Youth Empowerment – How They Gave You Rice and Collected Your Future
In Nigeria, the term “youth empowerment” has become so abused, it deserves a welfare package of its own. It’s the go-to slogan for every election cycle — right next to “dividends of democracy” and “we are committed to the Nigerian dream.”
But what does it actually mean?
Simple: They give you a branded bag of rice, and collect your destiny in return.
Every 4 years, a familiar scene unfolds:
- A rented canopy.
- A plastic chair.
- One Honourable Minister, dressed like she’s attending a traditional wedding, arrives two hours late.
- And youths, after queuing under the sun, are “empowered” with:
– ₦70,000 worth of sewing machines.
– One carton of Indomie.
– A certificate titled “Youths, the Future of Tomorrow (Terms and Conditions Apply)”.
All captured on camera, complete with:
- Drone shots,
- 30 hashtags,
- And the same old press release:
“We remain committed to youth empowerment and innovation.”
Innovation how? The only innovation here is how they recycle the same 1999 empowerment template with new buzzwords like “digital inclusion” and “agrotech synergy.”
Let’s be real: Nigeria is the only place where empowerment is a euphemism for appeasement — an insult served on a branded nylon bag.
Read also: Jumping Like WiFi Since 1999: A Satirical Series—Part 13
They promise:
- “One million digital jobs.”
- “10,000 software engineers.”
But at the empowerment event, they give out: - 3 wheelbarrows,
- 7 clippers,
- And a generator with no petrol.
The only thing growing in these “empowerment schemes” is the wallet of the contractor who supplied 200 overpriced grinding machines that stopped working after 4 hours.
Meanwhile, the real youths — those coding, innovating, creating value — get no mention. No support. No infrastructure. But on Twitter, the government’s official handle is quoting Elon Musk.
And when you protest? They reply:
“The youth are lazy.”
No sir. The youth are tired.
Tired of being reduced to photo ops and WhatsApp groups.
Tired of being used during elections and dumped like expired INEC result sheets.
Tired of “youth inclusion” that means appointing a 58-year-old as Senior Special Assistant on Gen Z Affairs.
They say “the youth are the future.” But what kind of future are we talking about when:
- NYSC pays ₦70,000 in an economy where a bag of rice is ₦80,000?
- Tech hubs have no light.
- And scholarships are announced only in obituary pages?
Let’s be clear: real empowerment is not handouts — it’s opportunity.
It’s policy. Infrastructure. Access. Investment.
But in Nigeria, empowerment is a costume party — costumes for the poor, contracts for the rich.
Professor MarkAnthony Ujunwa Nze is a distinguished Nigerian-born investigative journalist, public intellectual, and global governance analyst, whose work spans critical intersections of media, law, and policy. His expertise extends across strategic management, leadership, and international business law, where he brings a nuanced understanding of institutional dynamics, cross-border legal frameworks, and executive decision-making in complex global environments.
Currently based in New York, Professor Nze serves as a full tenured professor at the New York Centre for Advanced Research. There, he spearheads interdisciplinary research at the forefront of governance innovation, corporate strategy, and geopolitical risk. Widely respected for his intellectual rigor and principled advocacy, he remains a vital voice in shaping ethical leadership and sustainable governance across emerging and established democracies.