Leveraging Nigeria’s young population for national growth and development (3)

(v) Deploying Spiritual Resources for Youth Global Impact

The Catholic Church runs a Justice and Peace Development Committee (JPDC) manned by seasoned legal practitioners to render pro bono services for its members and the general public who are victims of injustice, oppression or whose rights may have been infringed in one way or the other. The RCCG operates functional rehabilitation homes for drug addicts, the homeless and single mothers. The Redemption City as envisioned by the celebrant (Pastor Adeboye) should further translate into an economic power hub for the teeming youth and the not-too-young with the creation of specific districts to cater to the growing needs of all worshippers, especially the youth.

Recycling of wastes is ongoing, a medical village has been built, a legal village is in the offing, agriculture is being developed aggressively and concessionaires can be created for the church to leverage on its population and growth to establish entities for the production of water and drinks, restaurants for food during evangelism outreaches and other major programmes. There is also a prayer village, which is attracting tourists and visitors. A New Professional District Area should be created within the Redemption City to accommodate professionals like Accountants, Architects, Doctors, Surveyors, Engineers, IT experts, etc who can attend to the growing needs of the city dwellers and thus reduce urban migration. An industrial hub can also be created for factories and industries while ensuring quality control.

The vast size of the land owned by the RCCG here in Mowe, in Abuja, the United States of America, Canada, Australia and other parts of the world may not solely be for church planting, dwelling and residence or else we will keep creating a community of dwellers without capacity and empowerment. With the available infrastructure of electricity, water, security and technology in the Redemption City, regular trips to Lagos, Abeokuta, Ibadan and other neighbouring cities should be a thing of the past. Given the incidence of poor leadership in Nigeria, the church, NGOs, CSOs and other missions will continue to serve as the alternative government and welfare centres for the needy.

The Vision and Mission of the celebrant (Pastor Adeboye) for RCCG members to make heaven, to take as many people as possible along with them, to plant churches and to make holiness the centre-point of attaining them is unassailable. But it has to be developed, rebranded and expanded to include capacity building and empowerment of members (young and old) for the benefit of all. This charge is not unique to religious entities alone but it also extends to other levels of mentoring for the youth in political and educational sectors, leading to a realignment of spiritual goals and secular engagements for the growth of the ministry whilst presenting opportunities for the youth to realise their potential.

THE GROWING IMPACT OF YOUTH ON NIGERIA’S POPULATION

A proper understanding of the youth phenomenon is to be prefaced with the population of Nigeria itself as a nation. The history of the population of Nigeria has been enmeshed in controversies, due mainly to allegations of inflation of figures. According to the National Population Commission, the last official census for Nigeria was in 2006, which was projected to be 140 million, as presented by President Olusegun Obasanjo in March 2006. From data of the National Bureau of Statistics, the projected population figure for Nigeria in 2022 was 216,783,381, comprising 108,350,410 males and 108,432,971 females. Presently, Nigeria’s population is projected to be over 230 million, with estimates placing it around 239.9 million in early January 2026, making it Africa’s most populous country and the world’s sixth-largest, with figures projected to reach over 242 million by 2026, with the youth leading the pack.

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THE YOUTH POPULATION

Nigeria has a massive youth population, with estimates suggesting around 70 per cent of its citizens are under 30, translating to over 160 million young people within a total population nearing 230 million (as of mid-2024/early 2025). This makes Nigeria one of the world’s most youthful nations, with a median age of just over 18 years. This is expected to balloon as we advance in years. The statistics and demographics are simply amazing in their dimensions. Data obtainable from the World Bank indicates a youth percentage of about 70 per cent are under 30, while the median age average is 18.1 years and the youngest cohort, the Gen Alpha (under 13) and Gen Z (13-28) combined, make up a huge portion, with Gen Alpha alone representing over 35 per cent of the total population in some analyses.

YOUTH AS NATIONAL ASSET

A young population becomes an asset only when the youth are educated, employed or employable, healthy and have a stake in the system of national life. In the absence of these engagements, the young population becomes a demographic liability, fuelling unemployment, crime, and instability. The following are some of the indices that can enable leveraging Nigeria’s young population for national growth and development.

a. QUALITY EDUCATION:

Deep investment in quality education remains the most critical key to human capital development of the youth. Insofar as it is what goes into the mind by way of education that shapes the whole person of the youth, it is advocated that through all-inclusive public-private partnership, efforts must be geared up to ensure that the young population receives qualitative education at all levels – right from basic to tertiary levels of education. This may be achieved through the offer of free education and availability of bursaries and government fully funded scholarships (as was the case in the past), provision of conducive learning environment, standard world-class learning facilities and equipment, provision of qualified teachers in schools and institutions of learning. Definite actions must be taken by the government to quel the incidence of strikes which cause frustrating stoppages to the academic journey of young persons in schools, thereby discouraging learning.

There has to be a paradigm shift from mere certificate-driven to skill-driven education. Someone puts the idea as a shift from certificate to sabi-ficate” (skill). The main area of skill should focus on digital skills, technical and vocational education, entrepreneurship, how to think critically and innovate rather than spoon-feeding the system of academic theorisation without translating to practical problem-solving application. Educational reforms must be directed to aligning university and polytechnic curricula with labour-market needs, including agriculture, renewable energy, fintech, health, and manufacturing.

b. PRODUCTIVE EMPLOYMENT AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES:

There has to be a youth-oriented industrialisation, particularly in the area of agriculture. This is very important. Shift away from subsistence farming to Agribusiness, characterised by mechanised farming and the use of technology should be encouraged. This can be achieved through access to land, provision of low-interest loans and grants, simplified business registration under the CAC and tax incentives for start-ups and SMEs, extension services and market linkages and encouragement of youth-led cooperatives and agro-startups.

c. ENCOURAGEMENT OF YOUTH POLITICAL PARTICIPATION AND INCLUSION:

Thanks to CFRN (Fourth Alteration) Act, 2018 (a.k.a. Not Too Young to Run). The intent is to promote youth participation and engagement in politics and leadership. The young population is vibrant, innovative, more inclined to progressivism and dynamic change in keeping with global trends. To this effect, full implementation and expansion of the Not-Too-Young-To-Run Act in practical reality, not just law, is advocated. Deliberate steps should be taken to integrate the young population in governance, policy formulation, thought-leadership and grassroots leadership. Civil inclusion reduces alienation, thereby reducing the incidence of youth unrest, and political violence while fostering accountability.

The unfortunate entrenchment of recycled oligarchic gerontocracy (rule by a few aged), which Africa seems to be cursed with must be jettisoned to pave way for fresh blood in the political space.

d. ENHANCEMENT OF YOUTH HEALTH AND WELL-BEING:

A healthy mind and body of the youth are critical to mining the invaluable wealth of youthful potential. This is why there has to be improved access to youth-friendly healthcare, particularly mental health services. All-out war against the use and abuse of mind-destroying substances such as illicit drugs and intoxicants, pornography, terrorist indoctrination, violence and s3xual harassment against young persons, etc., which lead to depression and sometimes suicidal tendencies, must be mounted.

e. HARNESSING THE DIGITAL ECONOMY:

The youth should be trained to be up to speed with global best practices in the digital space such as software development, data science, cybersecurity, digital marketing and remote work skills. This will set the young population of Nigeria as a global outsourcing and remote-work hub, exporting digital services rather than raw labour. This in turn will boost Nigeria’s GDP, thereby enhancing her economic growth.

f. VALUE-MODELING AND MENTORSHIP:

Part of the undoing of the youth is bad examples of those they look up to both in the temporal and spiritual spheres of our national life. Leaders have modeled the wrong things for the young population to emulate. The allure of life is materialism, the what’s-in-it-for-me-and-my-family syndrome. The unbridled appetite for and love of money have led to dearth of values.

If the young population must be harnessed, then there must be a paradigm shift and refocus on the values and ethos upon which enduring nationhood is built; values that transcend materialism, quest for immediate gratification, indiscipline, and self-aggrandisement.