The maxim that describes youths as “the real wealth of any nation” remains highly relevant, even as the processes, challenges, and complexities of nation-building evolve. This sentiment is rooted in the fact that young people possess energy, creativity, and an unbridled passion for change, as they are the ones who will mostly deal with the long-term outcomes of today’s choices. 

Nigeria, like many nations, places high hopes on its youth. The expectation that they will break the cycle of stagnation and decline grows stronger each day. Nigerian youths, often perceived as digital natives, politically aware, socially discerning, and technologically savvy, are considered ideal candidates to redefine the country’s fortunes. However, while this optimism is understandable, a deeper look reveals that such expectations may be misplaced, if not entirely unrealistic. Though appealing, the idea of a youth-led renaissance rests on assumptions that often overlook the realities and tendencies of many young Nigerians.

Before further exploration, it’s essential to have a common ground understanding of the term “youth,” given its ambiguity. The United Nations for one, defines youth as those aged between 15 to 24, while the African Union extends this to those aged 15 to 35. In a Nigerian context, we can as well label youth as anyone from their mid-teens to their mid-30s. 

Given this understanding, what then, are the tendencies and realities of Nigerian youths today that might provide insight into what the country will look like during their time?

To begin, what kind of education and academic standards are Nigeria’s so-called saviours being exposed to? Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan once said, “Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.” Globally, education is widely regarded as a catalyst for socio-economic and political development, which is why countries allocate significant portions of their yearly fiscal budgets to this sector. In Nigeria, there has been a relative increase in budget allocation for education, rising from 7.1% in 2018 to 8.8% in 2024.

However, despite these relative increases, Nigeria’s investment in education still falls short of the UNESCO recommendation of 15-20%. The greater concern, though, lies in the quality of education and what it spells for its recipients. A nation cannot progress beyond the standards of its educational system, yet, recent trends show a troubling decline in the academic environment that Nigerian youths are exposed to.

About a decade ago, the entry requirements for major tertiary institutions in Nigeria included scoring at least 200/400 in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) for non-technical courses, while STEM, Medicine, and Law-related programs required scores between 250 and 270. Of course, solid O’level results and post-UTME screening exams were also critical for admission, as these standards ensured that those admitted were at least intellectually equipped to meet the demands of university-level education, despite less-than-ideal campus conditions. For those rejected, the options were to either settle for polytechnics and colleges of education or to retake the UTME – for as long as it took to get in, it was the only path to joining the intellectual elites.

In 2024, however, the situation has drastically changed. The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) set the cutoff mark for university admissions at just 140/400. Although institutions retain the right to admit students with higher scores based on their requirements, there’s a vast difference between today’s expectations and what they were before. Moreover, many schools have stopped conducting their own Post-UTME screenings, relying solely on UTME scores and O’level results which have faced allegations of being influenced by so-called “miracle centres.”

One could argue that Nigeria is officially signing off on mediocrity. Out of the 1,904,189 candidates who took the UTME in 2024, 1,402,490 (73.7%) scored below 200. This raises fundamental concerns about the abilities of these students to succeed in higher education and, by extension, lead the country toward meaningful transformation.

Critical thinking, problem-solving, and innovation are essential skills for any generation hoping to change a nation’s course. But when tertiary institutions are filled with insufficiently equipped students, subjected to outdated learning processes, and surrounded by a generally declining quality of education, it becomes difficult to envision how this generation will acquire the skills necessary for large-scale societal reform.

Moreover, the cost of this so-called education has steadily increased in recent years, further complicating the situation. With most institutions — even government-owned ones that were once more affordable — raising their fees every academic session, how can we ensure that the new generation of Nigerians will be more educated than their predecessors?

President Bola Tinubu’s student loan scheme, launched to fulfil his campaign promise to improve access to tertiary education, might seem like a much-needed relief since its disbursement started in September. However, as argued by Chekwube Nzomiwu in This Day’s “The Pitfalls of the Students’ Loan Funds,“ this initiative poses a bigger future problem for its beneficiaries.

Moving away from education, another sign that suggests younger generations of Nigerians may not fare any better than their predecessors is their political engagement.

To some extent, it can be said that Nigerian youths are politically conscious and have shown a willingness to demand better governance, particularly in the aftermath of the globally recognised #EndSARS protests in 2020. This consciousness belief grew even more during the 2023 General Elections, which according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), saw 76%, or 7.28 million youths vote out of the 9.4 million newly registered voters, with 40% of that number identifying as students.

Despite the election’s challenges and outcome, it was an unprecedented feat by all standards — one Busayo Akinmoju, for The Republic, argued stems from events like the extrajudicial killings of #EndSARS protesters in 2020 and the eight-month-long Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike in 2022, which severely disrupted the lives of students — many of whom later became voters.

Nevertheless, despite this seemingly positive sign, Nigeria’s demographics suggest it’s more of a grey lining than a silver one, given the country has one of the youngest populations in the world. Statistics from the World Population Review peg Nigeria’s median age at a startling 18.6 years, meaning the country has a much larger proportion of youths compared to older adults.

In essence, if Nigerian youths were truly politically conscious, they have more than enough numbers to influence free and fair election results in their favour, but what we saw in the last general election was a demographic with the same political biases that have hamstrung older generations for decades.

Awareness without ideological evolution does not promise the radical change that many hope for. Tribalism, bigotry, and the sheer lack of unity still run deep. With each passing day, it feels like the youth are merely inheriting the same systems and ideas they grew up with, digging deeper into the chaos instead of finding a way out.

Another dimension of the youth’s supposed power lies in the illusion of social media activism. Platforms like Twitter and Instagram have provided them with tools to raise awareness, build communities, and advocate for change. However, as impressive as this may seem, the limitations of social media activism are becoming increasingly evident. While social media can ignite movements, relying solely on it rarely leads to lasting change without real-world structures, systems, and actions to support it. A prime example is the #EndSARS movement, which would have remained just a Twitter hashtag if not for the real-life actions taken to support it.

Given these factors, the hope that Nigeria’s youth will lead a revolution appears more like a comforting illusion than a grounded reality. Without structural reforms and a significant paradigm shift, the same challenges that have held Nigeria back for decades will continue to hinder the younger generation since true transformation won’t happen just because chips off the old blocks step into power.