Youth leaders from across Nigeria's political spectrum have called for a 70 per cent youth representation in governance and a formal power transition to leaders under 60 by 2031. The demand was made in a 10-point communiqué signed by Comrade Eze Onyebuchi Chukwu, National Youth Leader of APGA and Chairman of the Forum of National Youth Leaders of All Political Parties in Nigeria, after a meeting with journalists in Abuja on Saturday. The forum urged presidential candidates and national chairmen of political parties to commit publicly to stepping aside for younger leaders if elected in 2027. It argued that with young people making up over 60 per cent of the population, they should no longer be excluded from leadership.
The group rejected the current 30 per cent youth quota in appointive and elective positions as ineffective and proposed reversing the ratio so that young people hold 70 per cent of governance roles, with older leaders occupying a 30 per cent advisory function. They also called for a 70 per cent discount on nomination and expression of interest forms for political aspirants aged 35 and below, to reduce financial barriers to participation. The youth leaders warned that high costs, campaign violence, and intimidation continue to exclude young Nigerians from leadership contests.
Security concerns were also highlighted, with the forum citing rising cases of killings, kidnappings, terrorism, cultism and drug abuse. They urged the Federal Government to strengthen intelligence gathering, improve community policing, and target sponsors of violence. Underlying issues such as youth unemployment, poor education and political exclusion were identified as root causes of insecurity. The group called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to establish youth skills acquisition and empowerment centres in all 774 local government areas and the six area councils of the Federal Capital Territory.
The communiqué also condemned divisive politics based on ethnicity and religion, urging Nigerian youths to see one another as Nigerians first. It criticised the neglect of public primary and secondary schools while political leaders send their children to private and foreign institutions, warning that this deepens inequality and threatens the nation's future.
The same youth leaders demanding a 70% governance quota have not explained how they would ensure inclusion beyond age and numbers. Their call for skills centres in all 774 local governments assumes a level of federal coordination that has never existed under any administration. A demand for power shift by 2031 sets a timeline that conveniently allows current older leaders to remain in control until then. The contradiction lies in urging systemic change while relying on the same political parties that have historically blocked youth advancement.
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