Nigeria's schools turn out job hunters, not job makers. The real problem runs deeper than unemployment statistics suggest.
Young people here face a mismatch. They're trained for a world that no longer exists.
Our institutions still prepare them for one thing: finding paid work.
Decades ago, that model made sense. Education led to employment, employment led to security.
Simple formula. It worked.
Today's economy doesn't work that way anymore. Entrepreneurs, freelancers, digital workers and small business owners now drive opportunity across Nigeria.
Yet our youth policies haven't caught up.
The numbers tell a stark story. Nigeria's median age is roughly 18 years old.
More than half the population hasn't reached 30. Every year, about 3.5 million young people enter the job market.
Formal employment can't absorb them all. The economy simply isn't creating jobs fast enough.
But that's only part of the problem.
Young Nigerians have skills, ambition and ideas. Many lack money, market access, mentors and institutional backing though.
They're underutilized, not unemployed.
This is a productivity crisis masquerading as a jobs crisis. Recognizing the difference changes everything about policy solutions.
Current interventions miss the mark. N-Power, youth empowerment schemes and skills programmes count success by enrollment numbers.
How many people trained? How many funded?
That's the metric.
Nobody asks the harder questions. Did sustainable businesses emerge?
Were jobs actually created? Did incomes improve over time?
The focus stays on making young people employable. Enterprise creation barely registers.
That's backwards for today's Nigeria.
A policy framework built for employment economies won't work in entrepreneurial ones. We're applying yesterday's solutions to tomorrow's challenges.
Programmes emphasize short-term support and quick wins. Sustainable income generation gets less attention.
Training matters, but training alone doesn't transform lives.
Young people need more than skills courses. They need access to finance that actually works.
They need real market connections and experienced mentors guiding them.
Support systems must measure long-term outcomes, not just activity. Did the business survive two years?
Three years? Is the founder earning more?
Nigeria's youth strategy needs rebuilding from the ground up. The current architecture treats entrepreneurship as backup to employment.
It should be the main road instead.
Policymakers must shift their thinking. Youth development isn't about job placement anymore.
It's about creating the conditions where young people build valuable enterprises.
That requires different programmes. Different funding structures.
Different success metrics too.
The challenge is real and urgent. Solutions exist, but they demand a complete rethinking of how Nigeria supports its young people.
The economy has changed. Policy must follow.