A Paternalistic Social Program Undermines Independence & Entrepreneurship In the Youths. Just as an over-caring parent can undermine a toddler’s growth towards physical independence by tending towards over-indulgent behaviours, an ‘over-caring’, paternalistic social program can do likewise to sustainable youth development and nurturance of entrepreneurial spirit in Nigerian youths. The best way to nurture self-responsibility and entrepreneurial spirit in people is not by giving handouts or special aids to them - whether they own small- or medium-scale businesses, or aim at building innovative ideas. A social program that tries to shield young people from direct orientation to real-life struggles, by churning out series of protectionist blankets undermine the risk-taking component of genuine entrepreneurship in them. A paternalistic social program weakens already-nurtured entrepreneurial spirit, creativity and innovativeness in youths. This is a major challenge to nurturance of authentic entrepreneurship in Africa today. It may suffice to assert that economic subsidies tend to make people complacent. The hallmark of a disciplined entrepreneur is proactivity towards the provision of whatever resources his business needs to thrive. In other words, taking full personal responsibility for business success is what makes entrepreneurs bloom, not special care from social programs. A rather counterintuitive  approach to strengthening budding entrepreneurs would be weaning them off protectionist packages and benefits. Entrepreneurs become stronger through “validated learning,” a phenomenon greatly discussed by Eric Ries in ‘The Lean Startup’. Capitalizing on learning from past trials to create value goes a long way to strengthen entrepreneurs. The best a socially responsible program can do for Nigerian youths is help them cultivate a comprehensive philosophy, with a moral obligation to pursue their self-interest in the most responsible and ethical way possible.