BUDDING AUTHOR WANTS NIGERIAN YOUTHS REFOCUSED IN NEW BOOK
Young Nigerian author, Vincent Okwudili Ibeh, was celebrated on Africa Youth Day in Abuja on November 1, 2009 where he presented his award-winning book, What Our Youths Were Not Taught, following the recommendation of the National Youth Council of Nigeria. Speaking on what inspired his book, he said he would like Nigerian youths to be re-directed positively.
'This is indeed time one needs not to search long before noticing that so many of our youths are in undue hurry in the wrong direction leading them to unemployment, poverty, crime and hunger. What is the use of their running if they are not on the right road? How can one stand back and watch thousands of these unguided youths every year proceed in self-ignorance to join in the train of the weak and purposeless men and women who cannot make use of their potentials in this era of high rate of unemployment. There has been an ever-increasing call for people capable of motivating our youths to discover their potentials by providing the extra and different education so that our nation can attain its articulated ideals.
Looking ahead, there is an undeniable need to inspire our youths to understand themselves. In actuality, one cannot avoid being impressed with the significant impact of an objective orientation when he takes a look at global history which is not lacking in convincing evidence that the great decisions which served as the foundation for the civilizations of the leading nations in the world were initiated by the youth inspired by the writings and speeches of great men and women. The need, therefore, exists for me to write the book embedded with the writings and speeches of great men and women for the purpose of getting our youths correctly guided, properly counselled and fully equipped for the challenges ahead. This is the inspiration that gave birth to the book, What Our Youths Were Not Taught.
Things that our youths were not taught at school
'I am also a graduate-youth who was not taught how to discover myself but I later knew that after all manner of professors have done their best for us, we should read books to get inspired and understand ourselves. I was almost a victim of what we were not taught in school. In all sincerity, many of the best years of our lives are devoted to the learning of what will never be of any real use to human being. I don't think that complex knowledge I laboured for many years would be of any real use to any man. I agree with Goethe who said that they teach in academics too many things and far too much that is useless. I thought that I had been educated after working very hard to learn how to solve all manner of calculus, algebra and chemical equations.
Little did I know that our great school did not teach me how to comprehend my destiny and how to discover myself.'