Nigeria’s new graduates and those hit by the global economic downturn are competing for increasingly scarce work opportunities, writes Ayodeji Morakinyo, 25, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Nigeria.  However, some government leaders and many NGOs are now combining their efforts to reduce the unemployment rate. Unemployment issues have grown severe as the global economic recession that …

“Creating a platform of empowerment for the future leaders of Nigeria” Read More »

In Africa, social networks are gradually undermining traditional community relationships, argues Roland Uwakwe, 26, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Abuja, Nigeria. He says youths absorbed in the online world now rarely greet or respect their elders. Social networks with their good and bad influences are here to stay. To contemplate otherwise is to live behind the …

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In Nigeria, 38 percent of women lack formal education, reports Tayo Elegbede, 22, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Lagos in Nigeria. Yet the failure to fully tap the potential of women undermines the quality of democracy and threatens economic and social strength. It is apparent that no appreciable development can be made on the local, national …

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The challenge of developing good leaders is one of the most important issues facing Africa, writes Femi Asu, 27, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Lagos in Nigeria. He says youth have a responsibility to meet that challenge by casting off apathy and using their energy and new opportunities to jump-start Africa’s future. The challenge of great …

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Nigeria’s foremost child rights activist has been named to a prestigious International Leadership program operated by the U.S. State Department. The nomination puts Dayo Israel in the ranks of more than 300 global leaders who are alumni of the program, says Tayo Elegbede, 23, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Lagos, Nigeria. Nigeria’s foremost child rights activist …

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Nearly a quarter of Nigeria’s population is unemployed, raising concerns that disenchanted youth will turn to crime or revolution, writes Biodun Awosusi, 26, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Nigeria. But a social entrepreneurship program offers a positive alternative.  In a bid to tackle unemployment in Nigeria, young graduates are turning into social entrepreneurs and using business …

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Around 80% of the world’s waste is produced by North America, Western Europe, Japan and South Korea, despite only accounting for 35% of the planet’s population. But as Tayo Elegbede, 23, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Nigeria, learns, this does not mean Africa can afford to ignore its own growing garbage problem.  With a population of over 1 billion …

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Revolution creates change in leadership, but it can also bring prolonged disorder, new political cliques, and armed violence, writes Ayo Morakinyo, 25, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Nigeria. Instead of rebellion, he advocates a mental revolution for both citizens and leaders. Today, many Nigerian youth are yearning for a revolutionary displacement of the nation’s leadership. They …

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January 6 is an auspicious date for the son of a devout rural couple, writes Nnadozie Onyekuru, 24, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Maiduguri in Nigeria.  On that day John Onaiyekan took the first step in a dream that led to becoming a Cardinal who earns laurels for his work on inter-religious harmony and his fatherly …

“That dream is growing larger than he imagined” Read More »