What will you do to fix unemployment and end godfatherism in job opportunities for youth?

Where competence triumphs over connections. Where justice triumphs over injustice. Where hope triumphs over despair. Where every child can dream without fear. Where every young person can succeed through hard work. Where every citizen can once again believe that government exists to serve the people. The task before us is great. But the Nigerian spirit is greater. The road ahead may not be easy. But no great nation was ever built by people who surrendered to despair. My dear young Nigerians, the future is not something we inherit. The future is something we build. Let history record that when Nigeria called, your generation answered. Let history remember that when democracy was tested, your generation defended it. Let history remember that when hope seemed to fade, your generation restored it. And let history remember that together, we rebuilt the promise of Nigeria. Nigeria does not need another miracle.

I have therefore not come here simply to speak about your frustrations. You know those frustrations better than I do because you live with them every day. I have come to offer you a partnership to change the conditions that created them and to ask you to become active participants in building the Nigeria you deserve. THE NIGERIA YOUR GENERATION KNOWS Let us speak plainly. The Nigeria many young people experience today is very different from the Nigeria they were promised. You were taught that if you worked hard, obtained an education, obeyed the law and applied yourselves diligently, opportunity would follow. Many of you did exactly that. You studied through strikes and blackouts, only to graduate into an economy where a university degree does not guarantee a job and where even those fortunate enough to find work increasingly struggle to afford food, transportation and rent. You have watched talented friends and classmates - doctors, engineers, accountants, software developers and other professionals - pack their bags for Canada, the United Kingdom, America and elsewhere in search of opportunities their own country should be capable of providing.

Nigeria cannot continue asking competent young people to wait outside the room while their future is being decided inside it. MY COVENANT WITH YOU Our partnership must also mean something practical in the lives of young Nigerians. It begins with jobs and enterprise. Nigeria has millions of young people with ideas, energy and ambition, but too many cannot access the capital required to turn those ideas into businesses. We will expand transparent access to finance for young entrepreneurs, artisans, farmers, technology founders and people working in the creative economy. Your surname, political connection or ability to find a godfather should not determine whether a good idea receives an opportunity to succeed. Education must also change. We cannot continue educating young Nigerians for an economy that no longer exists. Our schools must place greater emphasis on science, technology, vocational education, agriculture, digital skills, critical thinking and entrepreneurship. And no brilliant Nigerian child should be denied tertiary education simply because his or her parents are poor.

My plan for you, Nigeria's young people, starts with this: you should not be asked to wait outside the room while your future is being decided inside it. It begins with jobs and enterprise. I know Nigeria has millions of young people with ideas, energy and ambition, but too many cannot get the capital to turn those ideas into businesses. I am determined to expand transparent access to finance for young entrepreneurs, artisans, farmers, technology founders and people working in the creative economy. Your surname, your political connections, or whether you can find a godfather, should not decide whether your idea gets a chance to succeed. As part of this, we will put in place a financing programme for start-ups and entrepreneurs, so that young Nigerians can move from dependence to enterprise, from unemployment to productivity

Help every eligible young Nigerian o…" • Post by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/2093800029618061431, 2026-08-29 (Post on X) "Nigeria's young people do not need a government that teaches them how to survive hardship. They need a government that gives them the opportunity to prosper.…" • Post by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/2093757421403427170, 2026-08-29 (Post on X) "Nigeria's young people do not need a government that teaches them how to survive hardship. They need a government that gives them the opportunity to prosper.…" • Post by @atiku on X · https://x.com/atiku/status/1690478288802545664, 2023-08-12 (Post on X) "On this International Youth Day 2023, we recognise the immense potential of young minds, especially in Nigeria. Their commitment to acquiring green skills no…"

On jobs, skills and enterprise, I see millions of young Nigerians with ideas, energy and ambition, but too many cannot access the capital to turn those ideas into businesses. I am committed to expanding transparent access to finance for young entrepreneurs, artisans, farmers, technology founders and people in the creative economy, so that your surname, political connection or ability to find a godfather does not determine whether your idea gets a chance to succeed. This includes a major financing programme for start-ups and entrepreneurs. Our objective is to move young Nigerians from dependence to enterprise, from unemployment to productivity, and from palliatives to prosperity. On education, I want to change how we prepare young Nigerians for work. Our schools must place greater emphasis on science, technology, vocational education, agriculture, digital skills, critical thinking and entrepreneurship. No brilliant Nigerian child should be denied university, polytechnic or college education simply because his or her parents are poor. I see young Nigerians as the greatest national asset Nigeria has ever produced, innovators, farmers, engineers, doctors, teachers, entrepreneurs and artisans, and I believe no President can rebuild Nigeria without their active participation.