The Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman Abdulrazaq has lamented the rise in social vices and insecurity, attributing it to moral decadence among the youths.

The governor stated this at the 10th anniversary of Royal News Online Publication and the unveiling of a book titled “Habibat Salman- Said: The Diplomatic Administration And a Princess of the Emirate”.

Governor Abdulrazaq emphasized the need for lectures and interactive sessions at different levels to re-awaken the consciousness and inspire the youths to be positive-minded and adopt socially acceptable practices, which in the long run will help to checkmate the prevalence of social vices and improve the security situation in the country.

The governor, who was represented at the event by his deputy, Mr Kayode Alabi, enjoined the management of Royal Online Newspaper and other media outfits to use their influence, credibility, and general acceptance in the media space to educate, preach, and accelerate campaign and value re-orientation among the youths.

AbdulRazaq assured that the government would continue to provide value-based leadership and an enabling environment that will develop the youths and encourage them to adopt a positive way of life.

In his remarks at the occasion, the Director General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, also blamed the insecurity challenges facing the country on the collapse of societal values and loss of cultural identities.

To overcome the numerous social vices and insecurity challenges bedevilling the country, Issa-Onilu emphasized the need for youth social orientation.

“We are a youthful country. By that, I mean the demographics of our country. About 72 per cent of our population is below the age of 35.

“In other words, not less than 165 million of our estimated 220 million population are within the Gen Z and the millennials. We can see that the most critical challenge we face is orienting our youths to be the best of us.

“More than any time in the life of our nation, the government, our traditional institutions, community leaders, and the clerics must rise to face the future of Nigeria.

“In a constantly evolving world, we must help our youths navigate the complexities of social relationships and interactions.

“Today’s youths are not tomorrow’s leaders; they already lead in many endeavours. The sad reality is that they are leading without guidance.

“The leaders of yesterday abandoned the ship even when they did not nurture the youths with the right values.

“We are now in a society where our youths, ill-equipped due to no fault of theirs, are the change-makers, the innovators, and the torchbearers of our society.

“Like in many other countries, youths in Nigeria are often associated with prevalent social vices. These vices can be attributed to various factors, including poverty, unemployment, lack of education, cultural norms, peer pressure, and societal influence,” the NOA DG stated.

Youth Idleness

Issa-Onilu, who was represented by the Director of National Orientation Agency in Kwara State, Mr Olusegun Adeyemi, added that “to address these security threats, tackling the root causes of youth idleness and lack of training is crucial.”

He, however, acknowledged that this would require effective policies to reduce unemployment, provide skill-training, and improve educational opportunities.

According to him, “the good news is that it is not too late to redirect the ship.”

He, therefore, called for collective responsibility of all and sundry so as to provide the youths with the necessary skills and values to succeed and thrive in a diverse and interconnected world.

In his opening address, the Publisher of Royal News Online, Mallam AbdulAzeez Arowona, expressed delight that the medium has been instrumental to so many positive changes in the society in the past years.

He said the medium was founded, “out of the divine love, compassion, and commitment towards promoting our highly respected traditional rulers irrespective of their classes, ethnicity and religious affiliations with the singular aim of promoting peaceful co-existence in our nation.”

The event was graced by traditional rulers, captains of industry, top government functionaries, past and present political office holders.