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Our Youths Activism Blog a platform where we inspire, motivate, encourage and ofcourse update ourselves on all those matters evolving in our youth-hood!! KARIBU SANA :-)

Sunday 28 July 2013

Underage Marriage in Nigeria-Cause for Alarm!

THE Senate loves itself too much to care about Nigerians. Senators are out to destroy Nigeria with their arrogance and greed. They believe they are above reproach by Nigerians, as they set out to ruin Nigeria today, and its future.
Defences of the intention to make a constitutional provision that would allow girls to be married off when they are five years old – without a prescribed age, they can be married at five months – show the Senate’s ignorance of the possible impacts of the decision.
We are discussing our country’s future, not the length and width of a bridge that can widened or taken down with minimal consequences. We are dealing with the lives of millions of Nigerians and their right to life as human beings, not commodities for the profane pleasures of some twisted adults. Some female senators voted for child marriage!
UNDERAGE MARRIAGE: SENATORS WHO VOTED YES
UNDERAGE MARRIAGE: SENATORS WHO VOTED YES
Limiting the contest to the rights of the girl child introduces a minimalist approach to the issue. One of the consequences of early marriage is fistula, a condition that leaves a hole between the rectum and the vulva. The woman is incontinent, smells from inability to manage her bowl. In time her husband abandons her in search for his next victim.
Nigeria has more than 800,000 fistula cases, the highest in the world, all resulting from child marriages, which also contribute to high maternal deaths.
Senate President David Alechenu Bonaventure Mark waffles, exposing the flimflam on which the Senate operates. Mark said senators were blackmailed to pass the provision. He used religion and culture as excuses for the vote.
Nigeria does not have a state religion, according to Section 10. Mark’s brief is to provide leadership that would sustain the plurality the Constitution proposed in its preamble -
“We the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
Having firmly and solemnly resolve,.… to provide for a Constitution for the purpose of promoting the good government and welfare of all persons in our country, on the principles of freedom, equality and justice, and for the purpose of consolidating the unity of our people
Do hereby make, enact and give to ourselves the following Constitution.”
How would a discriminatory Constitution cater for the “welfare of all persons in our country, on the principles of freedom, equality and justice?
The proposed amendment would circumscribe the rights of women, from birth. Our Constitution in Section 42 forbids discrimination on basis of origin, belief, or sex. At what age would a woman retrieve her abrogated rights? Would a girl once married be eligible to vote even if she is 10? Can she stand as guardian and sign legal documents for her children? The girls among them could be married before they are six!
How would a society of fistula-ravaged women, who are divorced, abandoned, still in their teens, raise its new members? Exactly what should this law achieve? How would it enhance the liberties our Constitution grants?
Nigerians should contest this matter until it is resolved in their favour. We cannot build a nation on deceit, as has been the case with the Child’s Rights Act (2003) and the Freedom of Information Act (2011). Both laws protect personal liberties the Constitution awards.
The National Assembly watches disinterestedly, as State Houses of Assembly manacle the two laws claiming they are domesticating them. Our Constitution prescribes domestication only for treaties between Nigeria and other countries. According to Section 12 (1) the National Assembly should domesticate treaties for them to have effect. Our Constitution has no provision for State Houses of Assembly to amend federally made laws. It is deceit that permits this illegality.
UNDERAGE MARRIAGE: SENATORS WHO VOTED YES
UNDERAGE MARRIAGE: SENATORS WHO VOTED YES
Section 4 (5) is clear on what State Assemblies cannot do. “If any Law enacted by the House of Assembly of a State is inconsistent with any law validly made by the National Assembly, the law made by the National Assembly shall prevail, and that other Law shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be void.” Where do the States get their powers?
Each senator swore to this oath, “I, do solemnly swear/affirm that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Federal Republic of Nigeria; that as a Member of the Senate, I will perform my functions honestly to the best of my ability, faithfully and in accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the law, and the rules of the Senate and always in the interest of the sovereignty, integrity, solidarity, well-being and prosperity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; that I will strive to preserve the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy contained in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; and that I will preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria….”
The deceit that is mounted as defence for the abnegation of Nigeria’s future has to be resisted. The Senate has the effrontery to defend itself instead of apologising to Nigerians for abandoning the oath to protect the rights of all Nigerians – including girls.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2013/07/underage-marriage-building-nigeria-on-deceit/#sthash.5tieJ5xY.dpuf

Sunday 21 July 2013

Mentoring: A Tool for Youth Empowerment and Employment Generation
The journey to building a sustainable society starts with youth development and engagement, which is being fertilized by mentorship. I will star by defining mentorship and how it plays a key role youth development and employment generation.
Mentorship, from Wikipedia definition is a personal developmental relationship in which a more experienced or more knowledgeable person helps to guide a less experienced or less knowledgeable person. In my own words, I will define mentorship as a way of modeling personal development through practical and experiential coaching by a more knowledgeable individual. Mentoring, as a dynamic and ever-changing process, consist of different stages that provide the mentee with the opportunity to learn and develop. A mentor should be aware that each stage of mentorship is a key factor to delivering an effective mentorship services. The four major stages of mentorship are Prescriptive, Persuasive, Collaborative and Confirmative. Prescriptive stage is the first mentoring stage where the mentee usually has little or no experience in his field of interest. This stage is most comfortable for latest mentee, who wholly depend on the mentor for support and direction. This is where the mentor is prescribing, ordering and advising the mentee and also gives due praise and attention to build the mentee’s self-confidence.  During the prescribing stage, the mentor will spoon feed the mentee by providing the mentee every relevant working tools and sharing of inspiring experience. Persuasive stage is the second stage in a mentoring program where mentees are challenged or persuaded to take up new task and do new things. The mentor may suggest new strategies, coach and push mentees into self-discovery. In the collaborative stage, the mentee is assumed to have gained enough experience that will aid collaborative activities between the mentor and mentee. The mentor at this point will work jointly with the mentee to achieve a professional or personal goal since the mentee must have gained some relevant knowledge around the field. Confirmative stage is suitable for mentees with a lot of experience who have mastered the job competencies and is ready to deliver while the mentor just supervises.
For youth development, I cannot over emphasis the relevance of youth actions in building a sustainable society. Looking at youth being the most active group in the society, one can say that they are inevitable and must be duly considered in planning a productive society. One of the best ways of engaging and developing young people is through mentoring program. Focusing on youth development, we must keep in mind certain essential competencies that youth must develop in order to make the relevant in the society. Some of these skills and competencies are Leadership skills, Proactive learning, Entrepreneurial outlook, Global mindset and Emotional intelligence. These skills and competencies are building block to developing a young socially responsible individual. Mentorship program is an important aspect of youths’ learning environment which can effectively guide youths to acquire such skills and competencies within a short time.
Mentoring uses a direct impact process in mentor-mentee relationship because the mentee will have the opportunity to develop any skill or competency that the mentor disposes either by experiential or coaching process. Effective mentorship program affects the key developmental process of an individual; social knowledge, religion, academics, career choice and decision making. When an individual is engaged in a mentoring program, all the above mentioned attributes of the individual is being addressed and affected by the mentor’s coaching. The mentee is undergoing an  experiential developmental programs by the mentor using different working training strategies to ensure that the mentee gains the required skills and knowledge to complete the developmental cycle of an individual.
In the sense of youth development, mentorship is designed to aid youths in acquiring exceptional competencies and practical experiences through different mentoring processes. Mentorship can come from Youth Organizations, peer groups, Teachers, Parents, Religious heads and significant personalities.
Employment generation is an end product of two factors; Skills and Competencies. Looking at our environment critically, it is obvious that youths lack these key projectors of employment generation. For an individual to be employable one must develop certain skills and generating employment requires so much competencies that will act as supporting tool in driving ideas and increasing youth productivity. Employment generation boils down to applying entrepreneurial competencies and that is one important competency that youths must develop to generate employment or be employable. These are focus areas that mentorship tends to deliver these competencies to their mentees. Mentorship program covers skills and competency building so it plays a significant role in youth productivity level. Employment generation is dependent on career choice which is a determinant of mentorship. Mentorship program is an interactive tool to building career choice and practical experience in the field of interest and it has its unique way of building self-confidence because the mentee will be guided through his career path by a mentor and will be given relevant feedbacks from the mentor.

Youth development is directly proportional to employment generation since youths play a key role in socio-economic development of any society. Mentorship is one of the best strategies of developing an individual irrespective of social or religious background that will be able to drive positive growth in the society. While everyone can benefit from a mentor at every point, it is essential to understand that the ultimate goal of implementing a mentoring program is to produce a well-grounded, competent employee who outgrows the tutelage of a mentor. At the end of any mentoring program, the mentee should evolve to the point of acquiring self-motivation, confidence and general social growth.