Globalization: The Challenges of the Nigeria Youths

Abstract

The paper investigates the challenges poses by globalization on the Nigerian youth. “Youth” bridges the gap between the dependency of childhood and the independent “freedom” of adulthood, and in order to combat the marginal social status, and sense of powerlessness attributed to “youth”, it becomes its social institution with its own codes and cultural claims. As a result, it poses a threat to the accepted norms of adult society. One of the basic tenets of globalization is giving greater role to the private sector and hence greater opportunity towards contributing more to employment creation by the private sector and this is now bringing to an end the era of the public sector/government being the largest employer of labour. The effect of this has been youth unemployment which has been on high rate in Nigeria. The implications of this high rate of unemployment among the young in Nigeria are quite serious, one of which is the dependency rate of many youths on parents and relatives, proness to crime and delinquency, easy prey to drug barons etc. The family which is an important vehicle of primary socialization has been seriously battered by westernization,  the effects of which has brought about new values like, emphasis on accumulation of wealth as a symbol of success. There is no doubt that most of the young people in Nigeria are confused, and this confusion emanated from the effects which globalization has brought to us all. The paper concludes that, since the youth is the engine that propel every nation, it is a thing of necessity for the government of Nigeria to; focus on job creation strategies, empower the youth for universal access to economic opportunities and social service, restoration of some African traditional values and norms that have contributed to some of our success stories.

Key Words: Globalisation, Youth, Challenges, Family, Socialisation, Westernisation