YOUTH RESTIVENESS AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA: A STUDY OF THE 4TH REPUBLIC

Abstract

This study examined youth restiveness and socio-economic development in Nigeria, referencing the 4th republic. Youth restiveness is a social problem that has grave consequences on the overall national development in Nigeria. This problem has been the preoccupation of several political and academic discourses in the last few years and calls for proactive approach to overcome it. Nigeria is currently experiencing unprecedented challenges that are adversely affecting national development. One of these challenges to national development is high rate of insecurity of lives and properties occasioned by youth restiveness. Indeed, the social phenomenon of youth restiveness in the country has been at the front-burner of political and academic discussions since the dawn of the new millennium. Youth restiveness is caused by high rate of unemployment, poverty, exclusion of the youth from mainstream political participation, corruption in governance, inequitable distribution of goods and services, among others. The paper adopted a multi-disciplinary approach and analyzed youth restiveness and socio-economic development in Nigeria by using secondary sources of data like textbooks, journals, periodicals and the internet. Youth restiveness engenders political instability, creates general insecurity and militates against investment by local and foreign investors. The paper recommended job creation through entrepreneurship education, equity and social justices in the distribution of the gains and pains of development among others.