THE ROLE OF NIGERIAN STUDENT IN CREATING A NEW NIGERIA

First and foremost a student is a person who is studying in school; it could be in secondary or university schools. role on the other hand is a part and also a degree to which some body is involved in a situation or an activity and effect he have on it. As we know that student are special group of people with strong stamina and passion for realizing certain set goals and objective. Also Students have some characteristics that distinguish them from other generations. Such characteristic include impatient for change, zealousness, radicalism, rebellions, curiosity, hard work, ego and ambition etc. You will agree with me that these are the propelling factors for national development. While national development is the general improvement in the lives of individual, groups and environment. Looking at these two concepts, it is safe to say that, students are engine and actualizes of national development; if there mindsets are channels in the right direction. Therefore, there actions and inaction are necessary impetus for entrenching and consolidating the vertical and horizontal integrations of any of there society in their country Nigeria.

You will agree with me that there is a linkage and intercourse between the student and the national development that is creating a new Nigeria. This intercourse is not only symbolically connected; but one depends on the other for sustenance. Therefore, the role of Nigerian student in creating a new Nigeria for the national development can not be over emphasized. The wheel development of Nigeria lies on the shoulder of how productivity and creativity the student populations are. The students in Nigeria are engine of growth and development because they provide the labour force for production of goods and services to take effect. And also are critical masses of people, whose action and inactions can develop or destroy the hegemonies of Nigeria their country. So therefore, the role of Nigeria student in creating a Nigeria for national development to take place is sacrosanct to the whole developmental aspiration of Nigerian societies. The students are the corner stone to societal rejuvenation. Society are not only recreated through it student and youthful population, but student are often referred as the leaders of tomorrow. So there mindsets and role is of major importance in creating a new Nigeria. It is perplexing to say that Nigeria will not experience development when the preponderance of population is ineffective. So therefore, the Nigeria students have a very big and greater role to play in creating a new Nigeria for it national development. It is my humble submission that, today due to lack of opportunities and support in the country, the only place of consolidation for the Nigeria student and the youthful minds to showcase there talents and energy is in the entertainment industry. Which to me is a great disappointment; entertainment though a multi million dollar sector in advance countries but, is a divisional and idle sector for pool of human resource and creativity that lied buried in the hands of and hearts of Nigerian student.   

Nigerian student therefore have a very big role to play in creating a new Nigeria.

Since gaining its independence Nigeria has experience a turbulent history which as a nation we claim to overcomes. It’s worthy to mention that our founding fathers and first president of Nigeria were youths. Having gain freedom from British rule we were considered as well educated and economically strong due to the agriculture and moral discipline. Securities of life and property food, job were at a very high level.

Unfortunately due to moral decadence, ethnicity and religious bigotry that resulted in greed, lack of commitment, selfishness, neglect of our youths, desire for  immoral wealth at all cost (419) myopic sentiments, etc over the past several decades, insecurity has become the other of the day, and our sad reality.

Decline in education resulted in loss of values, leading to laziness, which as its result produced hunger, desire for immoral wealth (419) and turned into joblessness. The previous then descended into kidnapping, arm robberies, cultism and bombing and lately terrorism. Looking at all this evil activities going on the country you see that instead of going forward we are going backward, because these entire insecurity problem is affecting the nation and its economy. Looking closely you will see that these student and youth that suppose to be the change they want to see are involved in this dirty activities. Some of these activities include being used by some politician to achieve there selfish interest and thereby causing problem in the society. Destruction of school property during riot and protest are the activity that the students do engage themselves which is not good for the nation development, because after those riot and destruction of school property the problem remain unsolved. Therefore the role of a student ensuring security in Nigeria as a way of creating a new Nigeria begins with education. Education is the greatest and most efficient instrument to improve moral values, discipline, and responsibility. through education you will be able to create a new jobs, build a strong and competitive economy, promote harmony and coexistence, gain respect for other people and there views and etc. can you imagine how truly great Nigeria will be if all the millions of student in the country worked together towards the greater interest of the nation and not for selfish short minded purposes.

John F. Kennedy the former president of United States said “ask not for what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country”. Greatness is not attain by what you can do for yourself, or your surrounding at a micro level, but what you can do to help less privileged and your country as a whole. The development of any society is the interplay between man and his environment. This interplay that ensure self discovery plays a major role in energizing, motivating and mobizing the people towards a common goal. There is no doubt, when God created the world, he perfected it with major variables that will make the life of man simpler, easier and peaceful, towards moral, physical and celestial prosperity. However, the inability of student to curtail his ego and self love has been the major obstacles to attaining God promises, thereby, heightening circle of confusion and hopelessness. It is important to say that a student or a man is a product of his environment or value system. It is the value system that shapes the perception and belief of the student and the people. Generations upon generation were feed with value system that comes to influence their perception, behaviors, attitude and character for centuries. Therefore, society with strong value system will experience high development and discipline group of people, while a society with weak value system will experience chaos and underdevelopment. In creating a new Nigeria, Nigerian student must use dialogue to settle what ever violence that may arise in there various schools, there by promoting unity and peace in the nation. This will also reduce the rate of evil practice in Nigeria schools. In creating a new Nigeria, Nigeria student must be creative. Today in Nigeria we have seen the rate of unemployment. Considering the number of student in Nigeria coming out of school every year and start searching for white color job.

Creativity which involves the use of skill and imagination to produce some thing new or work of art, having the skill and the ability to produce some thing new, especially the work of art, will help Nigerian student coming out of school and also reduce the rate of unemployment in the country. In the same vein Nigerian student must be discipline, having the ability to make you do some thing, especially some thing difficult. If you look around in Nigeria today you will see that the Nigerian student are the ones been use as thugs for some selfish politicians to achieve their selfish interest. But if our students are self-discipline they will not involve themselves in such evil activity which is eating deep into the nation. Standing against examination malpractice and promoting academic excellence will go a long way in creating a new Nigeria. Today you see that exam malpractice has reduced the reducing culture among our student, which makes it impossible for Nigerian student to be self-motivated. Since a student who graduated from a higher institution can not defend or prove his or her certificate, what then did he or she have to offer his country. Therefore tackling this academic problem will help Nigerian student to stand out and also participate in promoting the nations economy in their areas of profession. Other numerous roles a Nigerian student play in creating a new Nigeria includes obedient to the laws of the land. Many students disobey the laws of the land by being unpatriotic and thereby are not the change they want to see.  

In creating a new Nigerian, holding of seminars in our various schools, seminar that stood against evil in the society, as people acquiring education in the school, teaching the grass root people and fellow student the danger of drug abuse, raping, kidnapping and so on. Through seminars Nigeria student will go a long way in the nation building through its student. As a student one of the reason while we are studying is also to learn and correct the mistake of our past leaders.

In creating a new Nigerian, Nigerian student must be self- motivation because is a drive to great success. Motivation has been define as the feeling of enthusiasm, interest or commitment that makes some body to want to do some thing with the aim of reaching a goal. Because is a common belief that those who are self-driven are the most likely to succeed in life, On the other hand self-motivation is the ability, an inner drive, to stir up oneself effectively with out needing to be persuaded by people or situations.

The question is how does self-motivation helps in the nation development? Yes a self-motivated student  have a lot to contribute in the nation development, because it will help the student to critically asses and evaluate the various activities of there past and present government, it will help us to find solution to our societal problems.

It helps the student to reason objectively and rationally as well as to analyze critically economic and social events.

 As we know that Nigeria is the must populous nation in African continent with different ethnic group and potential youth, to make the country a new place to live our student must be detribalize and should use dialogue to settle issues and quarrel among themselves. One problem rocking Nigeria today is leadership positions, who will lead and who will not lead, this issue have been tearing Nigeria apart for many years, following the mistake made by our founding fathers not to share the leadership positions among each of the tribe on the period of there rule to create fairness and equity among the tribes in the nation. Today that has become a very big problem. Like I stated earlier in creating a new Nigeria, the Nigerian student must learn some thing from this mistake made by our former leaders and made correction were appropriate in the school and put hands together to promote unity. We therefore call on all Nigerian students to join this battle to save Nigeria and become a renaissance youth by learning and practicing these thematic words honesty, honor, integrity, consciousness, respect, contentment, courtesy, and patriotism. It is through those that Nigerian student can create a new Nigeria.