Former presidential candidate, Professor Patrick Utomi, has criticized the Nigerian government for its longstanding neglect of the youth, lamenting that successive administrations have failed to integrate young people into their policies and programs.
Gists9ja reports that this neglect, according to Utomi, has resulted in a significant trust deficit between the government and the nation’s youth.
In an interview with Channels TV on Thursday, Utomi expressed skepticism about the potential success of President Bola Tinubu’s planned National Youth Conference, set for 2025, without addressing the underlying issue of trust. He argued that the government’s failure to deliver on its promises of good governance over the years had eroded the faith of young Nigerians in the political system.
Utomi, who is the Founder of the Center for Value in Leadership, advised the federal government to focus on rebuilding trust with Nigerian youth. He emphasized that trust could only be restored through sincerity and a commitment to change. “There are models of how you build trust. But the first thing begins by you doing the right thing and building up what they call an emotional bank account,” he explained.
He went on to illustrate the concept, noting that when governments follow through on their promises, they make a “deposit” into the emotional bank account, while failing to fulfill commitments results in a “withdrawal.” He stressed that the government’s credibility is determined by the balance in this account, pointing out that past Nigerian administrations have failed to build this trust with young people.
Utomi further highlighted the irony that many of Nigeria’s past governments, especially during military rule, were led by young people, yet these leaders ultimately became disconnected from the youth. He argued that the rise of a new class system, fueled by oil wealth and military command structures, contributed to this disconnection.
According to Utomi, for any government to succeed in engaging youth, it must first acknowledge the lack of trust and take concrete steps to rebuild it. “Any government that does not begin with recognizing that it is not trusted is wasting time,” he said, urging the government to make an honest commitment to the future of Nigeria’s young population.
He suggested that the government should begin by acknowledging its past mistakes and apologizing for the mistreatment of young people. “We know we have not been trustworthy. We know we’ve done things wrong. We know we’ve brutalized young people. But because they are the country, they are 70% of this population, we know that we are just stewards and that our full commitment is to their future,” Utomi added.
He concluded by saying that once trust is established, meaningful outcomes from initiatives like the National Youth Conference can be expected. Through these efforts, he believes the emotional bank account can begin to rise, and young Nigerians can feel more invested in their government’s actions.
