BROKEN WINDOW THEORY and GENERATIVE GRADUATES: Prerequisite for National Development and countering the Drivers of Violent- Extremism in Africa.

BROKEN WINDOW THEORY APPROACH IN Countering Violent-Extremism in the Nigeria

(COMPARISON WITH GLOBAL CITIES)

PREFACE TO THIS ARTICLE

We are countering the drivers of violent- Extremism. A call for Sustained PEACE.We had an action plan by a team of delegates and ambassadors for peace in Northern and Southern Nigeria. I fall to the southern team due to proximity to where am based and I was inspired to write this article. Here i shared by thought on how violent can be a thing of the past just like some cities in America had done. How do cities like New York City, among others revived their cities and became an icon among other cities across globe
AM Glad I became a ROI AFRICA AMBASSADOR This is not only a call for inspiring fellow leaders to be constructively strategic and positioned but also, a call for reaching out to many vulnerable Africans confidently, collaborating with other leaders under an acclaimed Umbrella with a solid and constructive action plan in the southern Nigeria most especially.
Endorsed and supported. Earlier this month I was also endorsed as a youth global ambassador by "Theirworld" based in UK. A WORLD AT SCHOOL is a global initiative to mobilize efforts to deliver education and learning to the 58 million children who miss out. It is operated by UK registered charity. only GOD is WISE.

We are countering Violent extremism powered by search for common ground, over 100 peace Ambassadors in Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger, Chad and Mali

1.0 BROKEN WINDOW THEORY and GENERATIVE GRADUATES: Prerequisite for National Development and countering the Drivers of Violent- Extremism in Africa.

My name is Ambassador Adewumi Samuel, and in the spirit of research, I would love to go the memory lane by referring to a public lecture delivered by Ambassador Terrence McCulley (was a US ambassador to Nigeria) on the 9th, Thursday morning, (maybe, July) in 2012 , if my memory is not failing me, considering I was born July 12 and was a Welfare Secretary in the University of Lagos, where the lecture took place.

Anyway, I did love to shed more light on how Nigeria can overcome violence, extremism, and terrorism just like New York city had done during their violence days in the 1980s (Not too far right).

Hundreds of Visionary Africans and SFCG peace delegates

Anywhere where a government provides its citizen with potential and opportunities to capitalize on their potentials, those citizens will be better prepared to deal with crises and challenges. (really, in Nigeria Our best brains are Abroad, and never thought of coming home to improve Her. Well, They are scared too, as much as we that resides here, but how long can we run from our shadows).

We are only left with resilient, persevere visionary community leaders fighting constructively to make Nigeria a better place to stay. Talking about VISIONARY GRASS-ROOT LEADERS, they are the Local community "Thought" Leaders working tirelessly in rural communities in Nigeria and across Africa and ask question as;

WHAT HAPPENS TO OUR CITIES, IF THE OIL INDUSTRIES DRIES UP?

PEACE is the answer to a better Africa

It will be up to local, state, and federal Government along with their citizen to plan for contingencies like such. Cities in United states have undergone massive transformation. many American cities, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries, as immigrants settled in the U.S. and were drawn to jobs and businesses and industrial hubs like NEW YORK, SAN FRANCISCO and BOSTON. Residents needed and built schools, places of worship, and hospitals, where they gave birth to more residents, who needed more things. soon America cities were crowed, busy places where residents had to fend for themselves and families against other competing for the same scarce resources (Buttressed by Ambassador Terrence McCulley). Today the same scenario can be seen in Nigeria, where the usage of public facilities had long been saturated, is like 200 million people scrambling for the space meant for 3 million persons, yet there is no significant expansion of facilities, and there is over dependence on the central government. One mistake the citizens are now making. They must collaborate at grass-root level to aid the Government policies and impacts. we must learn how to complement each other and see the government as "we the people" working collaboratively to achieving a better and serene environment.

In the middle of the 20th century, Urban decay and DE-industrialization had driven many residents in the American cities into the suburbs. The same can be seen now in Nigeria, especially in cities like Lagos, PortHacourt, and Abuja. We need good road networks (metro trains especially) to link this citizens to the city and provision of work centers so they could avoid the cities altogether.

Now, it is very feasible and visible on the high level of unemployment in Nigeria and Africa at whole, this is even leading to after effects like Xenophobia, Famine, poverty, hunger and gender based discrimination, some acclaimed drivers to extremism and terrorism. The way forward is to encourage local contents, local industrialization in the area of ICT, Transportation and Agriculture, and we must diversify away from the oil and petroleum we are addicted to, since the benefits of these resources are not yet seen at large in the country, in form of expanded social amenities and infrastructure as it suppose to be (corruption, money laundering, malpractice, and bribery are key factors to the in-expansion of the Nigeria Structural Coast). But like my fellow leader, General Omar had rightly said in one of our many conversation on Africa Team Up Projects- Nigeria Version, and I'd love to quote him;

Enough of condemnation and lamentation, all we need now is doing the work, acting justly, as a surest way to ending a corrupt system.

In simple term, we are all responsible to sanitize our people, our environment, our communities, our Nation, our Africa, Our World. This is for sure, the biggest ANTI-CORRUPTION WAR.

Back to the America cities Revival, Ambassador Terrence had rightly said, it started with good policing. In the 1980s and 1990s, the city of New York subscribed to to what is commonly called the "BROKEN WINDOW THEORY" in short, this theory states the minor disorder, like a broken window, symbolizes the kind of apathy that leaves a vacuum of opportunity for serious criminals. Thus a city can prevent violent crime in the long run by showing its citizen, that it CARES by addressing petty crimes and providing better services in the short run. Interestingly as the city battled crimes and petty criminals. New York also used SOFTER police tactics and direct outreach programs to engage it's citizen rather than turn them away. This is a call for Police reformation in Nigeria, and a good whistle blowing platform, just like the current Nigeria Present Administration is doing on Financial crimes, the same must be done for extremism and terrorism cases, because the perpetrators are not GHOSTS, and must have been showing one form of negative feelings, trails and attitudes at home, and in their vicinity before they match to their like-terms at large and become uncontrollable with their negative values. This made me agree and concur to Ambassador Terrance school of thought that;

Whenever and wherever a population feels like its government is not providing an adequate quality of life, it becomes complacent to criminals, whether they are vandals or terrorists (Amb. Terrence, 2012)

I advocate for peace (17 UN SDG ), in Lagos Nigeria

In my thought, The then residents of the Cities in America in the 80s and that of Northern and Southern Nigerians of today felt betrayed by their central government as well as state and local government, who had failed to provide the citizens need, like good road, schools, and adequate infrastructures. Criminals and terrorists explore these sentiments and took advantage of a dearth of government presence to grow their nefarious Organisation. We can see these tactics are working for them, and they are beneficial of amnesty, and exchange fees and negotiation, and that is what they had dreamed off before becoming what they are. They are happy, and they will do more, as they believe that is the surest way to get the attention of the government. REALLY, THEY ARE.

2.0 THE WAY TO GO TO ENABLING A ZERO-VIOLENCE NIGERIA AND REACHING A COMMON GROUND; GRADUATES, CITIZENS AND GOVERNMENT KEY HERE.

The U.S. Government in their capacity is providing support to schools, health programs and infrastructure in Northern Nigeria as well as some bigger organisation like the Search for common Ground, United nations, among others. Well, they are trying to lead by contagious leadership and prove a point to stakeholders on the way to go in preventing violence in the very long run, a comprehensive approach to the challenges posed by extremist, vandals and terrorists in Nigeria. The Nigeria Government needs friends in the North and South and a more targeted method or approach to tackling Terrorism combined with better services for the citizens vulnerable to the attacks, which can help attract more friends or WHISTLE BLOWERS to the government.

Also Government must start to think of urban revitalization which is not an easy task, as it must be sustainable in the very long run, hence it needs a long term approach. If a city fixes it's transportation links, but is still ridden with criminals, people will still be left scared. Likewise if a city fixes a crime problem and it's difficult to reach out to developed cities for business development, then the people are still at risk and will soon fall back like a pack of cards into declination. Good governance requires a coordinated campaign to address issues like these. Policymakers must be visionary and must be on their toes to having a long run results. Change as we all know will not happen in a day, which is a very good thing, as this gives planners time to research and evaluate different options to select the best path to prosperity and security. This, we have been doing in AFRICA as AFRICA TEAM UP PROJECT, where hundreds of young Africans leaders are working collaboratively to achieving the AFRICA WE WANT comes Year 2063, An Africa Union Agenda.

Grassroots peace volunteers in preparation for Zero-Violence.
Sensitized by the Lagos Team

The government and its citizens must be flexible to evolution and change, and must prepare at hand for such in terms of urban migration, which are likely to change the political and environmental outlook of the suffering cities, as we can see in Lagos. A simple fast track Metro transportation links can solve the problem. Change always involves engaged citizens who are ready to contribute to the effort that government undertake. This is why it is also important for citizen to know their positive roles that Nigerians significant informal sectors can play in the Nation transformation. This is can be achieved by constructively collaborating with informal people, as cities can not achieve the goal of their projects alone but also provide the informal citizens with economy ladder out of poverty, This is what my social enterprise have been doing for long to bridge the gaps for uneducated women by encouraging them to learn and also help their children to learn by advocating for children education. The girl child must not be left behind too, (GENDER EQUALITY). Graduates and learned youths must go back to rural communities to educate, sensitize, and train them on some pressing issues as it affects them in the Nation. It can also be a voluntary formulation to end poverty and gender based discrimination through awareness and self actualization

3.0 Generative Graduates are key to National Tranquility and development

Regional youth summit, Borno-Nigeria
on countering violent extremism.

As thousands of youths are turned out of school year in, year out in colleges, polytechnics and universities. It is a very good thing. It is only bad if the same graduates are one-way minded and rigid in thinking to the issues of unemployment in Nigeria and across Africa countries. We still see graduates writing bigger firms and dreaming to get a place at government agencies and ministries, when they are saturated and the people there are not even paid up to date, and only survive on malpractices and bribery. The issue of unemployment can never be solved the way, as they are just thinking or have just added up to the statistics of job-seekers. All what the graduates need is not frustrations and depression, they must shake the hands of government in a constructive way and strategic approach. Maybe with a good business plan to employ other people and seek for loan, amidst the tight and corrupt system. At the same time, these same youths and graduates should help the younger one growing up to be graduates like them to be self sustainable at a very young age, by training them on skills that can make them in the future. As anything can happen, now that a big change is imminent in Africa.

Really, our best brains are not with Us Anymore? No, I don’t think so. They are not just productive, because there no means to be generative, hence they are handicapped, wasting away by relying on PONZI SCHEMES, BET FORECASTS, among other. These are supposed to be the power engine of the Nation driving the Economy to greatness. But they are wasting away and nobody is doing anything about it.

This will just create an aperture of accumulated pressures that could result in a future restiveness, considering the facts that a lot of Nigerian are faced with threats and are restive abroad or faced with deportation/deported back home.

If a graduate saw his discipline domain overshadowed, bombarded and saturated with human resources; then, such graduate will wait forever to fit to the domain until there is a massive expansion or an overwhelming depleted human resources.

The latter will never happen in a struggling populated country like Nigeria; where, favoritism and nepotism is at the peak of affairs. Unfair as it sounds, this is so because the resources controlled are limited, hence there is a survival of the fittest quest to control the scarce resources.

Below are what graduates can do to make them generative, productive and be an epitome of peace

Ø Come out of their discipline shell and explore other options in form of opportunities. As such that unemployed engineer can explore Agriculture.
Ø If getting opportunities is a national issue, then graduates must think innovatively and create employment for themselves. Graduates can acquire new skills in Agriculture, writing, effective communication, civic leadership, loan application and so on.
Ø Graduate must stay competitive, diversify themselves and learn as many skills as possible. These skills can be graphics design, information networking, business plans, civil society engagement among others
Ø Graduate should not let their present frustrated feelings lead them, instead they must let the intrinsic value lead them positively. Whenever a problem arises, there are diverse of opportunities as solutions. We must see opportunities, and not problems. Graduates should endeavor to register a business name with Company Affairs Commission no matter how stringent it might be.
Ø Gradates should stop forming the habits of going for post-graduate study because they are unable to secure a job with an undergraduate degree, as such will continue to deface the undergraduate degrees and render then useless in the society soon, later the M.Sc. will take that shape too, as graduate flood for post graduate degree. Graduate should rather do post-graduate degree based on the opportunity at hand that is due for personal development and expansion to diversify their scope of knowledge.