong activity—an activity in which the pace of technological change forces constant evaluation of the learning process itself.
The benefits of an informed society can not be overemphasized. Even the government will have to worry less about its citizens when they have been adequately exposed to constantly evolving technologies that have totally redefined the way we think, work, live and recreate as foremost creatures of God’s divine creation. A vivid example is the nation that has assumed the status of ‘world police’. One reason the United States government can afford to vest so much time, energy and finance into other nations and provide cross continental is simply because she has in place a solid well structured information system that adequately caters for the needs of her highly esteemed citizenry.
Reliable statistics show that in the United States, with a population of about three hundred million (300 000 000), there are approximately 4000 internet hosts per 10 000 people. That’s an incredible 5 persons to 2 on-line computers!
I however need to clarify that I do recognize the efforts of industry and government in improving the standard of education and ICT awareness in the country. Worthy of mention is the annual sponsorship of the NACOSS software exhibition/competition amounting to six figures by System-Specs, a Lagos based Software Company
However, if developed nations such as the United Kingdom and America still vote several hundred million sterling and greenbacks annually for I.T education purposes, then our government can definitely still do a lot more in infiltrating I.T deep into the core of the society and amongst the youths of this great nation. A worthy example is an educational information technology initiative in the U.K known as the National Grid for Learning (NGfL), launched by the British Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair. The NGfL is an interconnected nationwide computer learning network for use in schools, further education, higher education, libraries and even homes which provides a range of educational resources and functions as a forum for the world of education.
In a time when wealth has become a direct function of both the knowledge you possess and the speed at which you can access information, I can establish the fact that there is a critical need for government to invest much more than ever before in enlightening her citizenry on the importance and possibilities of information technology. Recent Statistics have shown that about forty-three percent (43%) of the 130 million Nigerian population fall under 15 years of age and more than half are certainly youths, hence, the need for youths harnessing such tools as information technology for socio-economic development is of extreme importance..
In conclusion, I would like to state that for us as a nation to achieve sustained economic growth and stability, we must with a sense of patriotism and a strong will to succeed take out the challenges facing us as a nation. I strongly urge government, industry and well meaning Nigerians to give their unwitting support to youth empowerment initiatives especially in the field of information technology so that we can be rest assured that a bright future indeed, awaits Nigeria.
Long live I.T, the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the African Union .
The pace of change brought about by information, communication and other technologies has had a significant effect on the way people live, work, and play worldwide. New and emerging technologies challenge the traditional process of teaching and learning, and the way education is managed. Information technology, while an important area of study in its own right, is having a major impact across all curriculum areas. Easy worldwide communication provides instant access to a vast array of data, challenging assimilation and assessment skills. Rapid communication, plus increased access to IT in the home, at work, and in educational establishments, could mean that learning becomes a truly lifelong activity—an activity in which the pace of technological change forces constant evaluation of the learning process itself.
The benefits of an informed society can not be overemphasized. Even the government will have to worry less about its citizens when they have been adequately exposed to constantly evolving technologies that have totally redefined the way we think, work, live and recreate as foremost creatures of God’s divine creation. A vivid example is the nation that has assumed the status of ‘world police’. One reason the United States government can afford to vest so much time, energy and finance into other nations and provide cross continental is simply because she has in place a solid well structured information system that adequately caters for the needs of her highly esteemed citizenry.
Reliable statistics show that in the United States, with a population of about three hundred million (300 000 000), there are approximately 4000 internet hosts per 10 000 people. That’s an incredible 5 persons to 2 on-line computers!
I however need to clarify that I do recognize the efforts of industry and government in improving the standard of education and ICT awareness in the country. Worthy of mention is the annual sponsorship of the NACOSS software exhibition/competition amounting to six figures by System-Specs, a Lagos based Software Company
However, if developed nations such as the United Kingdom and America still vote several hundred million sterling and greenbacks annually for I.T education purposes, then our government can definitely still do a lot more in infiltrating I.T deep into the core of the society and amongst the youths of this great nation. A worthy example is an educational information technology initiative in the U.K known as the National Grid for Learning (NGfL), launched by the British Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair. The NGfL is an interconnected nationwide computer learning network for use in schools, further education, higher education, libraries and even homes which provides a range of educational resources and functions as a forum for the world of education.
In a time when wealth has become a direct function of both the knowledge you possess and the speed at which you can access information, I can establish the fact that there is a critical need for government to invest much more than ever before in enlightening her citizenry on the importance and possibilities of information technology. Recent Statistics have shown that about forty-three percent (43%) of the 130 million Nigerian population fall under 15 years of age and more than half are certainly youths, hence, the need for youths harnessing such tools as information technology for socio-economic development is of extreme importance..
In conclusion, I would like to state that for us as a nation to achieve sustained economic growth and stability, we must with a sense of patriotism and a strong will to succeed take out the challenges facing us as a nation. I strongly urge government, industry and well meaning Nigerians to give their unwitting support to youth empowerment initiatives especially in the field of information technology so that we can be rest assured that a bright future indeed, awaits Nigeria.
Long live I.T, the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the African Union .
Monday, October 03, 2005
the voice of our rural youth contemporaries
I can select two keywords in the above heading. The first is ‘youths’ and the other is ‘rural’.
The word youths can be attributed to mean the period of human life between childhood and maturity; the state of being young; or better still the early age of life.
The other word, Rural connotes ‘outside the city or in the country’; ‘typical of the country’; and could also have some relationship with agriculture. It could also involve farming. If you do the math, rural youths are simply young individuals in the period of human life between childhood and maturity that happen to be living outside the city or urban areas. Many of them live deep in the country and when I say country, I mean the vast under-developed geographic areas of a country where the primary source of living is agriculture.
According to a 1997 study by FAO, rural youths are among the most disadvantaged of the poor. These young people grow in restricted, traditional, social and cultural environments, with limited opportunities for education. Often, the education they receive, designed from a predominantly urban perspective is not closely related to their environment. They are offered little support in seeking a more in-depth knowledge of their environment or ways of improving their own communities.
In our society today, we know that anyone who desires to make a point or express an opinion must either be well connected, possess some form of influence or affluence, or be overcome with some resilience and desire to make an impact which must certainly be borne out of exposure, experience and quality education. We all know that these three gems are indeed rare amongst rural dwellers particularly youths. Rural youths are not afforded quality education, lack exposure and experience, and are certainly ill equipped to compete with those in the ‘developed’ and ‘enlightened’ society. Its not news that there are thousands of potentials wasting away in our rural communities but the fact however remains that resources not harnessed certainly waist away. As long as rural youths are not afforded quality education and adequate exposure to current trends in the newly emerging technology society, they will remain locked out of the ever dynamic urban controlled society.
Recommendations
We all know that the bulk of the country's resources particularly, the country's land, natural and mineral resources are in the Rural Areas. If we are to embark on true development, it is logical that we spread the process where the bulk of the population and the bulk of our resources are, namely, the country's grassroots. In view of the above, I believe alliances and organizations (especially NGO’s) should be formed and setup by well meaning individuals and firms to assist with large scale rural development programs for youths in particular since we know the ‘limitations’ and priorities of government and given the fact that the people concerned can not really help themselves. Many of these communities in-fact have quite a number of successful sons who should be willing to plough back resources in developing their native communities using the youths as reference point.
They would also have responsibilities to monitor the development process of the rural youths, by way of ensuring that democracy dividend gets to those in the grass roots. These organizations would also redress the lack luster attitude of those in governance towards rural dwellers to sensitize and mobilize the rural dwellers towards laying claim to their natural and mineral resources that are abundant in their area. It is believed that Nigeria is endowed with abundant human and natural resources, which if properly and adequately harnessed, can ensure sustainable national prosperity. Accordingly, we need to put in place an empowerment program designed specifically to identify talents, reward hard work and increase youth's enthusiasm towards improved education. On the other hand, we must ensure provision of micro-credits for those engaged in petty trade and micro-business towards enhancing their productivity and on the political scene, to inform and sensitize the rural populace.
Development is generally believed to be the leading objective of any government. In Nigeria for instance, our development strategy for sometime, has centered on the top-down, rather than on the bottom-up approach, which provides the opportunity for the people to conceptualize development projects suiting the peculiar circumstance of their localities.
The current grassroots educational and societal socio-philanthropic status quo is certainly unsatisfactory. Being so dedicated to the cause of breeding and propagating socially balanced minds and to ensure democratic dividends as it affects the grassroots dwellers, there must be a firm and solemn resolve to come together and form organizations with a purpose to empower, sensitize, inform and re-orientate the grass-roots dwellers. This will in the process, provide the rural-dwellers and youths with the opportunity available to harness the agricultural and mineral resources which this nation is endowed with, to enable them to continuously improve the quality of their lives and make meaningful contribution to society. For its successful implementation, there shall be put in place proper financing, training opportunity, local aids and raw materials sourcing and quality education which the beneficiaries are expected to make the best use of.
The word youths can be attributed to mean the period of human life between childhood and maturity; the state of being young; or better still the early age of life.
The other word, Rural connotes ‘outside the city or in the country’; ‘typical of the country’; and could also have some relationship with agriculture. It could also involve farming. If you do the math, rural youths are simply young individuals in the period of human life between childhood and maturity that happen to be living outside the city or urban areas. Many of them live deep in the country and when I say country, I mean the vast under-developed geographic areas of a country where the primary source of living is agriculture.
According to a 1997 study by FAO, rural youths are among the most disadvantaged of the poor. These young people grow in restricted, traditional, social and cultural environments, with limited opportunities for education. Often, the education they receive, designed from a predominantly urban perspective is not closely related to their environment. They are offered little support in seeking a more in-depth knowledge of their environment or ways of improving their own communities.
In our society today, we know that anyone who desires to make a point or express an opinion must either be well connected, possess some form of influence or affluence, or be overcome with some resilience and desire to make an impact which must certainly be borne out of exposure, experience and quality education. We all know that these three gems are indeed rare amongst rural dwellers particularly youths. Rural youths are not afforded quality education, lack exposure and experience, and are certainly ill equipped to compete with those in the ‘developed’ and ‘enlightened’ society. Its not news that there are thousands of potentials wasting away in our rural communities but the fact however remains that resources not harnessed certainly waist away. As long as rural youths are not afforded quality education and adequate exposure to current trends in the newly emerging technology society, they will remain locked out of the ever dynamic urban controlled society.
Recommendations
We all know that the bulk of the country's resources particularly, the country's land, natural and mineral resources are in the Rural Areas. If we are to embark on true development, it is logical that we spread the process where the bulk of the population and the bulk of our resources are, namely, the country's grassroots. In view of the above, I believe alliances and organizations (especially NGO’s) should be formed and setup by well meaning individuals and firms to assist with large scale rural development programs for youths in particular since we know the ‘limitations’ and priorities of government and given the fact that the people concerned can not really help themselves. Many of these communities in-fact have quite a number of successful sons who should be willing to plough back resources in developing their native communities using the youths as reference point.
They would also have responsibilities to monitor the development process of the rural youths, by way of ensuring that democracy dividend gets to those in the grass roots. These organizations would also redress the lack luster attitude of those in governance towards rural dwellers to sensitize and mobilize the rural dwellers towards laying claim to their natural and mineral resources that are abundant in their area. It is believed that Nigeria is endowed with abundant human and natural resources, which if properly and adequately harnessed, can ensure sustainable national prosperity. Accordingly, we need to put in place an empowerment program designed specifically to identify talents, reward hard work and increase youth's enthusiasm towards improved education. On the other hand, we must ensure provision of micro-credits for those engaged in petty trade and micro-business towards enhancing their productivity and on the political scene, to inform and sensitize the rural populace.
Development is generally believed to be the leading objective of any government. In Nigeria for instance, our development strategy for sometime, has centered on the top-down, rather than on the bottom-up approach, which provides the opportunity for the people to conceptualize development projects suiting the peculiar circumstance of their localities.
The current grassroots educational and societal socio-philanthropic status quo is certainly unsatisfactory. Being so dedicated to the cause of breeding and propagating socially balanced minds and to ensure democratic dividends as it affects the grassroots dwellers, there must be a firm and solemn resolve to come together and form organizations with a purpose to empower, sensitize, inform and re-orientate the grass-roots dwellers. This will in the process, provide the rural-dwellers and youths with the opportunity available to harness the agricultural and mineral resources which this nation is endowed with, to enable them to continuously improve the quality of their lives and make meaningful contribution to society. For its successful implementation, there shall be put in place proper financing, training opportunity, local aids and raw materials sourcing and quality education which the beneficiaries are expected to make the best use of.
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