Nigerian youths call for greater inclusion during independence debate

Young Nigerians and other stakeholders called for greater participation in governance and improved access to opportunities during a Channels Television discussion marking Nigeria’s 66th Independence Day anniversary. The Generation Next: Youth, Power & The Future We Must Build programme focused on young people’s place in politics, the effects of government policy and the country’s economic and security outlook. Human rights activist Aisha Yesufu said distrust of politicians among young Nigerians was rooted in their experiences.

She also argued that young people needed to participate in politics if they wanted to help change the system. African Democratic Party chieftain Kola Ologbondiyan called for education to support youth involvement in governance. The government’s record was contested.

APC National Youth Leader Dayo Israel said President Bola Tinubu had prioritised youth inclusion and that more than one million Nigerians benefited from the Nigerian Education Loan Fund. Some young people in the audience disagreed. Phelia Gbada said she had been unable to apply for the programme and that the government had not favoured youths from average families without connections.

Minister of State for Education Suwaiba Ahmad said delays in student-loan payments could be isolated cases. IPAC chairman Yusuf Dantelle said the benefits of democracy had not been widely shared. Economist Ayo Teriba said inflation had accelerated during the administration’s first 18 months but had since decelerated, while GDP growth had risen from 2.5 to 4.43, according to his figures.

He said interest rates were beginning to fall but cautioned against definitive claims about poverty. Former Budget Office director-general Ben Akabueze urged short-term action on food, housing and transport. Irabor called for infrastructure to integrate security technology, while analyst Kabir Adamu said data and young people could strengthen policing and security analysis.

The discussion followed an Independence Day address in which Tinubu defended his economic reforms and said abandoning them would return the country to what he called the abuse of subsidies.