Over 80 million Nigerian youths unemployed, 1,500 schools shut in 2 years — Report

Maureen Aguta

A new report on Thursday said that more than 80 mil­lion Nigerian youths are jobless while over 1,500 schools have been shut in the past two years due to insecurity.

The report by an inde­pendent humanitarian non-profit organisation, Plan International Nigeria, while raising alarm over the worsening conditions confronting young people in the country, stated that the development had left approximately one million children out of school.

Entitled ‘State of the Ni­gerian Youth Report 2025’, the document presented in Abuja by the Advocacy and Youth Programme Of­ficer at Plan International Nigeria, Jonathan Abakpa, painted a troubling picture of wasted opportunities in a country where over 60 per cent of the population is below the age of 30.

The report, produced in collaboration with Action­Aid Nigeria and contribu­tions from policy and advo­cacy experts, was presented at the Nigerian Youth Dia­logue in commemoration of International Youth Day organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Youth in Parliament.

According to Abakpa, with a population of more than 200 million and one of the largest youth popula­tions in the world, Nigeria should be a powerhouse of innovation and growth.

He, however, said that unemployment, insecuri­ty, poverty, and poor infra­structure continue to weigh heavily on young people, warning that unless urgent action is taken, the country risks losing its greatest as­set.

It disclosed that each year, about 1.7 million graduates leave tertiary in­stitutions, but jobs remain elusive.

“This is not just a statis­tic. It represents shattered dreams and wasted talent. The desperation is pushing many into irregular migra­tion, cybercrime, and other risky coping mechanisms”, Abakpa stated.

According to the report, more than 600,000 people have been killed and 2.2 million kidnapped in recent years, saying that many vic­tims are young people.

Abakpa said the tragedy of insecurity is not only the loss of lives but also the col­lapse of opportunities.

He said: “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 report also high­lighted how violence has crippled farming commu­nities, revealing that over 77,000 lives have been lost to tribal conflicts in the last five years, while 2.6 million people, mainly from farm­ing areas, have been dis­placed.

It said that with farm­ers unable to access their lands, UNICEF has warned that 25 million Nigerians face hunger.

According to the report, over 82.9 million people, representing 40.1 per cent of Nigerians, live in pov­erty.

Abakpa observed that many young people no longer believe that govern­ment policies are designed for their good.

According to him, that disconnect must be urgent­ly addressed if the country is to avoid alienation of an entire generation.

Despite the grim reali­ties, the report stressed that Nigerian youths are not only victims but also inno­vators and change-makers.

It called on the govern­ment, the private sector, and development partners to urgently expand job creation initiatives while ensuring that vocational training and entrepreneur­ship schemes are effective­ly connected to industries.

Speaking, the Chairman of the House Committee on Youth in Parliament, Hon. Ayodeji Alao-Akala, reaf­firmed his commitment to promoting youth-focused policies, describing Nige­rian youths as the nation’s future.

The lawmaker stated that the National Assembly had dedicated significant time to passing bills and motions aimed at creating a more conducive environ­ment for young people to thrive.

“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 develop