OPINION: Beyond Alignments — The Urgent Need for Intentional Growth Among Young Citizens

Dear Young Folks,

News filtered in yesterday about a gathering supposedly convened to chart the future of our dear state. At first, I felt a sense of excitement, until it became clear that it was simply another round of politicians summoning themselves through WhatsApp groups, while their more strategic counterparts are out there securing real political capital and positioning themselves for the ballot.

It begs a critical question: How old are some of these so-called youth leaders they still respond to with “Yes Sir” as though they have no agency of their own? I’ll be 40 in a few months, and every time I’m casually lumped into the “youth constituency,” it forces me to examine how reductive that label can be, especially when used to limit capacity rather than empower it. How old is Beulah Adeoye and Saheed Oladele ?

At this point, for me, it’s no longer an APC-versus-PDP affair. The real conversation is about identity, self-awareness, and intentional personal development. It’s about how well-positioned we are as individuals to influence meaningful change in our immediate environments, without being trapped in manufactured movements that ultimately leave our peers as nothing more than social media warriors clapping for politicians who already have alternatives, options, and exit routes.

Let’s be honest: many of the young people aligning themselves with these new political formations are merely pawns in a much bigger, pre-scripted chess game. And when the board is reset, the same youths who shouted the loudest will be left with nothing but photo ops, hashtags, and regrets.

My advice?

Grow. Equip yourself. Build competence. Become someone whose value speaks louder than affiliations.

You don’t need to be in every room or on every committee. Sometimes, one well-developed idea or a single thoughtful document is all it takes to change your trajectory. A particular story of Bosun Tijani and Shehu Dikko comes to mind, you can research them.

Intentional growth is a political strategy on its own.

Don’t let anyone reduce your potential to applause and attendance.

IA