Several decades ago, the world-renowned artist and musician, Brian Eno, created a deck of cards called Oblique Strategies, each containing what he described as “a worthwhile dilemma.” These cards, cryptic yet purposeful, were designed to accelerate imagination and open new pathways of association and meaning. Much like horoscopes in ancient times where celestial movements were linked to human affairs, Eno’s strategies sought to turn ambiguity into clarity and transform hesitation into direction.
For Nigeria, marking its 65th year of independence, the metaphor could not be more fitting. One of the great ambiguities facing the nation is how to translate the talent and ingenuity of its young people into national progress. If Nigeria were sitting at the card table today, the questions might read: “What future do you envision for yourself?”; “Can your young people play active roles in shaping that future?”; “What notable achievements or tasks have your youth led in the past?”; “What mistakes have they made?”; “Do you see youth as a stage to be managed or a strength to be leveraged?”; “What are the next plans for your young people?” Each question, like an oblique card, challenges Nigeria to reflect and act. For too long, youths have been kept in soft focus. At 65, it is time for Nigeria to truly see what is starkly in front of her.
Nigeria boasts one of the largest and most talented youth populations globally, with over 60% of citizens under 25, according to the United Nations in 2023. This is more than a statistic; it is a vast reservoir of potential. Despite the challenges, Nigerian youth consistently excel in academics, STEM competitions, and innovation contests at both national and international levels, while also leading in entrepreneurial and creative ventures across the continent and beyond. These achievements underscore that the average Nigerian young person possesses remarkable capabilities. Beyond measurable indicators, their creativity, resilience, and camaraderie highlight their ability to innovate, collaborate, and drive transformation. This overwhelming evidence shows that Nigeria’s youth are not a liability but its greatest strength. So why, given these advantages, are they not engaged as true partners in nation-building?
The gap between Nigeria’s extraordinary youth potential and their limited role in shaping national progress is complex and multidimensional. At its core, it reflects a failure of oblique strategy: the nation has yet to fully envision the role of its young people or commit to realising it. Despite abundant evidence of their creativity, many still lack access to quality education that builds critical thinking, leadership, and problem-solving skills. High levels of unemployment and underemployment compel young people to prioritise survival – sometimes turning to illicit activities – over civic or national engagement. Insecurity, from armed conflict to urban violence, disrupts schooling and community life, further constraining opportunities for youth leadership.
Governance structures also rarely provide meaningful channels for youth to influence policy or contribute ideas to national challenges. Social inequalities, entrenched gender norms, and regional marginalisation deepen exclusion. Few programmes intentionally equip young people with civic literacy, negotiation, or leadership skills, while cultural attitudes too often frame them as a stage to be managed rather than as a strength to be leveraged. Together, these interlocking barriers prevent Nigeria’s talented, creative, and resilient youth from converting their potential into tangible national impact. Surely, at 65, the scale of this waste must cause the nation to pause in its tracks.
To fully harness the power of Nigerian youth for national transformation, it is essential to redesign governance structures affecting them – shifting from centralised, top-down systems with symbolic commissioners and ministers, toward decentralised, community-embedded institutions that genuinely respond to youth needs. Existing mechanisms rarely create meaningful pathways for young people to voice their challenges or engage constructively in driving transformation, whether economic, social, civic, creative, or technological.
What Nigeria requires are dynamic engines, not static programmes; structures rooted organically in communities, responsive to the diverse and evolving needs of young people in real time. Such systems would coordinate holistic services spanning education, mental health, entrepreneurial training, financial literacy, employment linkages, support for creatives and intellectual property, access to information, and pathways to civic engagement. They would guide young people through transitions into work, entrepreneurship, leadership, citizenship, and family life, while providing continuous opportunities for learning, innovation, and meaningful participation in national life.
Embedding these systems within communities, while linking them to ministries and national institutions as strategic coordinators, would ensure alignment with national policy frameworks, effective resource coordination, and government backing – without losing sight of local realities. In this way, Nigeria can create a seamless ecosystem that nurtures, channels, and maximises the potential of its youth, enabling them to actively contribute to solving the country’s challenges and advancing its future.
The oblique strategy for Nigeria at 65 is therefore clear: build systems that nurture and channel the ingenuity of our young people, and they will not only transform the nation but redefine what is possible in the world.
