23/05/2026
"Laziness of Nigerian Youths and Political Manipulation by Nigerian politicians."
1. The "laziness" claim
- Originated from Buhari’s 2018 Commonwealth comment.
- Reality: High youth unemployment/underemployment at 53.4% for ages 15-24 in Q4 2023.
- Many youths are active in tech, entertainment, fintech, trade, but face structural barriers: poor power, limited credit, skills mismatch.
- “Laziness” is debated as either lack of opportunity vs. dependency on quick-money schemes and low civic participation.
2. How politicians manipulate youths
- Vote-buying : Cash, food, data bundles given near elections to low-income youths.
- Thuggery recruitment: Youths hired for intimidation, ballot snatching, then discarded.
- Token appointments: Youths placed in SSA/SA roles for optics, with no real decision-making power.
- Identity & social media weaponization: Ethnic/religious messaging, false claims, paid posting to trend hashtags and attack opponents.
- *Failed empowerment programs*: Programs like N-Power announced heavily but delayed/politicized, creating dependency.
3. Result
- Rising apathy: Youth turnout fell from 57.54% in 2007 to 26.72% in 2023.
- Some resistance: 2020, youth-led advocacy, independent candidates in 2023 show pushback when organized outside party structures.
