On April 19, 2018, Nigerian youths were in a frenzy. President Muhammadu Buhari had implied they were lazy during a meeting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government in London. He made the remark shortly before announcing his run for a second term in office ahead of May 2019.
Nigerians vented their frustration on Twitter with the hashtags #LazyNigerianYouths and #LazyNigerianPVC. Clearly, their silence was taken for granted and aspirations misunderstood. Long story short? They had no place at the table with the sitting government.
In 2019, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) put Nigeria’s population at 201 million. Nearly 70% of that number are reportedly below age 35. But they have little participation in the nation’s decision-making process.
When the youth defied ethnic differences to launch the EndSARS protest in October 2020, their agitation was focused on more than just police brutality. They protested abject poverty, insecurity, poor power supply and spiralling unemployment. Most of all, they kicked against a disconnect with the sitting government and inadequate political participation to actualise the changes they want.
Three months after the Lekki Tollgate massacre, street protests have stopped. But the #EndSARS hashtag continues to trend on Twitter, raising the political consciousness of the youth who await 2023 when they will have another opportunity to vote their preferred leaders into power.
Femi Falodun, CEO of ID Africa (owners of Netng and Neusroom), says the protests revealed that digital-savvy young Nigerians truly possess great power to influence and effect social and political change across the country, when they organise properly and speak with one voice.
Bridging the Generational Gap
Meanwhile, a recent poll of 7000 youths conducted by Plaqad, a Lagos-based marketing technology company, in partnership with Netng and Neusroom suggests they distrust political leaders above 45. For them, anyone above that age is already too entrenched in corruption to make any meaningful change. However, the two-week poll, conducted across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, shows their mistrust does not include some thought leaders bridging the generational gap, especially older front-liners during the EndSARS protests.
“Beyond the protests and activism, it became apparent that there was the need to investigate and fully understand the nature and type of political leadership that young citizens yearn for. This was what inspired the Neusroom team to produce this report,” Falodun said.
Sam Adeyemi, Peter Obi and Oby Ezekwesili were the top three finalists in answer to the question, “We need a bridge between the old and the young. Who are you picking?” Others on the shortlist were: Stanbic IBTC Founder, Atedo Peterside; Venia Group CEO, Kola Oyeneyin; a former Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; Deputy UN Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed and Covenant Nation Senior Pastor, Poju Oyemade.
Sam Adeyemi: Leading from the Front
As a 53-year-old cleric, one might think Sam Adeyemi is past his prime. But he scored 54% of the total votes in the survey. Then again, his advocacy for good leadership precedes the EndSARS movement. One of the Neusroom poll respondents rightly observed that the Daystar pastor “is already in the process and is loved by the youth.”
Maybe so. In October 2017, Adeyemi emphasised that Africa needs good leadership, not charity in a post on the World Economic Forum (WEF) blog. In 2019, he donated N10 million to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) for the upkeep of the displaced in Africa, paving the way for civic organisations to follow suit. In the heat of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, he also donated face masks and other protective gear to the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), pledging to donate food items to the underprivileged in his community. He crowned it all with his selfless leadership and empathy for the youth during the EndSARS protests.
- October 2020: He urged the EndSARS protesters to stay focused on making their voices heard, embrace unconventionality and flexibility
- October 2020: Condemned the Lekki Tollgate shootings, encouraged the youth to refuse to be silenced and continue pushing for their 5 for 5 demands
- November 2020: Advised the youth to strategize and drive a paradigm shift in leadership for 2023
- November 2020: Maintained his position after being sued by activist Kenechukwu Okeke for his role in the protests, said to cause the wanton destruction of properties and livelihoods.
Small wonder Adeyemi won the Future Awards Prize for Service to Young People in November 2020.
Peter Obi: The Quiet Storm
This soft-spoken former Governor of Anambra is the second runner-up on the trust index. Who knows? He may have missed the number one spot over allegations that on his watch, the Awkuzu SARS headquarters became the centre of alleged extrajudicial killings masterminded by CSP James Nwafor. But what cannot be contested is that Obi is a longstanding youth advocate who pledged his allegiance to the EndSARS cause.
- 2006 – 2007: If claims are anything to go by, he was quite frugal with public funds while in office as Anambra State Governor.
- August 2018: Billed to train over 1000 Anambra youths on employability skills.
- February 2020: Observed that Nigeria had been unfaithful to the youth who constitute the largest chunk of the population at the 8th graduation ceremony of Veritas University, Abuja.
- March 2020: Asked the nation to pray for unemployed Nigerian youths on his Twitter handle.
- August 2020: Described the youth as the salvation of Nigeria expected to live up to high standards during the International Youth Day.
- August 2020: Condemned the killing of unarmed youths in Enugu on his Twitter handle.
- October 2020: Hailed the candlelight ceremony organised by EndSARS protesters, saying it was proof they valued their fallen peers.
- October 2020: Was very vocal in his support of the protesters, denouncing the infiltration of their ranks by thugs who destroyed public assets.
- October 2020: Appealed to youths to disband the protest in the Southeast to prevent further hijacking by subversive elements.
Oby Ezekwesili: Diehard Youth Advocate
‘Mama due process’ (as Oby is fondly called) may be 57, but she remains a youth at heart and in action. The Plaqad poll places her third on the trust index, but she is nonetheless a formidable youth advocate dating back to the April 14, 2014 abduction of the Chibok girls by Boko Haram. She spearheaded the #BringBackOurGirls campaign to draw global attention to their plight and urge the Nigerian government to prioritise their rescue.
In 2018 Oby told Neusroom she was running for President because she was on a rescue mission. “For me if I didn’t have the title of a President but get the opportunity to mobilise us to do that work of building a different nation, moving on a different track, I will do it at the drop of a pin.”
- 2006 – 2007: Drove a comprehensive sector reform programme during her tenure as Nigeria’s education minister.
- October 2018 – January 2019: Ran a grassroots political campaign with youth volunteers.
- October 2020: Hailed the setting up of Radio Soro Soke.
- October 2020: Condemned the shootings at the Lekki toll gate. Urged women not to allow the innocent blood of their children to be shed in vain.
- November 2020: Condemned CBN’s freezing of EndSARS protesters’ accounts as undemocratic.
- November 2020: Criticized government’s plan to sanction CNN over coverage of the protests.
- November 2020: Aligned with the EndSARS protesters’ objectives. Asked that they should not be intimidated by the oppressive and repressive acts of the Buhari administration.
As the clock ticks towards 2023, Pastor Sam Adeyemi may just have his work cut out for him. The youth are no longer content to simply fold their arms and watch. They need the trusted older generation to represent their interests in speaking truth to power. From where we sit, Adeyemi is looking like it.