Yes, the world revolves about the youth

National census figures are meaningless if they are not put in their true context. A major item of the last demographic and household survey is the number and age of the youth.

They comprise about half of the total population and are the drivers of almost every facet of life. This body consists of persons aged 15-29, which is at 10 million or one-quarter of the national population.

 They are also the largest growing and are expected to surpass the so-called youth bulge” by 2020. This is significant because it has forced policymakers, politicians, clerics, and captains of industry to get back to the drawing board.

Each of their constituencies are affected or impacted in one way or the other by the dynamics, groupthink, peer group pressures, and even sheer numbers of the youth.

That is why the electoral commission has had to address matters to do with youths’ identity cards, coming of age of majority, ease of registration, and its link to a more literate populace.

Politicians are enamoured by this group because they are versatile, excitable, impressionable and, on the flip side, can be manipulated to manage some politicians’ vested agenda.

Clerics scratch their heads at the ageing, but dwindling numbers in their pews and are actively seeking out the youth to fill these spaces. Educationists also need to know what ICT is doing to shape youths’ aspirations.

Researchers, innovators and financiers lose sleep trying to decipher what youth will likely consume in the future; they analyse trends, consumption patterns, and demographic transitions to summarise birth, growth, and mortality rates.

They must project about unemployment rates, labour unrest and health. Now, if only the youth appreciated how important they are.