By Thompson Yamput
A Former Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (Rtd), says that committing the nation’s teeming youths to radical structural transformation is key to taming insurgency and other vices.
Buratai made the assertion on Wednesday while delivering the Federal University Lokoja (FUL’s) 18th Distinguished Public Lecture in Lokoja.
The public lecture had the theme: “Youth, Governance, and Countering Violent Extremism: Rethinking Nigeria’s Security Strategy”.
Buratai said that insurgency, kidnapping, and militancy amongst youths could be reduced, if not eradicated, if the government could readily engage them in meaningful ventures away from idleness and ignorance.
The former COAS warned that the young people of Nigeria should not be viewed as having a passive role in policies but as decision-makers, who should be allowed into governance.
“Nigeria is at a critical juncture. Its youth, which are highly energetic, creative, and comparatively heavy in the demography, could become its biggest liability or its biggest strength.
“Violent extremism not ‘only flourishes in the absence of policing but also in the absence of good governance, marginalisation, and hopelessness.
“The articulation made in this lecture has “contended that it takes not guns and boots to counter such a threat but rather a change in paradigm in the way governance gets done in the area of security.
“This is not the philosophy of idealism. It is the peasant pragmatism. Youth-centred approaches have been proven to be both successful and imperative to building post-conflict stability and resilience in such countries as Tunisia, Kenya, Colombia and Rwanda.”
According to him, Nigeria needs to learn, adjust and take the lead.
The former army chief warned: “If we do not reach out to our young people, we leave them to be recruited by criminal gangs or extremist organisations or foreign powers.”
He noted that once the youths are empowered, “they will not only be defenders of Nigeria and safeguards of her peace – they will be the ones to set its future.”
Earlier in his remarks, the FUL Vice-Chancellor, Prof Olayemi Akinwumi, said that the theme of Buratai’s lecture was timely and could not have come at a better time.
Akinwumi said that the topic spoke directly to one of the greatest threats confronting the country today, especially the growing wave of violent extremism among the youth population.
According to him, this menace continues to undermine our national unity, tear apart communities, and obstruct our developmental aspirations.
“As a University committed to producing graduates who are not only academically sound but also socially responsible, we are eager to engage with this critical discourse.
“Our country is in dire need of strategies that are innovative, inclusive, and sustainable, and we are confident that your insights today will provide a fresh perspective that will inform policy, inspire action, and provoke meaningful conversations,” he stated. NAN
