Youth participation key to Nigeria’s progress — UNIJOS VC declares at NYC inauguration

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Jos (UNIJOS), Prof. Tanko Ishaya, has urged Nigerian youths to take a front seat in political leadership, warning that the country cannot achieve sustainable development without meaningful youth involvement.

Prof. Ishaya stated this while delivering the keynote address at the inauguration ceremony of the newly elected executives of the Nigerian Youth Congress (NYC) in Abuja. He stressed that Nigeria’s progress will remain stagnant if young people continue to stay on the sidelines of governance.

“Politics is not dirty. It is people who make politics dirty. The only way to clean it is for principled, patriotic, and courageous young Nigerians to step in with clean hands and clear intentions,” he said. “Youth participation is not a favour; it is a national necessity.”

Describing Nigerian youths as a “sleeping giant reawakening,” he observed that while Nigeria was once hailed as the giant of Africa, recent realities have cast the country as dormant. “But this gathering today proves that the giant is reawakening,” he noted.

During the event, the newly inaugurated NYC President, Engr. Jethro Terhile Annum, unveiled an ambitious agenda to tackle the unemployment and socio-economic challenges burdening Nigerian youths. He lamented that over 80 million young Nigerians remain unemployed, warning that the nation is “at the dawn of a new era” that requires urgent intervention to break the cycle of poverty and wasted potential.

Citing the State of the Nigerian Youth Report 2025, Annum said the country’s youth population continues to expand without corresponding economic opportunities. With 93 percent of young people in the informal sector stuck in “insecure, low-paying work,” he described the situation as a looming socioeconomic crisis.

“These are not mere statistics,” he said. “They are the stories of brothers and sisters hustling through Lagos traffic, graduates in Kano waiting endlessly for opportunities, and innovators in Enugu whose talents wither on the vine.”

Annum launched two major initiatives: The Digital Naija Initiative, an ICT and Artificial Intelligence capacity-building programme targeting one million youths in its first year. The scheme will be implemented in partnership with global giants like Google and Microsoft, as well as Nigerian tech leaders including Andela and Flutterwave. It will also establish 500 youth tech hubs nationwide.

The Green Harvest Revolution, an agricultural transformation programme to make farming a profitable, youth-driven enterprise. He called for the allocation of 10 million hectares of government land to youth agribusinesses, supported by low-interest loans from the Bank of Agriculture and technical assistance from IFAD.

Presenting Annum with his Certificate of Return, Chairman of the NYC Board of Trustees, Comrade Yakubu Shendam, expressed full confidence in the new leadership. He recalled working with Annum during his tenure as President of the National Youth Council, where Annum served as Vice President (North Central).

“Comrade Jethro, you have my 100 percent support,” he said. “Your blueprint is bold, and with your humility, our support is guaranteed.”

The event signalled renewed calls for youth inclusion as a national priority, with stakeholders emphasizing that Nigeria’s future rests heavily on the energy, innovation, and leadership of its young population.

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