ABUJA, NIGERIA – David Habba, 24, is a student at Benue State University, where he is currently studying sociology. Habba says his vision for his future is to practice what he is studying.
“I want to speak for others,” he says. “I see myself as a social engineer, proffering solutions to social issues.”
A member of various youth groups focused on political education, Habba is also passionate about increasing political consciousness among young people so they can demand their rights from the government. But combining activism and education does not come easy for him.
“It is not very easy, but being able to manage my time gives me that ability to be able to combine the two,” he says.
Benue state, where Habba lives and studies, is popularly referred to as the food basket of the nation. The state is located in the Middle Belt region in central Nigeria.
Youth in Benue state in the past didn’t have a strong inclination for classroom education, he says. Most people became farmers.
“We are rated among the educationally backward state[s], but all that is changing now,” he says.
He says that the trend is changing because young people are becoming more politically conscious and uniting to proffer solutions to their common sufferings.
As a part of this trend, Habba was among the 50 youth who participated in the 7 Billion Campaign Youth Forum that took place in Abuja from Oct. 31 – the day the world’s population reached 7 billion – to Nov. 1.
The United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, recently launched 7 Billion Actions, an initiative aimed at creating awareness about different opportunities and challenges that will emerge with this population increase. The advocacy effort strives to inspire citizens, government, nongovernmental organizations, NGOs, corporate sectors and others to be proactive in contributing positively to the world.
UNFPA collaborated on the forum with governmental platforms, such as the National Youth Council of Nigeria, and local and international NGOs, such as Education as a Vaccine Against AIDS Nigeria and Save the Children UK. The forum brought together emerging youth leaders in Nigeria to brainstorm about the challenges and opportunities that youth face in a world of 7 billion people and to share these ideas with policymakers.
Habba says youth participation is crucial to find the opportunities in these challenges.
“I live at community level and intervene at community level,” Habba says. “Very importantly, I think in a world of 7 billion, more than the opportunities, the challenges abound – especially for young people. If there would be any gainful achievement for young people, they must be at the center and forefront of the engagement.”
Habba says that one concern is that with an increasing population, employment will be more competitive. He says he’s also worried about food, as farming profits haven’t risen because of the increased cost of agricultural materials.
“I’m also very concern[ed] about food because I come from a food basket state,” he says. “For us in Nigeria, food prices have tripled in less than five years. Government funding for investment in agriculture sector have not yielded needed result.”
He says education is another concern.
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