Plan International Nigeria has raised alarm over the growing crisis facing young people in the country, warning that nearly 80 million Nigerian youths remain unemployed while insecurity has forced the closure of more than 1,500 schools in the past two years.
The organisation disclosed this in a new document titled “State of the Nigerian Youth Report 2025,” presented in Abuja by its Advocacy and Youth Programme Officer, Jonathan Abakpa. The report, produced in partnership with ActionAid Nigeria and with input from policy and advocacy experts, was unveiled during the Nigerian youth dialogue held in commemoration of International Youth Day and organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Youth in Parliament.
According to Abakpa, the findings reveal that about one million children are currently out of school due to insecurity. He described the situation as troubling in a country where more than 60 per cent of the population is below the age of 30. “With more than 200 million people and one of the largest youth populations in the world, Nigeria should be a powerhouse of innovation and growth,” he said.
He warned that unemployment, poverty, insecurity, and poor infrastructure have left many young Nigerians without opportunities. “Unless urgent action is taken, the country risks losing its greatest asset,” Abakpa added.
The report further disclosed that each year about 1.7 million graduates leave Nigerian universities and other tertiary institutions, but jobs remain difficult to find. It also highlighted how rising violence has disrupted rural communities, leading to the loss of more than 77,000 lives in tribal conflicts over the past five years and displacing around 2.6 million people, mostly from farming areas.
Meanwhile, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, has urged youths to embrace available government initiatives designed to support them. Speaking to over 24,000 young Nigerians at the Arise Congress 2.0, themed “The Emergence of Champions,” and held at the Baptist International Convention Centre along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Dare described youths as the “champions of Tinubu’s administration.”
He pointed to several government-backed programmes aimed at youth empowerment, including the NELFUND tuition loans and stipends, the renewed hope conditional cash transfer scheme, and ongoing food security and poverty alleviation interventions. “My message is not political but an appeal for youths to embrace available opportunities and transform their communities positively,” he said.
Dare, who also chairs the Youth and Student Ministries Advisory Board of the Nigerian Baptist Convention, stressed the importance of character, discipline, determination, and self-motivation for personal and national growth.
The four-day congress, which runs from September 3 to 6, 2025, also had in attendance the President of the Nigerian Baptist Convention, Rev. Israel Adelani Akanji, among other leaders.