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Torkwase Nyiekaa
Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba has raised deep concerns over Nigeria’s growing youth population, warning that the country’s greatest asset could turn into its biggest crisis if urgent steps are not taken to provide education, skills, and meaningful opportunities.
Speaking on The Exchange, a programme hosted by Femi Soneye, the former Senate Leader lamented Nigeria’s decline from the promise and optimism of the early post-independence years to today’s era of insecurity, inefficiency, and economic stagnation.
Reflecting on the past, Ndoma-Egba recalled a time when Nigeria’s economy ranked among the fastest-growing in the world. “We had visible industries,” he said, referencing the once-thriving textile factories in Kano and Kaduna and the Bauchi meat factory that served the entire West African region. “Those signs of prosperity have disappeared,” he added, describing the current situation as one of lost potential and disillusionment.
According to him, the root cause of Nigeria’s challenges is the nation’s failure to build and sustain strong institutions. He described this as a “cultural failure,” noting that Nigerians tend to be overly deferential to authority and hesitant to hold their leaders accountable. This attitude, he argued, perpetuates weak governance and prevents meaningful institutional reform.
Ndoma-Egba also decried the high cost of governance, which he said he first encountered as a young commissioner in the 1980s. Attempts to cut costs by merging ministries, he explained, only increased inefficiency and created openings for corruption. “We ended up overburdening the system,” he said, stressing that a bloated bureaucracy often becomes a breeding ground for graft.
Citing his experience at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), he described the agency as “a classic case of a good idea crippled by politics.” He disclosed that there were as many as 62 approval points for payments within the agency, creating bottlenecks that made corruption inevitable. He lamented the instability caused by the frequent dissolution of NDDC boards, often without adherence to due process. He suggested that allowing a single board to complete its full statutory term could bring much-needed continuity and effectiveness.
The Senator also revisited his time in the National Assembly, where he said the legislature was struggling to rebuild its credibility after years of military dictatorship. “For many Nigerians, the National Assembly was seen as unnecessary because the country had survived without it,” he explained, adding that public distrust was worsened by misinformation, such as the controversy surrounding the lawmakers’ furniture allowance.
Turning his attention to the youth, Ndoma-Egba emphasised that young people are the country’s greatest resource, “the bearers of innovation, energy, and courage.” But he cautioned that these attributes would only be beneficial if the government deliberately invests in education, skill development, and job creation.
“If they are not educated, not skilled, and not empowered, they will become a curse,” he warned, stressing that education must be the foundation for any meaningful development agenda. He added, however, that education without opportunity can also breed danger. “An educated person without a job or hope is a threat. An educated armed robber is more dangerous,” he said.
He called for a national refocus on productivity and security, two pillars he described as essential for building a stable and prosperous Nigeria. Ndoma-Egba concluded with a call for urgent action, insisting that the future of the country depends on reversing institutional decay and ensuring that the youth are not left behind.
