Mr. President, Save Nigeria’s Youth Before It’s Too Late -By Yasir Shehu Adam

Your Excellency,

In 1975 at Dodan Barracks, an iconic photo was taken. In that frame stood three young men already carrying the weight of the nation on their shoulders:

– Adamu Ciroma, 41, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

– Olusegun Obasanjo, 37, Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters.
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– Murtala Muhammed, 36, Head of State of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

They were young, sharp, ambitious, and responsible. Just five years before that moment, they had fought a brutal civil war and secured Nigeria’s unity. At only 33, Obasanjo took the surrender of Biafra. And even earlier, Yakubu Gowon became Head of State at just 31. These were young Nigerians who carried heavy responsibilities with courage.

Mr. President, where are we today?

At 30 years old, millions of Nigerian youths are jobless, roaming the streets with certificates that mean nothing. Many of us have no employable skills because our education system is broken. Some have fallen into crime—cultism, fraud, kidnapping, banditry, and terrorism. Others risk their lives crossing the desert or drowning in the sea, chasing the Japa dream, only to end up stranded in foreign lands.

Sir, we are not lazy. We are simply lost in a system that has failed us. We are tired of being called the leaders of tomorrow when our today has already been stolen.

At 65 years of independence, Nigeria is still bleeding. We are trapped in:

– Bad schools and poor education

– Hospitals without medicine or equipment

– Insecurity that keeps farmers from their land and families from sleeping in peace

– Darkness because of lack of electricity

– Hunger everywhere—more than 85% of Nigerians cannot afford three meals a day

– Joblessness—over 95% of youths have no chance to grow or contribute to this country

This pain is real, Mr. President. It is why crimes keep rising. It is why peace is broken. It is why our youths are angry, desperate, and hopeless.

I am almost 30, and I write this with tears as a voice for millions of young Nigerians. We believed in your Renewed Hope agenda. We thought you would change things. But, Your Excellency, every day it seems life only gets harder.

We cannot wait any longer. We need action, not promises. We need jobs, not slogans. We need food, not hunger. We need schools that work, hospitals that heal, electricity that stays on, and leaders who care.

Mr. President, history has given you this chance. Please do not fail us. We need a rebirth of Nigeria. We need discipline, education, patriotism, and above all, leadership that puts people first.

Sir, hear our cry. Hear the cry of your youths. If Nigeria fails us again, the future will be lost. But if you act now, history will remember you as the leader who saved a generation.

Nigeria must rise again.

Respectfully,

Yasir Shehu Adam (Dan Liman)
Young journalist and writer from Bauchi