Age Is Just A Number

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I am proud to say I come from one of the most exciting countries in the world because the Nigerian government has brought out the maturity in every youth of my country. According to the laws of this land, if a person is not up to 18 years of age, he/she would not be classified as an adult, and there are usually many restrictions for underage citizens in my country.

For instance, the law of the land states that if you are not up to 18 years, you are not supposed to engage in football bettings, you are equally not supposed to drink alcoholic substances, you are not supposed to drive, be employed, or even be in a marital relationship. In my country, if you are not up to 18 years, you will be regarded and treated as a child.

But is it supposed to be so? does age really matter in the decision-making processes of an individual? Although to some extent, I believe age does matter in the decision-making process of an individual, however, it should solely depend on the individual's mentality and experiences.

No matter how smart and intelligent a person thinks he is, he still needs that advantage of age and experience to perform certain tasks. However, our capability doesn't have to end with our age because in our world today, a 15 years old boy can do what a 25 year old man can't do.

If I were to give my opinion on whether it is too early or too late for an 18 year old to be regarded as an adult, I would say it depends on the individual's experience with handling responsibilities. Some individuals do not necessarily need to get to 18 years to realize what is right or wrong.

The motto on the lips of many Nigerian youth is that "you are not too small to achieve your dreams", that's why everyone around here is seeking for ways to buy cars and build houses even before age 18.

The issue of fraudulent acts (Yahoo boys) and immoral behaviors have increased drastically among youths of 14 to 21 years of age because everyone wants a taste of fulfilling destiny even before the supposed age of 18.

All am trying to point out here is that age is not supposed to be a factor in deciding what a person can achieve or perform within his/her nation. Nowadays some of the people making impact and innovations are very little kids of 15 to 21 years of age.

Our requirement on an individual's capability should be tied to the mentality and experience of the individual rather than just his age because some people are even bigger than their ages. Some people are just growing because they are eating food, no experience, no capability, and no impact.

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If I were the government, I would say at least a 15 years old with the capability and mentality of a grown-up should be considered an adult. This is what most developing nations are taking advantage of, their talented kids are allowed to showcase and perform tasks that are meant for adults (we could see great examples from the aspect of football). Talented kids of 16 to 17 years of age are called to play in the senior national team, unlike my country where you must be above 20 years to play there.

Am not necessarily saying the 18 year old standard set by the Nigerian government is too late because in the real sense, a person is supposed to get to at least 20 or 21 years of age to be considered an adult in my opinion. But like I said, age is not the only requirement we should watch out for.

Maturity in my opinion is the ability to use what you have seen, heard, and experienced over the few years of your life to make responsible decisions that could impact your world. At least a 15 year old person should have gotten all the basic experience he needs to take and make right choices.

I appreciate your time around here❤️:-)