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From Ndubuisi Orji,Abuja
The House of Representatives has reiterated its commitment to youth oriented legislations and motions, to enable young persons in the country thrive.
The House Committee Chairman on Youth in Parliament, Ayodeji Alao-Akala, stated this, yesterday in Abuja, at the Nigerian Youth Dialogue organised by the committee to commemorate the International Youth Day.
This is as the state of Nigerian Youth Report 2025 produced by Plan International Nigeria, in collaboration with ActionAid Nigeria, stated that unemployment, insecurity and increasing trust deficit in governance are pushing the young persons in the country into cycles of vulnerability and exclusion.
Alao-Akala, who re-emphasised that the youth are the future of the country, said the parliament devoted significant time to passing bills and motions aimed at creating a more enabling environment for young persons in Nigeria.
According to him, “As a country, we cannot afford to ignore the aspirations of our youths. They are the future of Nigeria and our responsibility as lawmakers is to ensure their potential is harnessed for national development.”
The State of the Nigerian Youth Report 2025, presented by Advocacy and Youth Programme Officer at Plan International Nigeria, Jonathan Abakpa, noted that about 80 million young Nigerians, which represents 53 percent of the youth population, are unemployed.
This is not just a statistic, it represents shattered dreams and wasted talent. The desperation is pushing many into irregular migration, cybercrime and other risky coping mechanisms.
“The National Bureau of Statistics reported a 5.3 percent rise in youth unemployment in the first quarter of 2024. Although there was a slight improvement in the second quarter, the situation remains dire.
“Beyond joblessness, insecurity was flagged as a major factor shaping the lives of young Nigerians. According to the report, more than 600,000 people have been killed and 2.2 million kidnapped in recent years. Many victims are young people.
“The tragedy of insecurity is not only the loss of lives but also the collapse of opportunities. Over 1,500 schools have been shut down in the past two years, leaving one million children out of school. Education, which should be a ladder of opportunity, has been violently pulled away from them,” Abakpa said.
