THE NIGERIAN YOUTH AND THE ATTAINMENT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGs): DEALING WITH THE ROADBLOCKS

Abstract

Youths are considered as a great thinker, innovators and drivers of change whose crucial roles in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) cannot be ignored. Sustainable development comes with rapid/increase growth, and improvement in every aspect or sectors of the society which the youth must be actively involve towards achieving this agenda. Their relevance cannot be jeopardized in the society. This paper therefore examines the involvement of Nigerian youth vis-à-vis the roadblocks to the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Nigeria. The paper adopts the Gabriel Almond’s structural-functionalism as the theoretical framework. The use of secondary source of data collection was relied upon and discussion was achieved through the use of content analysis. It is observed that as laudable as the dream of SDGs is towards the youth, there are some inherent and inhibiting factors such as unemployment, lack of quality education, non-continuity of government programs, poverty, youth restiveness, among other factors that impedes the attainment of the SDGs laudable projects in Nigeria among the youths in the country. The paper concludes that attainment of the SDGs 2030 agenda in Nigeria depends largely on the extent to which deliberate policy initiatives are evolved by government to eliminate the factors that prevent youth from participating meaningfully in the decision making and implementation. The paper recommends improvement to quality education, creation of more employment opportunities, improvement in governance, mutual collaboration between the rural and urban society etc. as a viable measure that can enhance youth participation and the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2030.