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A JOURNAL - THE ROLE OF YOUTHS IN SHAPING NIGERIA'S POLITICS AND ECONOMIC FUTURE

posted by: val posted on: 2 days ago

Tamunofiri Mariam Iringe-Koko (Ph.D) Department of Management, University of Port Harcourt [firifarn@gmail.com]

and

Adewole Daniel, Adedunmola Graduates of Ghana Tertiary Institution Association [Adedunmoladaniel@yahoo.com]

Abstract

This research investigates the multifaceted role of youth in shaping Nigeria's political and economic landscape. It explores the diverse ways in which young people engage in political processes, contribute to economic development, and advocate for social change. The study examines factors influencing youth participation in politics and economics, including education, socio-economic status, and government policies. It also analyses the challenges faced by Nigerian youth and the opportunities available for them to contribute to the country's progress.

This study was based on political socialization theory. Using a cross-sectional research design, the research focused on a population of 8,478,638 youths across the six South-South states of Nigeria. A sample size of 375 was determined using the Taro Yamane sample size determination formula.

The study found that despite facing several challenges, Nigerian youth are increasingly involved in political activities, including voting, participating in political parties and organisations, and engaging in activism. The findings contribute to a better understanding of the role of young people in shaping the country's development and inform policy decisions aimed at empowering and supporting youth engagement.

Introduction

One of the greatest challenges facing governments and policymakers in Nigeria, often referred to as the Giant of Africa, is how to provide opportunities for the country's youthful population to live decent lives and contribute to the economic development of the nation.

With over 60 percent of its population under the age of 25, the youth demographic is not only significant in numbers but also in influence. This article explores the multiple roles of Nigerian youths in shaping the country's political and economic future, highlighting their potential as agents of change, innovators, and leaders.

Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of this study is to investigate the role of youths in shaping Nigeria's politics and economic future.

The specific objectives are:

To examine the extent of youth participation in political processes in Nigeria. To investigate the economic contributions of Nigerian youth. To identify the challenges faced by Nigerian youth in the political and economic spheres. To assess the effectiveness of government policies and programmes aimed at empowering and supporting Nigerian youth.

Research Hypotheses

H1: There is a significant correlation between the level of education and political participation among youths in Nigeria.

H2: There is a significant correlation between access to education and employment opportunities among youths in Nigeria.

H3: Government policies and programmes aimed at supporting youth entrepreneurship have a positive impact on the economic growth of the country.

H4: Access to quality education and skills training is a key determinant of youth employability and economic success in Nigeria.

Youth Engagement in Politics

Over the years, Nigeria's politics has been dominated by older generations, creating a disconnect between leadership and the aspirations of young people. However, recent developments have shown an increasing level of youth involvement in political activities.

The rise of social media and technological advancement has empowered youths to engage in political discussions, mobilise for change, and challenge existing political structures. Movements such as the EndSARS protest in 2020 demonstrated the ability of Nigerian youths to organise and voice their grievances, particularly against police brutality and corruption.

Youth participation in politics now extends beyond protests. It includes voter registration, participation in elections, civic engagement, membership in political parties, and even contesting political offices.

Their participation introduces fresh perspectives and innovative solutions to national challenges, particularly in areas such as education, unemployment, healthcare, and governance.

Economic Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Nigeria's economic environment presents several opportunities for youth engagement, particularly in entrepreneurship. As traditional job opportunities become limited, many youths are turning to entrepreneurship and innovation.

Young Nigerians are developing skills in areas such as technology, agriculture, and manufacturing to create businesses that address local problems while also participating in global markets.

This entrepreneurial spirit is essential for Nigeria's economic future because it contributes to job creation, economic diversification, and reduced dependence on oil revenues.

Government initiatives such as the Nigerian Start-Up Act aim to provide a supportive framework for young entrepreneurs by encouraging investment in technology and innovation.

Social Responsibility and Awareness

The role of youths in Africa's development is very significant. Youths can serve as an important source of labour and human capital in production, which improves productivity in regions where capital formation is limited.

When employed, youths also contribute to economic growth through their consumption activities. In addition, they help develop a new class of entrepreneurs that African countries need for sustainable development.

Nigeria also has the opportunity to benefit from a demographic dividend. With a growing working-age population, the country could experience economic growth if these individuals are productively engaged.

Nigerian youths also play an important role in advocating for social justice and accountability. Through social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter (X), Instagram, and TikTok, young activists raise awareness about corruption, inequality, and human rights issues.

Many youths are also increasingly involved in environmental advocacy and climate action, promoting sustainable development and responsible environmental practices.

Challenges Facing Youth Engagement

Despite their potential, Nigerian youths face several challenges that limit their participation in politics and the economy. These challenges include poverty, unemployment, inadequate access to quality education, and limited economic opportunities.

Political marginalisation and systemic corruption also discourage many youths from participating in governance and entrepreneurship.

To overcome these challenges, collaboration between government, civil society organisations, and the private sector is necessary. Providing access to education, mentorship programmes, and financial resources will help empower youths to take leadership roles and contribute to national development.

Theoretical Framework

Political Socialization Theory

Political socialization theory explains how individuals develop political beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours through various influences such as family, education, media, and peer groups.

The theory helps in understanding how Nigerian youths develop political awareness and participation. It emphasises the importance of civic education and early exposure to democratic values in shaping political behaviour.

However, the theory also has limitations because it focuses mainly on early socialisation experiences and may not fully account for other factors such as socio-economic inequality, political repression, and historical influences.

Methodology

This study adopted a survey research design.

The population for the study consisted of youths aged 18 to 35 years residing in Nigeria, particularly those in the South-South region. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (2013), the total youth population in the six South-South states is 8,478,638.

Using the Taro Yamane sample size determination formula, a sample size of 375 respondents was selected.

A simple random sampling technique was used, and data were collected using a self-structured questionnaire distributed through Google Forms.

Descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation were used to summarise the data, while inferential statistics using the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient were used to test the research hypotheses. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 25.

Results and Discussion

Out of the 375 questionnaires distributed, 307 responses representing 81.9 percent were received. Out of these responses, 285 representing 92.8 percent were valid and used for the analysis.

Table 1: Demographic Data of Respondents

Age Distribution 18–24 years: 155 respondents 25–30 years: 99 respondents 31–35 years: 31 respondents Total: 285 respondents

Gender Distribution Male: 101 Female: 184 Total: 285 respondents

Occupation Student: 22 Employed (Private Sector): 33 Employed (Public Sector): 42 Self-employed: 84 Unemployed: 104 Total: 285 respondents

Educational Level Primary Education: 13 Secondary Education: 78 Tertiary (Undergraduate): 162 Tertiary (Postgraduate): 32 Total: 285 respondents

Urban 192 Rural 93 Total 285 (100%)

Table 1 displays the distribution based on the age group of the participants. It reveals that the largest proportion of respondents are in the 18–24 years age bracket (54.4%), followed by the 25–30 age bracket (34.7%), and the 31–35 age bracket (10.9%). This suggests that the majority of South-South youths are younger than 35 years old.

The gender characteristics of the respondents are shown in Table 1. More females than men filled out the survey. Of the total population, 64.6% (184 respondents) were female and 35.4% (101 participants) were men. This would indicate that the majority of Southern youths are female.

The respondents' educational backgrounds are displayed in Table 1. The majority of respondents hold a bachelor’s degree (162 respondents), while 78 have completed secondary education. Out of the total number of responses, 32 hold a postgraduate degree and 13 have only completed primary education. Since the majority of youths have bachelor’s degrees, we can assume that they are well-versed in the role of youths in shaping Nigeria's politics and economic future and will have no trouble answering our questionnaire questions.

The respondents' occupation reveal that majority of the youths are unemployed (36.5%) 104 respondents. 84 respondents are self-employed (29.5%), 42 respondents representing (14.7%) are employed (public sector), 33 respondents representing (11.6%) are employed (private sector), while 22 respondents are students representing (7.7%). This suggests that most youths in South-South, Nigeria are unemployed.

The next category is the place of residence. Table 1 shows that majority of the youths are resident in urban area with a population of 192 respondents representing (67.4%), while 93 respondents are resident in the rural area representing (32.6%).

Hypothesis One H1: There is a significant correlation between the level of education and political participation among youths in Nigeria.

Table 2: Correlation between the level of education (LOE) and political participation (PPN) among youths in Nigeria

LOE PPN LOE Pearson Correlation 1.000 .727 Sig. (2-tailed) .005 N 285 285

PPN Pearson Correlation .727 1.000 Sig. (2-tailed) .005 N 285 285

Source: SPSS 25.0 output on research data

Table 2 reveals that the Pearson Correlation coefficient is 0.727 which reflect a positive linear relationship between level of education and political participation. And the correlation test is statistically significant with a p-value of 0.005. Positive relationship means that as level of education increases political participation increases. The study concludes that there is a link between level of education and political participation as a result of this finding. As a result, the hypothesis was approved. This finding corroborates with the results of Ojibara and Omede (2017) in their study on youth and political participation in Kwara State, Nigeria. Findings revealed that Kwara youth are likely to engage in conventional mode of participation than unconventional mode of participations with variations. Voting in general election is the prefer pattern of conventional participation. Furthermore, apart from age, local government of residence, years of residing in the local government, level of education, marital status, and occupation have a significant influence on youth political participation in Kwara State.

Hypothesis Two H2: There is a significant correlation between access to education and employment opportunities among youths in Nigeria.

Table 3: Correlation between access to education (ATE) and employment opportunities (EOS) among youths in Nigeria

ATE EOS ATE Pearson Correlation 1.000 .803 Sig. (2-tailed) .004 N 285 285

EOS Pearson Correlation .803 1.000 Sig. (2-tailed) .004 N 285 285

Source: SPSS 25.0 output on research data

Table 3 reveals that the Pearson Correlation coefficient is 0.803 which reflect a strong positive linear relationship between access to education and employment opportunities. And the correlation test is highly significance at (p=0.004). The p-value is less than the alpha value of 0.05. Positive relationship means that as access to education increases employment opportunities also increases. The study concludes that there is a link between access to education and employment opportunities as a result of this discovery. As a result, the hypothesis was approved. This agrees with O’Higgins and Ivanov (2006) in the study of education and employment opportunities for the Roma. It is shown that lack of formal education cannot provide a full explanation of the relatively high unemployment rates faced by Roma and that at least part of the problem arises from discrimination in employment. Roma are also disproportionately employed in low-quality jobs in the informal sector. The paper argues that programmes aimed at combatting labour market and income disadvantages of the Roma must be based on the development of opportunities for autonomous income generation rather than the public works temporary employment programmes currently prevalent.

Hypothesis Three H3: Government policies and programmes aimed at supporting youth entrepreneurship have a positive impact on the economic growth of the country.

Table 4: Correlation between government policies (GPP) and economic growth (EGH) among youths in Nigeria

GPP EGH GPP Pearson Correlation 1.000 .744 Sig. (2-tailed) .002 N 285 285

EGH Pearson Correlation .744 1.000 Sig. (2-tailed) .002 N 285 285

Source: SPSS 25.0 output on research data

Table 4 reveals that the Pearson Correlation coefficient is 0.744 which reflect a positive linear relationship between government policies and economic growth. And the correlation test show that government policies has significant effect on economic growth with a p-value of 0.002. Positive relationship means that as government policies increases economic growth increases. The study concludes that there is a link between government policies and programmes aimed at supporting youth entrepreneurship and economic growth as a result of this discovery. Therefore, hypothesis was not rejected. This finding relates with Odongo and Kyei (2018) in the study on the role of government in promoting youth entrepreneurship: the case of South Africa. The National Youth Policy (2015-2020) aims at creating a conducive environment that enables young people to reach their full potential. The National Development Plan and the Vision 2030 provide several proposals to deal with youth unemployment through skills development, entrepreneurship training and provision of opportunities, so that they can ably participate in the development of their communities. Despite these and other well-meaning interventions, the contribution of youth owned and managed enterprises to the gross domestic product remained a paltry 5% in 2013. In 2009, South Africa was ranked 35th out of 54 global entrepreneurship monitored countries with a total early stage entrepreneurial activity rate of only 5.9%, which is amongst the lowest in sub-Saharan Africa and the world. The 2016-2017 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor reports that only 37.9% of South Africans perceived that they have the capabilities required to start their own business and only 35% were able to recognise entrepreneurial opportunities in and around their communities. It is evident that putting in place elaborate legislative and institutional frameworks alone is not enough to scale up youth entrepreneurship. This paper proposes interventions that can be categorised into the following themes: conducive and supportive government policy; supporting systems, structures and collaborative partnerships; appropriate and responsive entrepreneurship education; and developing and nurturing entrepreneurial behaviours.

H4: Access to quality education and skills training is a key determinant of youth employability and economic success in Nigeria.

Table 5: Correlation between access to quality education (AQE) and economic success (ESS) among youths in Nigeria

AQE ESS AQE Pearson Correlation 1.000 .783 Sig. (2-tailed) .003 N 147 147

ESS Pearson Correlation .783 1.000 Sig. (2-tailed) .003 N 147 147

Source: SPSS 25.0 output on research data

Table 5 reveals that the Pearson Correlation coefficient is 0.783 which reflect a strong positive linear relationship between access to quality education and economic success. And the correlation test is highly significance at (p=0.003). The p-value is less than the alpha value of 0.05. Positive relationship means that as access to quality education increases economic success also increases. The study concludes that there is a link between access to quality education and economic success as a result of this discovery. As a result, the null hypothesis was approved. This relates with Rimisa (2019) in the study on factors influencing youth employability in SMEs in Tanzania: A Case of SMEs in Ilala District. The results from logit model show that about 29 percent of young people who are employed in SMEs are doing that in order to get income, and 24 percent wanted to have a good future. About 21 percent of employers agreed that employees who are ready to take instructions from employers, are creative and knowledgeable, and are willing to work, are likely to be employed. About 25 percent of employees enjoy the salary they get from employment, 23 percent enjoy the benefits from employment about 22 percent were able to start their own business from the salary proceeds. Therefore, about 23 percent of employers called for the saving culture among the youth in order to reduce poverty, while 22 percent suggested more knowledge about poverty, as 21 percent emphasized the training of youths about the conduct of SMEs, with a view to reducing youth unemployment, and eventually alleviating poverty in the country. It is suggested that; a similar study should be conducted to investigate factors influencing youth employability in other non-SMEs since the challenges facing youth employability are not limited to SMEs.

Recommendations and Opportunities

Many global problems have a particularly strong impact on youths and these problems have far-reaching consequences. Focusing on youths will substantially boost efforts by Nigeria to:

Create a stable economic system that equitably benefits people in all areas, both poor and rich with demographic dividend where Nigeria's large youth population can drive economic growth.

Promote political stability based on participation and human rights.

Limit the number of economic and war-related refugees and internally displaced people.

Stem the tide of fundamentalism, terrorism, and hatred.

On board the youths who can leverage technology to innovate and create solutions.

Advocate policy reforms that support youths' participation in politics and economy.

Moderate population growth and promote equal rights for women to enable gender balance.

Addressing these challenges and seizing opportunities, Nigerian youths can shape a brighter political and economic future for themselves and their country.

Conclusion

The role of youths in shaping Nigeria's political and economic future is undeniably vital. As the nation grapples with various challenges, the energy, creativity, and resilience of its young population can serve as a catalyst for transformative change. By harnessing their potential and ensuring their voices are heard, Nigeria can pave the way for a brighter, more equitable future. The engagement of youths in the political and economic spheres must be seen as not only beneficial but essential for the progress of the nation. It is imperative that all stakeholders recognize and support the integral role that young Nigerians play in defining the trajectory of the country.

The study found that policies to address the challenges facing youths have not resulted in a great deal of success. We attribute the failures to a number of factors including the inadequacy of information about youths that is necessary in the design of policy, weak coordination amongst government agencies, donors, regional organizations, and the failure to design specific policies that are suited to deal with the problems of African youths.

References

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Questionnaire: The Role of Youths in Shaping Nigeria's Politics and Economic Future

Section A: Demographic Information [Please select the appropriate option]

Age:

  • 18–24
  • 25–30
  • 31–35
  • 36+

Gender:

  • Male
  • Female

Education Level:

  • Primary
  • Secondary
  • Tertiary (Undergraduate)
  • Tertiary (Postgraduate)

Occupation:

  • Student
  • Employed (Private Sector)
  • Employed (Public Sector)
  • Self-Employed
  • Unemployed

Place of Residence:

  • Urban
  • Rural

Section B: Political Participation

Please rate your level of agreement or disagreement with the following statements on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Disagree, 5 = Strongly Agree):

  • I have voted in at least one election in the past five years.
  • I am a member of a political party or organization.
  • I have participated in political protests or demonstrations.
  • I am interested in current political events in Nigeria.
  • I believe that young people can have a significant impact on Nigerian politics.

Section C: Economic Activities

Please rate your level of agreement or disagreement with the following statements on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Disagree, 5 = Strongly Agree):

  • I have considered starting my own business.
  • I believe that there are sufficient opportunities for young people to succeed economically in Nigeria.
  • I am satisfied with my current employment situation.
  • I have received adequate support from the government to start or grow a business.
  • I believe that education and skills training are essential for economic success.

Section D: Perceptions of Government

Please rate your level of agreement or disagreement with the following statements on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Disagree, 5 = Strongly Agree):

  • I trust the Nigerian government to represent my interests.
  • I believe that the Nigerian government is effective in addressing the needs of young people.
  • I am satisfied with the quality of governance in Nigeria.
  • I believe that corruption is a major obstacle to development in Nigeria.
  • I am optimistic about the future of Nigeria.

Section E: Future Expectations

Please rate your level of agreement or disagreement with the following statements on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Disagree, 5 = Strongly Agree):

  • I believe that young people can play a significant role in shaping Nigeria's future.
  • I am confident that I will achieve my career goals.
  • I believe that Nigeria has the potential to become a developed nation.
  • I am optimistic about the future of Nigeria's economy.
  • I am willing to contribute to the development of my community.