By Ameenat Hamzat, Lagos, Nigeria
Vice President Kashim Shettima has warned that Nigeria’s status as one of the world’s youngest nations could become meaningless without deliberate investment in youth leadership development.
Speaking on Monday at the Abuja Dialogue 2026, Shettima said the country’s growing youth population must be matched with structured national planning to drive sustainable progress.
“We are one of the youngest nations on earth. That fact should not be treated as a line for conferences or a statistic for brochures. It is a national condition with profound consequences,” he said.
This was contained in a press release by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, on Monday.
The Vice President stressed that demographic strength alone cannot guarantee development, noting that leadership must be cultivated through deliberate systems and institutional frameworks.
According to him, Nigeria’s future will depend not just on natural resources or government programmes, but on the structures built to ensure leadership continuity and national growth.
“Youth leadership must be understood with clarity. It is not a ceremonial handover waiting for age to perform its arithmetic. It is a structured process through which young men and women are prepared, trusted, integrated, and supported within the institutions that shape our future,” he said.
Shettima added that leadership in the modern era cannot be accidental but must be developed through structured pathways that prepare young people for responsibility and accountability.
He emphasised that such a framework must go beyond rhetoric and reshape key sectors, including education, public service, enterprise, and civic institutions.
“Leadership grows when young people are given room to learn, to contribute, to make decisions, and to be held accountable for results. Responsibility is the workshop where capacity is refined,” he said.
Addressing young Nigerians, the Vice President described the moment as both an opportunity and a responsibility to actively participate in nation-building.
“Leadership is not defined by age. It is defined by readiness to bear consequences, to choose the long view over easy applause, and to place the common good above private comfort,” he said.
In his remarks, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said the Dialogue reflects a growing recognition of youth leadership as a strategic national priority.
He highlighted the role of the Lateef Jakande Leadership Academy as a platform for developing young leaders through public sector exposure, mentorship, and practical policy engagement.
Other stakeholders, including the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, and the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, also emphasised the need for structured investment in youth development, describing leadership as critical infrastructur
e for national transformation.
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