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A new report has revealed that nearly 80 million Nigerian youth are unemployed, underscoring the alarming crisis of wasted potential in Africa’s most populous country.
The State of the Nigerian Youth Report 2025, presented in Abuja on Thursday during the Nigerian Youth Dialogue organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Youth in Parliament, paints a sobering picture of the struggles confronting young Nigerians.
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The dialogue was convened to mark the International Youth Day and focused on the urgent need to address youth unemployment, insecurity, and poverty.
The report, delivered by Jonathan Abakpa, advocacy and youth programme officer at Plan International Nigeria, shows that more than half of the country’s young population remain without jobs.
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It further highlighted that about 1.7 million graduates leave Nigeria’s universities and polytechnics every year, yet the economy continues to lack the capacity to absorb them into the labour market.
Nigeria has a population of over 140 million according to the 2006 census. However, in the recent past various sources have put the country’s population of about 200 million.
NBS data reflect similar reality
The findings of the youth report align with data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). According to the NBS, youth unemployment and underemployment remain critical challenges, with millions trapped in informal and unstable jobs that offer little income security.
The bureau’s labour market statistics for the second quarter of 2024 show that the labour force participation rate among the working-age population rose to 79.5 per cent from 77.3 per cent in the first quarter of the year.
Similarly, the employment-to-population ratio climbed to 76.1 per cent in Q2, an increase of 2.9 percentage points from 73.2 per cent in Q1. However, this represented a slight decline when compared to the 77.1 per cent recorded in Q2 2023.
The combined unemployment and time-related underemployment rate dropped to 13 per cent in Q2 2024 from 15.3 per cent in Q1 2023.
Despite this improvement, informal employment remained extremely high at 93 per cent, reflecting the precarious and unprotected nature of most jobs available. The official unemployment rate stood at 4.3 per cent in Q2.
The NBS also noted that 40.1 per cent of Nigerians, about 82.9 million people live in poverty, a statistic that mirrors the report’s grim portrayal of shrinking opportunities for the younger generation.
Insecurity worsening youth challenges
The report also documented the devastating impact of insecurity on young Nigerians.
It noted that in recent years, more than 600,000 people have lost their lives to violence, while over 2.2 million have been kidnapped.
Thousands of schools have been forced to shut down, leaving at least one million children displaced from classrooms.
Mr Abakpa said, “The tragedy of insecurity is not only the loss of lives but also the collapse of opportunities. Over 1,500 schools have been shut down in the past two years, leaving one million children out of school. Education, which should be a ladder of opportunity, has been violently pulled away from them.”
The agricultural sector, another major source of livelihood for young people, has also suffered.
The report noted that more than 77,000 lives have been lost to communal conflicts in the last five years, while 2.6 million people, mostly farmers, have been displaced. With many farmers unable to access their land, the situation has fuelled food insecurity, leaving millions at risk of hunger.
Poverty, corruption, and regional disparities
According to the report, poverty remains a daily reality for a vast number of young Nigerians.
The impact of violence on agriculture has also been severe. More than 77,000 lives have been lost to tribal conflicts in the last five years, while 2.6 million people, mainly farmers, have been displaced.
“With farmers unable to access their lands, UNICEF has warned that 25 million Nigerians risk hunger,” he said.
Infrastructure gaps ranging from poor roads and erratic power supply to digital exclusion were also described as structural obstacles preventing young Nigerians from converting ambition into meaningful enterprise.
The We Listen Survey, which informed the report, revealed how concerns differ across the country. In the North-central, youth cited unemployment, high cost of living, and insecurity as top worries.
In the North-east and North-west, kidnapping and banditry were described as existential threats. Inflation and underemployment topped concerns in the South West and South-east, while in the South-south, poverty, unemployment, and lack of access to education dominated the responses.
“These findings show that while the challenges are national, they manifest differently depending on the region, solutions must be context-specific, not one-size-fits-all,” Mr Abakpa stressed.
Perhaps most troubling, the report underlined a deep disconnect between youths and the state. A majority of young respondents rated government responsiveness as “poor” or “very poor,” reflecting what Abakpa described as a growing trust deficit.
Yet amid the grim statistics, the report insisted that Nigerian youth are not only victims but also active agents of change. From tech entrepreneurs to creatives, many are reshaping the country’s cultural and economic landscape.
Recommendations from the report
The report made several recommendations, including scaling up job creation programmes, expanding vocational training linked to industries, improving access to credit, and strengthening small enterprises.
.On insecurity, it urged a shift from military-centric responses to community peace building, early warning systems, and rehabilitation support for victims of violence.
It also called for targeted social protection programmes for marginalised groups such as girls, persons with disabilities, and rural youth, alongside anti-corruption reforms and infrastructure investment.
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Alao-Akala’s pledge
Responding to the report, Chairman of the House Committee on Youth in Parliament, Olamijuwonlo Alao-Akala, said the figures reinforced the urgency of action.
He pledged his commitment to advancing youth-focused policies in parliament, stressing that young Nigerians remain the future of the nation.
“As a country, we cannot afford to ignore the aspirations of our youths. They are the future of Nigeria, and our responsibility as lawmakers is to ensure their potential is harnessed for national development,” Mr Alao-Akala said.
He described himself as one of the youthful members of parliament and stressed that leaders must ensure the next generation does not inherit the same struggles their parents faced.
“Our task as leaders is to make sure the children of tomorrow inherit a country better than what we met, with more opportunities and less hardship,” he added.
Mr Alao-Akala noted that ongoing legislative efforts are geared towards creating enabling environments for education, entrepreneurship, and job creation through bills and motions. He assured that his committee will remain focused on addressing the challenges highlighted in the youth report.
