RostrumNews
Youth restiveness has become one of the serious social concerns confronting Nigeria. It manifests in various forms, including violent protests, criminality, cult-related activities, communal disturbances, vandalism and other forms of destructive behaviour.
While young people should not be unfairly portrayed as the source of Nigeria's problems, the frustration, impatience and desperation among some youths deserve serious attention. Nigeria's children and adolescents constitute a very large proportion of the population, making their development and conduct crucial to the country's future.
One factor contributing to youth restiveness is the difficult economic environment. Poverty, unemployment, inadequate opportunities and limited access to quality education can create frustration, particularly when young people struggle to see a clear pathway from schooling and hard work to a decent livelihood. The World Bank notes that Nigeria must absorb millions of people entering the labour force annually while job creation and entrepreneurial opportunities remain insufficient.
However, economic hardship should not become an excuse for criminality or destructive behaviour. There is a legitimate difference between being frustrated by one's circumstances and choosing to harm other people or society because of that frustration. Young Nigerians must understand that difficult circumstances can be confronted through legitimate means, including education, vocational training, entrepreneurship, innovation, apprenticeships and productive employment.
The growing obsession with instant wealth is particularly worrying. Some young people now measure success almost entirely by how quickly an individual acquires expensive possessions, fashionable lifestyles and public recognition. Social media can intensify this pressure by presenting carefully selected images of apparently luxurious lives while concealing the years of efforts, failures and sacrifices behind genuine success.
A 2026 horizon-scanning report of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) specifically identifies the attraction of the “get rich quick” lifestyle among young Nigerians as a concern, noting it can make slower legitimate paths such as education and skilled work appear unattractive.
Our young ones therefore need to understand that legitimate success is rarely instantaneous. Building a meaningful career, business, profession or institution ordinarily requires learning, discipline, patience, persistence and the willingness to begin from modest circumstances. The young person who spends years acquiring a useful skill may appear unsuccessful today but could become highly valuable tomorrow. What matters is not merely how quickly one becomes successful, but whether the success is sustainable and legitimately earned.
The danger of the get-rich-quick mentality is that it can gradually weaken moral boundaries. When wealth becomes the ultimate measure of achievement, some individuals may become willing to compromise honesty, exploit others or participate in activities that can damage their future. A society in which young people believe that wealth must be obtained immediately risks producing impatience with legitimate processes and disrespect for hard work.
Parents and guardians have an important role to play in correcting this mentality. Children should be taught early that money is important, but it should never become more important than character. Parents ought to celebrate diligence, academic improvement, creativity, craftsmanship, honesty and responsible behaviour among their wards, not only material possessions. Young people who are constantly exposed to the idea that only wealth deserves admiration may eventually become desperate to acquire it by whatever means.
Schools and higher institutions must equally contribute to changing the narrative. Education should not be limited to examinations and certificates; it should prepare young people for responsible participation in society. Practical skills, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, digital responsibility, critical thinking and problem-solving should receive greater attention. Nigeria's educational challenges remain significant, with millions of children still outside formal schooling and many learners lacking foundational skills.
Government also has a substantial responsibility. It is difficult to demand patience from a generation that sees very few credible opportunities for advancement. Investment in education, technical training, infrastructure, entrepreneurship, agriculture, technology and productive employment can give young Nigerians legitimate alternatives to destructive activities. Youth development should therefore be treated not merely as a social programme but as a fundamental investment in national security and economic development.
At the same time, young Nigerians must recognise the opportunities that already exist and make purposeful use of them. Skills acquisition, apprenticeship, digital entrepreneurship, creative industries, agriculture, technical services and other productive ventures can provide pathways to independence. UNICEF's Generation Unlimited programme reported that more than 1.37 million Nigerian young people accessed skilling and livelihood opportunities in 2024, demonstrating that skills development can create meaningful pathways when opportunities and young people's determination meet.
Youth restiveness also becomes dangerous when young people allow themselves to be manipulated by individuals pursuing political, economic or criminal interests. Young people should learn to question those who recruit them into destructive activities while their sponsors remain protected from the consequences. A young person should not sacrifice his or her education, freedom, future or life merely to advance somebody else's hidden interests.
There is also a need to redefine what society calls success. A young engineer who develops a useful solution, a teacher who transforms lives, a seller who masters a trade, a technician who masters a craft work, a farmer who builds a productive enterprise, a programmer who creates valuable technology and an entrepreneur who employs other people are all successful people. Wealth is desirable, but it should be accompanied by value creation, integrity and responsibility.
Nigerian youths must consequently resist unhealthy comparisons. Everyone's journey is different, hence comparing one's beginning with another person's apparent success can create unnecessary frustration. Instead of asking, “Why am I not rich yet?”, a young person should ask, “What am I learning? What value am I creating? What skill am I developing? What legitimate opportunity can I build?” These questions encourage growth rather than desperation.
Addressing youth restiveness requires a shared commitment from government, parents, schools, religious and community leaders, the private sector and the young people themselves. Nigeria must therefore create an environment in which hard work has a realistic pathway to dignity and prosperity, while young people must reject the belief that success must come overnight.
The future belongs not to those who acquire wealth by the fastest means, but to those who patiently build competence, character, credibility and value. Our young ones must therefore abandon the dangerous “get rich quick” syndrome and embrace the enduring principles of patience, hard work, legitimate enterprise and responsible citizenship. Think about it.
Fred Nwaozor can be reached via frednwaozor@gmail.com
