Career Pathways And Youth Metamorphosis Into Area Boys In Lagos Metropolis, Nigeria

Abstract

Applying Bourdieu\'s cultural capital theory, this paper examined why youth meandered across career pathways and metamorphosed into area boys. Data were drawn from a three-year unobtrusive observation and an In-depth Interview with 60 area boys purposively selected from 5 Local Governments Areas in Lagos metropolis. Their narratives were analyzed through ZY Index and ethnographic techniques. Their educational attainment was generally low. Two-third did not complete their secondary education and more than half had acquired skills in different informal sector vocations. In the contexts of incomplete education and low motivation for career advancement different themes emerged: family disorganization, distress and depression, drifting away from schools, elongation of deprivation and determination for survival through available opportunities. Youth metamorphosis into area boys was found within structural forces including family disorganization, academic failure and poor career orientation. Unexpectedly, obedience to patron-client agencies and resistance against state policies reflect in their understanding of area boys business. Therefore addressing the menace of area boys should move beyond the manifest actors to a more robust understanding of the seemingly powerful networks sustaining them. Fundamentally, exploring and reversing the career pathways of area boys may improve their socio-economic conditions and redeem the Nigerian image in the global arena.

Keywords: Deprivation, Social Mobility, Gangs, Deviance, Lagos

African Journal for the Psychological Study of Social Issues Vol. 11 (1&2) 2008: pp. 13-34