This day should never be just another day to march, read speeches and recite poems but a moment to seriously reflect on aspirations, future and how as a youth, one can contribute meaningfully to their communities and nation.
Youths are the future of this nation and indeed the world. The youth’s desire should always be to make this country and world a much better place for themselves and everyone else. Youth aspiration must be to create a better life for themselves, and the future generations.
Youths are the leaders of today and tomorrow. The youth need to take serious interest in leadership because, sooner than later, the mantle will be passed on to them. They need to up their abilities and refine their capabilities in order to provide an even far much better leadership than the world is experiencing today. The future of this nation and this world lies squarely in their hands.
This is the time for the youth to strive to be champions of purity and perfection. Their goal must be to put right, and in a better state, the things that they feel society has not done right and could make life better for them and the future generations. They need to provide hope for the future.
This should never be the time for the youth to lose hope, or pride themselves in indulging in illicit behaviour, like gangsterism, drunkardness, thieving, drug abuse, prostitution etc., because it will not take them anywhere but would instead only distract or even completely shut their aspirations and ambitions. Crime and other bad behaviour does not pay at all.
The youth need not lose hope but must instead motivate and inspire one another. They need to know to say NO to such vices as gangster behaviour by fellow youths in the compounds for instance; drug abuse etc. The youth should be ready and bold enough to tell their colleagues, to their faces, about what is right or wrong, what they can do and what they should not. They need to develop, at a tender age, the ability to guide one another on the right path, for the good of themselves and society as a whole. They need not shy away from evil by ensuring that the fellow youths always do the right things and exhibit acceptable behaviour.
The time is now when, the youth, need to actively participate in church and religious activities, political and leadership programmes, career and skills development programmes and others. These programmes will not only build and strengthen abilities and skills, but will ably prepare youths for critical leadership roles in future. But not only that, these programmes will equally teach and guide youths morally, especially on how one can better live their life.
The youth need to enspouse certain principles in life, such as peace, good attitude, humility, obedience, good behaviour, self restraint and hard work. These are the only virtues that will grow their characters and develop them into good, law abiding citizens.
They also need, at all cost, to avoid such tendencies as violence, pride, laziness, bad attitude etc., because these will definitely lead them into indulging in violence, criminal and other unacceptable behaviour, and eventually land them in trouble.
The desire of society is to see the youth progress and succeed in life.
It makes us very sad therefore when we see the youth enganging in crimimal activities and other unacceptable behaviour which may result in them being sent to jail, mental hospitals, or even to early death (for some) because this is definitely not as it should be.
The reason we always celebrate you the youth is because you are the hope for the future. You need to inspire us as our hope for us to be convinced the future of this nation and world still bright.
As you celebrate your day therefore, kindly take time to reflect, as individuals, on what your contributions are to the future of our society. Is your behaviour and actions in the best interest of creating a better society?
