19/10/2026
On the Contrary, Nigerian youths should not be told to suppress their anger in the face of bad governance. Instead, they should channel that anger into constructive civic engagement, peaceful protest, and demands for accountability. Hunger is not a crime, frustration is not misconduct, and demanding better leadership is not misbehaviour.
Dear Prince Jide Kosoko, tolerance should not mean enduring hardship in silence, and patriotism should not be confused with accepting failure from those entrusted with public resources.
What exactly should young Nigerians tolerate? An education system where students struggle with inadequate learning facilities, teachers face difficult working conditions, and many graduates roam the streets without meaningful employment? A healthcare system where access to quality medical care is increasingly difficult for ordinary citizens, forcing some to sell their belongings, borrow money, or depend on public appeals to save their lives?
Should they remain silent when roads are riddled with potholes, communities are cut off by deplorable infrastructure, and commuters lose valuable hours navigating journeys that should take minutes? Should they smile through insecurity, kidnappings, banditry, and violent attacks that threaten lives, livelihoods, and the freedom to travel safely within their own country?
What about the rising cost of food, unaffordable housing, unreliable electricity, youth unemployment, and the widening gap between the privileges enjoyed by some public officeholders and the struggles of ordinary Nigerians? Should young people just accept these realities because they are expected to be tolerant?
The real question is not whether Nigerian youths should be angry, but whether those in positions of authority are doing enough to address the reasons for that anger.
Young people have every right to be frustrated when their hard work does not translate into a decent standard of living, when their qualifications do not guarantee opportunities, and when the social contract between citizens and the government appears increasingly broken.
Of course, anger must not become an excuse for violence, destruction of property, or attacks on innocent people. Responsible citizenship requires discipline, and legitimate grievances should be expressed through peaceful and lawful means. But condemning misconduct must never become a convenient way to dismiss the legitimate grievances that fuel public frustration.
Tolerance is a virtue, but accountability is an obligation. Citizens can be patient, but patience must not be weaponised against them. Peace is desirable, but peace without justice, opportunity, security, and human dignity is merely the absence of visible resistance.
Rather than telling hungry youths to stop showing anger, let us ask why hunger persists in a country blessed with enormous human and natural resources. Rather than telling them to tolerate bad governance, let us demand governance that makes tolerance less necessary.
Nigerian youths do not need lectures on how to endure suffering. They need an education system that works, accessible healthcare, safe roads, security, decent jobs, affordable living conditions, and leaders who are accountable to the people.
A responsible society does not merely demand that its young people control their anger; it addresses the conditions that give rise to it.
