Nigerian Youths Don’t Need Encouragement, They Need Action -By Faith Ogbotor

I have heard this statement so many times that it has almost become a convenient explanation for everything young Nigerians are struggling with. But every time I hear it, I ask myself the same question: How can we call people lazy when they are constantly finding ways to survive in places they have never called home?

Nigerian youths are not lazy. We are ambitious, creative and willing to take risks. Give a Nigerian a difficult situation and, somehow, they will still try to find a way through it.

There is hardly a part of the world where you will not find a Nigerian trying to build a life.

South Africa is one example. Nigerian and other African migrants have faced xenophobic attacks, with foreigners sometimes blamed for taking jobs and business opportunities. Yet even in difficult circumstances, Nigerians have continued to seek opportunities and build lives.

That tells me something.

The problem is not that Nigerian youths lack the desire to succeed. The problem is that too many of them are trying to succeed in an environment that makes survival their first priority.

Nigeria is blessed with young people who have ambition. But ambition alone does not pay rent. It does not put food on the table. It does not provide electricity for an aspiring inventor to work through the night.

And this is where I believe we often misunderstand young Nigerians.

When someone is hungry, immediate survival can become more important than a long-term dream. A young person may have wanted to become an engineer, inventor, researcher, journalist or entrepreneur, but if that dream cannot help them survive today, they may be forced to put it aside.

I have seen this happen.

During my JAMB preparation, I had a friend who was exceptionally good at creating things from scratch. He could produce power banks, build robots and work on other inventions.

A few months ago, I met him again.

He told me he had stopped doing those things.

Then he said something, almost jokingly, that has stayed with me:

“That one no go put food for my table.”

He was joking, but I don’t think the situation was funny.

Imagine if he had been given the right support. Imagine if he had access to equipment, mentorship, funding and a market for what he was creating. Now imagine there were thousands of young Nigerians like him receiving the same opportunity.

There would be competition.

And competition could mean better products, innovation and potentially lower prices for Nigerians. It could create businesses and jobs. It could turn young people’s talents from abandoned dreams into something useful to the country.

This is why I believe Nigeria has a talent-discovery problem as much as it has an unemployment problem.

Talent should not only be rewarded when it comes with a connection.

We cannot continue to look only towards people with influential parents, important contacts or access to the right rooms. There are young people in rural communities with abilities we may never discover simply because nobody is looking in their direction.

There are students with brilliant ideas who cannot afford the equipment to develop them.

There are young people who could become exceptional professionals if someone simply gave them the opportunity to prove themselves.

And when people repeatedly see their effort go unrewarded, they eventually adapt.

Some abandon their dreams.

Some settle for survival.

Some start searching for connections.

Some take shortcuts.

And some leave the country.

I cannot blame every Nigerian who leaves.

If you are not appreciated in one place and you have an opportunity to go somewhere your efforts will be valued, why shouldn’t you take it?

Of course, there is an argument that if every talented Nigerian leaves, Nigeria will never improve.

I understand that argument.

But I also think it is unfair to place the responsibility of fixing an entire country on young people who are simply trying to build a future for themselves.

Instead of asking young Nigerians why they want to leave, perhaps we should ask what we can do to make them want to stay.

Nobody is genuinely happy to be far away from home, especially when it means being separated from the people they love. If Nigeria becomes a place where people can live comfortably, work meaningfully and build a future, I believe many Nigerians who left would have a reason to return.

Look at the Nigerians making a difference around the world.

Doctors. Lawyers. Bankers. Engineers. Researchers. Entrepreneurs. Athletes.

Nigerians are contributing in different fields across the globe. Some even represent other countries in sports.

I will not blame them.

Talent will always look for somewhere it can thrive.

But imagine if Nigeria created an environment where that same talent could thrive at home.

Imagine a young inventor from a rural community being discovered and supported.

Imagine a student with a brilliant idea getting the equipment to develop it.

Imagine young entrepreneurs having genuine access to funding and markets.

Imagine Nigerians abroad looking towards home and saying, “There is something worth coming back to.”

I believe we would see a different Nigeria.

We are often called the Giant of Africa, and I believe we have what it takes to compete with the greatest nations. But potential means very little when the people carrying that potential are not given the opportunity to use it.

The government does not need to keep telling young Nigerians to be patient.

We have heard the encouragement.

Nigerian youths don’t need encouragement. They need action.

Find the talent.

Support the talent.

Give people from rural communities a chance.

Create an environment where hard work can actually produce results.

Because perhaps Nigeria does not lack the people who can change the country.

Perhaps we have simply not given enough of them the chance to try.