Ibusa Youths Face Neglect and Disillusionment

 

Ibusa Youths Face Neglect and Disillusionment 

By Emeka Esogbue

As the Ibusa journey furthers to modern decades, the youths of the community appear to suffer neglect and disillusionment, highlighting great struggles and concerns of the community's youngsters and emphasizing the need for attention and support from the leaders and other stakeholders in the community. 

Many factors have combined to make the Ibusa youths form a marginalized population, and facing limited opportunities and representation and the population is crying out silently maybe too, because the community is yet to commit desired energy required to raise and nurture the future of the future leaders. 

While the Ibusa youths are expected to play a vital role in shaping the future of the community, the community itself is refusing to prepare them for the task ahead. Again, several factors speak in favour of this argument. With the lack of government presence in the community which lies only about 6 miles to Asaba, the Delta State capital, the Ibusa youths face indescribably severe conditions. 

Lack of government ministries, parastatals, agencies, factories and industries and other government establishments in a town located within the Capital Territory Development Area, lying side by side, Asaba challenges the Ibusa youths with unemployment and underemployment that affects their economic stability and well-being. 

It is unfortunate that the working crowd of Ibusa youths have to emigrate from their community during the work hours and nocturnally return only to sleep in the community hence, at the peak periods, Ibusa is a ghost community. Many youths in the community also lack access to quality healthcare, hindering their development and potential as they often dependedly travel to Asaba to receive medical treatments. 

Days and weeks, power supply is not guaranteed in the community and the youths have to empty themselves into Asaba and other neighbouring communities to temporarily enjoy power supply before returning to Ibusa. Life in Ibusa for the youths is frustrating and a hell of a place to stay even for a moment.

Leisure parks and relaxation places, which play significant roles in raising youths by providing them with safe spaces for socialization, recreation and personal growth are lacking in the community. There was once a Kefas Park in the community, occupying a large portion of land at Umuodafe with installed public screens and other recreational facilities where youths once gathered to relax but its recent conversion to other use has taken away its importance from the youths who were the intended target.

In any society, youths are considered agents of social change, promoting values and if properly harnessed, a large youth population in the magnitude of Ibusa can lead to economic growth and development by driving innovation and progress in different fields. How effectively has the Ibusa community harnessed the population of Ibusa youths available to them? This is the question for the leaders and other stakeholders. Ibusa leaders must pay attention to their youths or face a future vacuum.

Although youth conferences are less common in the community. A few years ago, Igbuzo Singles Meet Worldwide (ISM), Ibusa Youth Forum (IYF) and National Association of Ibusa Students (NAIBS) were visible. ISM held about 12 conferences in Ibusa and Lagos, projecting and providing the youths mentorship on Ibusa culture and tradition and was responsible for bringing to the community, youths who never visited home. Ibusa Youth Forum concentrated in Lagos, bringing together the youths while the National Association of Ibusa Students was known for organizing debates and quizzes in Ibusa. 

Today, none of these youth groups carry out these events and no Ibusa leader including communal organizations raised a question to know the challenges and possibly wade in. It is a neglect of the youths. Rather than establish NGOs on youth development in the community or work towards providing them employment, many will concentrate on criticism of the youths, many of who are unemployed and loitering the ten quarters of the community on daily basis.

At the moment, the Ibusa Youth Council is leaderless. An attempt by the body to organize its election attracted undue interventions from the politicians and other leaders of the community who should have ordinarily guided them. Typical of the community, everyone had interest in the youth leadership and the conflict and confluence of unwelcome interests from the interposers ended up, leading the Youth Council to dormancy, another form of youth neglect. The youths, the actual players became frustrated and the helpers and helpees, unable to find a way are maintaining uncommon silence while the fate of the Ibusa Youth Council lives in the unknown.

The Ibusa community should acknowledge the struggles of Ibusa and work together to address the challenges faced by them. This will unlock the potential and help to build a brighter future for their young people.