[b] A lady friend of mine called me about three nights ago. She had a very husky voice which was very unusual of her. That alone tells me something was wrong but had to listen to her story. She was sobbing profusely and it was evident she was troubled. The normal pleasantries ensued for a while and I asked her why she was crying. She could not lay a hand on anything tangible other than she was fed up. After much persuasion, I discovered she was depressed and lonely. She had finished her first degree last year with good results, but up till date she is yet to go for her national service. Adding to her grief was the fact that her roommates and best friend had already gone. She has visited her school times without number but since she is not the only one, they could only tell her not to worry. I could see she was bored of sitting at home all day. She has actually tried getting a job but to no avail. Imagine struggling to gain admission to the university, through thick and thin you managed to graduate only to start begging for national service. In Nigeria, completion of national service is no guarantee that you get a job. Even during the service year, careers are changed. What can we say of doctors teaching English in primary schools? Poor girl, I consoled and advised her to get something doing for the meantime. Even if it meant learning a skill or trade.
Issues like this abound in every home across the country. Many graduates, undergraduates often find themselves in between times like this. They are either out of school waiting for the next step in life, on long holidays or the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) is on strike like we have now. Thousands of undergraduates are home wasting away precious time. Some were reported to be writing exams before the strike commenced totally disrupting their academic calendar. When students or people finds themselves in phases like this in life so many things happen. Some of the students who are fortunate will have good advice from friends and relatives. They would have either found a job or enroll to learn a trade or skill; quite a lot would also be working. Others who are not so fortunate are sitting at home watching movies and sleeping their eyeballs out. One thing I know for sure is that quite a lot of destinies are being changed during this strike, either for good or bad. Quite an army of unwanted babies would be brought to life with a sure increase in the rate of indiscriminate sex. It is no doubt that lots of lives would be lost also owing to unsafe abortion of unwanted babies by quack doctors. Their male counterparts are also caught in the web of smoking, gambling, drinking and of course indiscriminate sex. What else do we expect from a generation of youths whose destinies have been short-changed? An idle mind they say is the devils workshop. Instead of whiling away the time busy doing nothing, this is a period for the youths to get busy enriching their lives. It is a time for you to learn a skill or craft. For those who were writing exams pre-ASUU strike, please don’t forget to read. As it is evident you are bound to resume to the exam halls. Time is one resource nature has bestowed on us all, but some make the most use of it while others simply waste it.

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