In a society where material and unequal distribution of wealth is the order of the day, there is always an alarming rate of crime and social vices. The “Get-rich-quick syndrome is steadily killing Nigerians, especially the youths. The quest for wealth and luxury have led to an increase in crime and disregard for law and order in society with the kidnapping and killings of people for money rituals increasing on a daily basis. In recent years, due to the economic backlash and the desire to “belong”, many youth have taken to kidnapping and killings. Many youths have dropped out of school while cybercrime is becoming common amongst them. Between Late December 2021 and January 2022, footage of killings for rituals were seen daily on the social and mainstream media. In several cases, bodies were found with several parts missing.
There is a worrisome upsurge to get-rich-quick among the Nigeria youth. In their bid to meet up with their get-rich-quick syndrome, the youth do the unimaginable. Things have indeed gone wrong. The question on the lips of every responsible Nigerian is how do we got here and who is to blame, parents, peer groups or the society in general?
This can be an issue of peer pressure. The employed youths are largely bamboozled into taking the risky path of ill-gotten wealth, by those who have arrived. Most of the youths involved in this get-rich-quick syndrome are graduates who, after staying at home for years without securing employment, look for anything to do to get money. Initially, some used to defraud people, especially foreigners, but they have graduated to the level of Yahoo business because some feel that 419 no longer pays well.
Also, if government at all levels have performed their duties to the society, the way they ought to, most of those involved in unconventional means of making money would be in the offices working for the progress of the nation.
There are some cases where young people within the country are able to amass so great wealth that they can show off in night clubs by popping wines that run into millions. Sadly, the society that ought to query the source of the wealth, end up celebrating this gesture. This is a sort of an incentive for more young persons who want to be celebrated in our society to pursue wealth at all cost.
However, is it possible to have a collapse in social value without mentioning the family, which is the most powerful agent of socialization, certainly not? Therefore, whatever value is accepted in a family, whether deliberately or through sheer negligence has great impacts on the kids. Some parents even compare their children with others, mounting unnecessary pressures on them to make money at all costs. Parents do not inculcate moral and cultural values in their children to drop the love for money and get-rich-quick syndrome among young people in the society. Therefore, the society has steadily witnessed a total collapse for good parenting and moral, cultural and religious values and conscience.
As such, the root cause of the problem is that parents have failed to teach their wards the core value system of society as these children now believe everything is about acquiring wealth. This is the problem of total collapse of family and cultural values. Parents no longer care or have time to monitor their children. Some will see their children with costly vehicles and other materials they can’t afford, but won’t ask questions of how they came about with such materials.
Also, our society doesn’t care about the poor or honest people. We worship money and don’t care how it is acquired. People no longer bother about integrity. So why won’t young people engage in fraudulent acts and rituals to acquire money, since the society worship money. This act is also fueled by politicians who have looted our common wealth to live their flamboyant lives. The acquisitive mentality of the politicians in stealing public funds has made things worse. There is no accountability, corruption has taken over. As a result of this, young people now see money as the only thing that matters. It does not matter how you acquire it.
The Get-rich-quick syndrome is a serious threat to the society. It is a sign of institutional collapse. Therefore, to arrest the alarming trend of get-rich-quick syndrome in Nigeria, children must be taught the moral and cultural values from their respective families. This very important because the family is the most important and powerful agent in teaching children the accepted norms and values of the society of their respective societies.
