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“Imagination gives birth to things unknown but the writer’s pen turns them into shapes and gives to them living breaths.”

ALSO READ: BOWEN WOVEN WORDS COMPETITION WAS A HUGE SUCCESS

The 2018 OSCA WOVEN WORDS COMPETITION was organized by My Woven Words and it was only for undergraduates of tertiary institutions in Osun State as approved by the ministry of education, Osun state. There were Terms and Conditions for contestants.

OSCA Woven Words Competition remains the “first-of-its-kind” and “one-of-its-kind” in Osun state, Nigeria. To avoid Conflicts of Interest, we reached out to a number of unbiased scholars in a university outside Osun State to assess the submitted manuscripts and select the best contestants. All the contestant got a certificate of participation and some of the submitted manuscripts were selected for online publication.

Below is the write up submitted by the First Runner-up of OSCA WOVEN WORDS COMPETITION Temitope Alo, a student of the department of Medical Laboratory Science, LAUTECH Ogbomoso.

PRIZE: N30,000 cash prize and a Certificate Award

TOPIC: The Tenacity of Nigerian Youths in National Development and Leadership Role

“The youths are the leaders of tomorrow”, so they say. The youths are the bedrock of economic industrialization, growth and development. For any country of the world that has a large percentage of youth, it is a great asset. The energy, the talent, the innovation, the vigour – all these, the youth possess. Great economies of the world are driven by youths.

But in Nigeria, there is still a lot of work to do. Indeed, the youth has the tenacity to succeed in national leadership roles and contributes to the nation’s development, but it seems the work being done is not seen in the society. This might be due to wrong government policies, a wrong youth mindset about leadership, failed implementation of projects. If this could be corrected, the youth will be able to contribute to national development. There are ways of attaining leadership and national development. Few are listed below:

To begin with, there is a need to get a proper education. Nothing can be done without the right education. The importance of education cannot be overemphasized. The mindset of the youth is changed and renewed by education. It is of utmost importance. We need education from school, from life. They are all needed in the quest for national development.

Secondly, good network and partnerships with people of varying importance and influence is needed. There is a need to seek partnerships in order for the youths to influence policies, be part of the decision making process and planning. This can be done by collaborating with various NGOs, academic institutions, government personnel and religious leaders

Furthermore, there is need for the youths to develop entrepreneurial skills. There is need to develop and maintain a culture of innovation in all fields. There are many innovations in the other parts of the world, Africa should not be left out and Nigeria should be the leader, this responsibility lies on the youths.

Lastly, there is need to develop and implement sustainable projects. Projects like hosting of community programs for women about family planning, creating seminars for youths helping rural community by teaching them necessary skills in their respective fields in order to maximize profits. All these projects reduce unemployment.

In conclusion, there has always been a bright future for the Nigerian youth and that future should not be compromised by the challenges faced now. There is light at the end of the tunnel if we rise up to our responsibilities. The youths decides their future because they decide what they do now, no other person can decide their future but they can, that is why they are going to succeed, not because they will get this on a platter of gold but because whatever comes the way of the Nigerian youth, he will make the most of out of it. So I say to the Nigerian youth, Arise and shine!