By Fred Ezeh
The Nigerian Youth Union (NYU) has called for unity of purpose in tackling the myriads of social challenges confronting the world.
NYU National President, Comrade Chinonso Obasi, in a statement noted that, although the year 2022 opened with great promise of hope, life in Nigeria but has remained traumatic.
He made this known on the occasion of the 2022 International Youth Day.
Obasi, who is a former President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), said the number of children out of school, child trafficking, kidnapping for ransom, and organ harvesting have combined to make life brutish.
Reflecting on the theme of this year’s International Youth Day, which is “Intergenerational Solidarity: Creating A World for All Ages,” the NYU President stressed that time has come for the living to hold hands together in solidarity.
Obasi observed that even the climate has unleashed new concerns for human survival, pointing out that only by uniting hearts and minds that humankind could solve the existential challenges.
He lamented that socio-economic conditions have also tended to make life miserable for senior citizens, noting that governments should think outside the box to cater for senior citizens.
“The world demands of us greater love. We need to spread warm affection toward humanity. Extreme individualism has not helped; the time is now for mankind to show the healing balm of being each other’s keepers.
“As the human population increases, wickedness has also multiplied. Unexplained extrajudicial killings and ritual sacrifices have also become a new normal. However, we need each other as life has become more chaotic, and it’s only by reflecting on the safety and happiness of our neighbor that we can achieve a world that works for every generation,” he stated.
NYU said demographic differences do not insulate the young or old, male or female from the vagaries of the current travails, assuring that it would use the remainder of the year to upscale campaigns for social harmony while advocating for good governance and social welfare policies.
