ASABA/Nigeria: Experts have canvassed the need for youths to interconnect, synergise and be properly advised by the elderly ones to move Delta State and Nigeria forward.
This was advocated during a Master Class programme, organised by the Ministry of Youth Development as part of activities to mark the 2022 International Youth Day with the theme, “Intergenerational Solidarity: Creating A World For All Ages”, held at the Unity Hall, Government House, Asaba, Delta State capital.
Speaking during the programme, the state governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, represented by the Special Economic Adviser to the governor, Dr Kingsley Emu, stated that there must be a conscious effort by all concerned through communication and orientation, adding: “We must bridge the generational gap for us to make progress.”
According to Governor Okowa, “The age classification is a sociological classification that comes with events in your era. The conduct of these groups are different and for them to work together, there must be a multi-generational bridge where you begin to have a lot of discussions so that they can understand themselves.
“You begin to create cultural values that are acceptable to all the parties, especially in work places.
“Until we begin to understand ourselves, values, programmes, rules and begin to break barriers and understand the generational spaces and times, we cannot get it right.”
The governor had earlier classified intergenerational gap into five groups which comprised the Critical in Business and Public Space; the Baby Boomer, born between 1946 and 1964; the Millennial; the Millennial X and Y and the Generation Z, who were born between 1997 and 2012, saying that the last group was referred to as the digital nexus, as they were born into IT, computer, internet and into everything.
He admonished that institutions must begin to create structures and platforms for people to express themselves and be active listeners, empathic and able to relate with people and understand them and be able to make informed decisions.
In his goodwill message, the Senior Political Adviser to the Governor, Rt. Hon. Funkekeme Solomon, said that it was important to have interconnectivity between the different generations as the youth needed lessons and blessings from the older generation to move forward.
The Commissioner for Youth Development, Comrade Ifeanyi Egwunyenga, stated that the essence of the master class was to “look at issues and see how we can bring it to the fore where government and every critical stakeholders, both the family, the various religious organisations see how we can understand that there is the need for intergenerational synergy for the nation to move forward.
“When there is a disconnect it is difficult for there to be trust, synergy, transfer of knowledge.
“The essence of this master class is to see how we can bridge the gap,” he stated.
Comrade Egwunyenga, who encouraged youths to channel their energy to positive uses and shun social vices, urged them to be patient with the older generation in trying to see what they could get from them and add to the generational or current generation to better their lots.
He thanked the youths and religious bodies for being partners in driving development in Delta State, even as he revealed the state government had been supportive in advancing the goals of the youths.
One of the guest speakers, Mr Eugene Uzum, Director General of the Delta State Orientation Bureau, stated that to have a consistent society, the older generation, the younger generation and the new generation should understand themselves, collaborate and partner, so as to evolve a better society.
According to Uzum, “It is critical to understand that orientation is critical; it is perception; it is understanding; it is trust; it is direction that joined the older generation with the new generation and whether we like it or not, the new generation understands things differently and the older generation does the same too.”
“Whether we like it or not, we have music, food, ways of life, religion, everything keeps changing with time, from the older generation to the newer generation.”
Another speaker at the event, the Director General, Delta State Economic Summit Group, Mr Ekanem Isichei, stated that “to break the generational gap is an opportunity for inclusion and for everybody to understand the importance of vision and how to work with it towards a particular objective.”
According to Mr Ekanem, “Even, trying to build a vision as a young person, we need to understand the people who are older than us, we have the opportunity to learn from them and that helped us to move our vision toward what we want to do.
“The most important thing is that if you have a vision, keep working with that vision, and keep building that vision. Understand that your focus is important. If you lose your focus, you have lost everything. If you want to be serious go to where serious people are and do serious things. We all have the function of time, everybody is given the same hour of time, what you do with your time matters to your moving forward.”
Also speaking on bridging the gender gap, the Director, State Orientation Bureau, Mrs Stella Macaulay, stated that it was high time the girl child looked away from being stereotype as belonging to the back bench, but must take the bull by the horn and assert herself.
“To bridge the gender gap between men and women, the girl child should begin to assert herself. For too long, perhaps our cultural background has set the wen back, even when you have the capacity, you are not able to exhibit them because society looks at you as when you are assertive and ambitious.
“In this clime, a woman is expected to take the back seat, but the time has come that women should begin to lend their voices, and show their God-given capacity to help in governance.
“Nobody will come to your house and bring you out. The time is now,” she stated.
