31st January, 2020
By Gbenro Adesina
The former Vice Chancellor, Academic, University of Ibadan, UI, Professor Abideen Adeyinka Aderinto has identified pure negligence of social roles to Nigeria’s youthful populace as a major cause of ravaging insecurity.
Aderinto, a criminologist and current Head of Department of Sociology, who stated this on Thursday January 30, 2020 while delivering the 482nd inaugural lecture of the Premier University titled “On the Fringe of the Society”, stressed that the Nigerian youths who have been left on the fringe by those who should nurture and cater for them are now fighting back.
He noted that the pain of youths have become compounded by widespread poverty, unemployment and economic problems which continue to characterise Nigerian State, declaring that setting up many security outfits without alleviating poverty and tackling unemployment would yield no sustainable security.
The criminologist advised government at all levels to reduce the overwhelming emphasis on wealth as a symbol of success in Nigeria as this has become reasons why many youths take to crime and criminality.
His words, “Efforts should be made by federal and state governments to reduce the overwhelming emphasis on wealth as a symbol of success in our country. Many of our youths now associate success with owning of several houses and cars, making them unable to come to term with leaving a less-glamorous life.
“The socialisation and nurturance which the family and school are supposed to perform are becoming difficult as rapid urbanisation, widespread poverty and economic problems continue to characterise the Nigerian Situation.
“Today, due to the sheer negligence of social roles to our youthful populace, they have been pushed to the Fringe. They are now fighting back”.