This week, President Muhammadu Buhari celebrated the accomplishments of some youth innovators in Nigeria.
Among those celebrated was the 20-year-old Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, engineering student, Usman Dalhatu, who built a portable automatic ventilator to help people with breathing problems.
Dalhatu was among the five Youth Innovators in different fields showcased by the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development at the occasion of the maiden National Youth Day Celebration.
The event was observed on November 1. Interestingly, that day coincides with the African Youth Day Celebration. Buhari, who was represented at the event by the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Muhammad Musa Bello, congratulated the young innovators on making the nation proud.
However, in as much as the presidential recognition is something to be proud of, the youth need encouragement in the field of education and other areas.
Rather than developing the natural gifts of curiosity and high-level thinking, the traditional teaching model we use today can stifle creativity, innovation and divergent thinking.
Children are like seeds. They need water and sunshine to grow, and for their creativity to develop and flourish.
Children need to be constantly stimulated, from primary through secondary school.
What are the problems encountered and what is needed to spur them on?
The first problem relates to the general environment of the country the children and young people live in.
Does it stimulate creativity? Does it tolerate and adequately encourage new ideas and different thinking? These are, indeed, huge questions that cannot be answered in a few lines.
The second problem is that it is not sufficient, as some may think, to increase the technological awareness of the youth. More important are the education systems that should be oriented in such a way as to stimulate creative thinking.
The teaching, therefore, should be based on the discovery of knowledge, and the development of critical attitudes, rather than on the passive absorption of knowledge, and this applies to all disciplines.
Unfortunately, school teaching in Nigeria is, usually, based on the child’s ability to memorise. The highest marks are often given to those who merely studied their lessons well.
The student whose creative side is more developed is even considered sometimes as a disturbing element in the class.
Unfortunately, the current school system does not align with 21st century student needs, or the rapid changes we see on the economic, social and global level.
Many parents are not aware of the misalignment between education and the unknown jobs of tomorrow even when the reality is that the common belief about securing a job right out of university or polytechnic no longer holds true.
Future generations should be prepared for technological evolution, and learn to overcome psychological resistance to change in any given sector. This can be achieved through developing a sense of responsibility, strengthening the spirit of initiative and encouraging a critical attitude in order to prioritise the search for original solutions to everyday problems.
The objective can also be achieved through organising competitive examinations for best young creators, both within and between different education institutions, proclaiming, with maximum media coverage, examinations’ results at special ceremonies.
It should be noted that young inventors are not precocious or pretentious persons to be ignored and marginalised, but rather youngsters full of curiosity, eager for knowledge, whose actions deserve to be encouraged.
These boys and girls are not dangerous disturbers of the established order, but harbingers of a better world.
Thus, their education should stress the development of initiative, responsibility and the search for originality.
Happily, the government says that it will continue to invest in entrepreneurship, skills and career development of young Nigerians.
Other than Dalhatu, youth innovators who received cash donations of N500,000 each from the federal government include Intissar Bashir Kurfi, Managing Partner, Ifrique Eco Solutions, a green Architect and environmentalist.
Kurfi, in her late twenties, established a factory for up cycling plastic waste in Abuja. The factory would upcycle Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) such as pure water sachets, plastic bottles, polythene bags and others into Interlocking Tiles.
Surajo Ismaila, 23-year-old indigene of Rubochi in Kuje Area Council in Abuja, is a tractor, toys, vending machines and remote control inventor.
Adejoke Lasisi, founder of Planet 3R and Jokelinks Weaving School, an African fabric designer and environmentalist.
She is the founder of Planet 3R and Jokelinks Weaving School – the first of their kinds in Nigeria.
Idris Bashir, 28, is the founder of Midrish Technologies Nigeria, credited to have developed an application to help farmers, small, medium and large businesses to reach out to their customers.
Ethics crucial to building viable enterprises
Though some argue that it is unnecessary, in truth, it is. Business ethics ensure that a certain basic level of trust exists between consumers and various forms of market participants with businesses.
Thus, business tinged with doses of morality and ethics work better for society.
Business ethics, also called corporate ethics, is a form of applied ethics or professional ethics that examine the ethical and moral principles and problems that arise in a business environment.
Business ethics are meant to ensure a certain level of trust between consumers and corporations, guaranteeing the public fair and equal treatment.
It can also be seen as the written and unwritten codes of principles and values, determined by an organisation’s culture, that govern decisions and actions within that organisation.
It applies to all aspects of business conduct on behalf of both individuals and the entire company.
In the most basic terms, it boils down to knowing the difference between right and wrong and choosing to do what is right.
This truth was highlighted by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who said that sound ethical practices should, ideally, be imbibed by stakeholders because the practices are crucial for the development and sustenance of viable enterprises.
Osinbajo spoke at the virtual 2020 conference of the Institute of Directors.“The frequent clashes between conscience and wrongful behaviour will eventually create a toxic work environment and destroy corporate objectives and visions,” he said.
“There is also enough history of how cutting corners and dishonesty ultimately bring down the whole enterprise.”
To buttress his point, the vice president pointed to what has been seen in the facts behind the collapse of many Nigerian financial institutions from the 90s to the more recent occurrences in 2009.
Again, he said, local and, especially, the international examples of the collapse of companies thought to be too big to fail and brand names that had even once been associated with integrity and strong business ethics is a strong reminder of just how shaky edifices built on weak business ethics are.
Agreed, it takes time to build institutions necessary for promotion and sustenance of a healthy business climate, but, no doubt, in the long run, unethical practices, in whatever shape and form, are unsustainable.
For a start, now, unlike in the past, local and international investors have greater access to information and more options while the slightest whiff of scandal or malfeasance can destroy their confidence and scare away investors.Ethics are a central concern for businesses, organisations and individuals alike.
Behaving in a way that adds value without inappropriate conduct or negative consequences for any other group or individual, organisational leaders, in particular, must be completely aware of the consequences of certain decisions and organisational trajectories, and ensure alignment with societal interests.Of course, there are many examples of ethical mistakes in which organisational decision-makers pursued interests that benefited them at the cost of the society.
The 2008 economic collapse saw a great deal of poor decision-making on behalf of the banks.
The Enron scandal is another example of individuals choosing personal rewards at the cost of the society at large.
These types of situations are extremes, but they highlight just how serious the consequences can be when ethics are ignored.Ultimately, the biggest impact of ethical violations occurs when they affect how customers view the organisation.
When ethical missteps cause customers to lose faith, consequences can be catastrophic, particularly in areas with a low switching cost.
