₦airaland Forum

We have the ability to keep a hashtag trending continuously for a full 72 hours without interruption. We can engage in intense "vawulence" on X (formerly known as Twitter) relentlessly until the opposition is forced to delete their account entirely. However, when it comes to the real game—the crucial and decisive battle at the ballot box—we find ourselves merely playing the role of "substitute," while the grandpas, the seasoned veterans, are the ones scoring all the important goals.

The 2023 elections revealed to us the most profoundly ugly irony ever witnessed in the entire history of Nigeria.

The Stats of Shame:

INEC records show we had 93.47 million registered voters. Youth (18-34) made up nearly 40% of that list. We were the "majority" on paper. But when the dust settled, total voter turnout was a miserable 26.7%.

The Math: If 4 out of 10 registered voters are youth, but only 2 out of 10 people showed up to vote, who stayed at home? It wasn't the "agbaya" (elders) in the village. It was the "Soro Soke" generation.

"Grammar" vs. "Grassroots" (The Echo Chamber)

On platforms like Nairaland and X, we often find ourselves deeply engaged in heated debates about various national issues such as government policies, the reliability of BVAS machines, and the integrity of the IReV system. However, it is important to remember that the real battleground where elections are ultimately won or lost is at the Ward level, where grassroots connections and direct voter engagement matter far more than discussions about advanced technologies like 5G data.

- While we were busy "dragging" candidates online, the professional politicians were on the ground distributing 1kg of rice and N2,000 "stomach infrastructure."
- The Reality: One "Area Mama" in a rural ward who mobilizes 50 neighbors to the polling unit has more political power than a tech bro with 500,000 followers.

Logistical "L"s and the Japa Factor

We have to be completely honest with you—the system definitely fought back every step of the way.

- The PVC Bottleneck: Many of us spent days at local government offices and still didn't get our cards.
- The "Japa" Effect: Thousands of our most politically active youth left the country between registration and election day. They were loud online from London and Canada, but they had no voting rights in Lagos or Abuja.
- The Waiting Game: Late arrival of materials frustrated the "Instant Gratification" generation. If the queue is too long, we leave. But the elders? They will sit on a plastic chair from 7 AM till 4 PM just to thumbprint.

The "Keyboard Warrior" Syndrome

Digital activism gives us a fake sense of achievement. When a post gets 1,000 likes, we feel like we've won the election. Newsflash: INEC does not count "Likes." They count thumbprints on paper. Social media is a playground; the Polling Unit is the battlefield. If you are loud on one and absent on the other, you are just a "noise maker."

If this trend continues in the same direction, the outcome for 2027 is already all but decided well in advance. The members of the so-called "Old Guard" are fully aware that the younger generation will express their frustrations and opinions loudly online, through social media and digital platforms, but when it comes time to vote at the polls, they simply won’t follow through with the same level of engagement. They do not fear the barrage of tweets or online commentary; what truly concerns them is when young people show up physically in large numbers at the local ward meetings and polling stations, making their presence felt in person.

Questions for the House

- Is it that we are genuinely suppressed, or are we just too lazy to endure the physical stress of Nigerian voting?
- Why does a 70-year-old grandmother in a village value her vote more than a 25-year-old graduate in the city?
- Should INEC allow online voting, or would that just be the "end of democracy" via hacking?

Let's engage in a thoughtful discussion. Please avoid any insults or personal attacks; focus solely on clear, objective analysis and constructive dialogue.

The old guard is winning the game, and the young ones are just playing.

Who want die!
Nigeria politics is do or die!

Young Nigerians will continue to fight the good fight online until we can afford to pay the politicians and the election riggers to stay away.

Akinpedia:
We have the ability to keep a hashtag trending continuously for a full 72 hours without interruption. We can engage in intense "vawulence" on X (formerly known as Twitter) relentlessly until the opposition is forced to delete their account entirely. However, when it comes to the real game—the crucial and decisive battle at the ballot box—we find ourselves merely playing the role of "substitute," while the grandpas, the seasoned veterans, are the ones scoring all the important goals.

The 2023 elections revealed to us the most profoundly ugly irony ever witnessed in the entire history of Nigeria.

The Stats of Shame:

INEC records show we had 93.47 million registered voters. Youth (18-34) made up nearly 40% of that list. We were the "majority" on paper. But when the dust settled, total voter turnout was a miserable 26.7%.

The Math: If 4 out of 10 registered voters are youth, but only 2 out of 10 people showed up to vote, who stayed at home? It wasn't the "agbaya" (elders) in the village. It was the "Soro Soke" generation.

"Grammar" vs. "Grassroots" (The Echo Chamber)

On platforms like Nairaland and X, we often find ourselves deeply engaged in heated debates about various national issues such as government policies, the reliability of BVAS machines, and the integrity of the IReV system. However, it is important to remember that the real battleground where elections are ultimately won or lost is at the Ward level, where grassroots connections and direct voter engagement matter far more than discussions about advanced technologies like 5G data.

- While we were busy "dragging" candidates online, the professional politicians were on the ground distributing 1kg of rice and N2,000 "stomach infrastructure."
- The Reality: One "Area Mama" in a rural ward who mobilizes 50 neighbors to the polling unit has more political power than a tech bro with 500,000 followers.

Logistical "L"s and the Japa Factor

We have to be completely honest with you—the system definitely fought back every step of the way.

- The PVC Bottleneck: Many of us spent days at local government offices and still didn't get our cards.
- The "Japa" Effect: Thousands of our most politically active youth left the country between registration and election day. They were loud online from London and Canada, but they had no voting rights in Lagos or Abuja.
- The Waiting Game: Late arrival of materials frustrated the "Instant Gratification" generation. If the queue is too long, we leave. But the elders? They will sit on a plastic chair from 7 AM till 4 PM just to thumbprint.

The "Keyboard Warrior" Syndrome

Digital activism gives us a fake sense of achievement. When a post gets 1,000 likes, we feel like we've won the election. Newsflash: INEC does not count "Likes." They count thumbprints on paper. Social media is a playground; the Polling Unit is the battlefield. If you are loud on one and absent on the other, you are just a "noise maker."

If this trend continues in the same direction, the outcome for 2027 is already all but decided well in advance. The members of the so-called "Old Guard" are fully aware that the younger generation will express their frustrations and opinions loudly online, through social media and digital platforms, but when it comes time to vote at the polls, they simply won’t follow through with the same level of engagement. They do not fear the barrage of tweets or online commentary; what truly concerns them is when young people show up physically in large numbers at the local ward meetings and polling stations, making their presence felt in person.

Questions for the House

- Is it that we are genuinely suppressed, or are we just too lazy to endure the physical stress of Nigerian voting?
- Why does a 70-year-old grandmother in a village value her vote more than a 25-year-old graduate in the city?
- Should INEC allow online voting, or would that just be the "end of democracy" via hacking?

Let's engage in a thoughtful discussion. Please avoid any insults or personal attacks; focus solely on clear, objective analysis and constructive dialogue.

What gives you the impression that the voice of the 'Youth' was not heared?

Limiting your definition of youth to only those active online is a clear weakness in your arguement.

Another weakness is the implied assumption that the youths speaks with one voice and perhaps even supports 'one candidate', that is a major fallacy. Every 'Candidate' have youths that are supporting them, not just the candidates with the 'vocal' and 'abusive' youths online.

There are more youths in Nothern Nigeria for instance than in other parts of Nigeria combined, and a substantial number of those youths voted for their candidate of choice and their votes counted. That they are not on twiter abusing people with contrary opinion to them, does not mean they don't exist.

Our youth population is as diverse in view as the adult population, while social media can give you a view of the mind set of the people, that view is only partial and many cases not a true reflection of the feelings of majority of people.

The youths deffinitely voted and made their voices heard in the last election, they just didn't vote the way you expected based on the views you formed from the few vocal aggressors on social media.

On a bleak note, the people that killed 'Deborah' are also youths..are they not?

The young Nigerians who are interested in participating in the next election should start making preparations ahead of time.

The next election would be held on a Saturday, do you know how many Friday Mosques or Churches would be held on that day?

Thank you for the thoughtful response. I believe there may be a misinterpretation of my position, so let me clarify.

At no point did I suggest that all youths share a single ideology, support one candidate, or speak with one voice. Nigerian youths are undeniably diverse in background, geography, religion, and political preference. That diversity is not in dispute.

However, acknowledging diversity does not negate the fact that a significant segment of youths—across regions and beyond social media—felt politically disengaged, unheard, or disillusioned with the system. Low trust in institutions, voter suppression concerns, economic hardship, and security challenges affected youth participation and perception, regardless of who they voted for.

Social media is indeed not a perfect mirror of society, but it is also not meaningless. It reflects patterns, sentiments, and mobilization efforts, even if it does not represent absolute majorities. Dismissing it entirely would be just as inaccurate as assuming it represents everyone.

Regarding Northern youths, their political participation is valid and legitimate, just as that of youths in other regions. Voting quietly does not make their voices less important—but it also does not invalidate the frustration expressed by others who feel the system consistently fails them.

On your final point: yes, the perpetrators of the Deborah incident were youths. But being young does not automatically make one morally representative of “the youth voice.” Criminal acts, extremism, or mob violence should never be conflated with civic participation or political expression. Doing so risks shifting the discussion from governance and inclusion to blame and moral equivalence.

In summary, the issue is not that youths did not vote or that they voted “wrong.” The issue is that many youths—across political lines—still feel excluded from decision-making, economic opportunity, and accountable governance. That sentiment deserves discussion, not dismissal.

loffyloffy:
What gives you the impression that the voice of the 'Youth' was not heared?

Limiting your definition of youth to only those active online is a clear weakness in your arguement.

Another weakness is the implied assumption that the youths speaks with one voice and perhaps even supports 'one candidate', that is a major fallacy. Every 'Candidate' have youths that are supporting them, not just the candidates with the 'vocal' and 'abusive' youths online.

There are more youths in Nothern Nigeria for instance than in other parts of Nigeria combined, and a substantial number of those youths voted for their candidate of choice and their votes counted. That they are not on twiter abusing people with contrary opinion to them, does not mean they don't exist.

Our youth population is as diverse in view as the adult population, while social media can give you a view of the mind set of the people, that view is only partial and many cases not a true reflection of the feelings of majority of people.

The youths deffinitely voted and made their voices heard in the last election, they just didn't vote the way you expected based on the views you formed from the few vocal aggressors on social media.

On a bleak note, the people that killed 'Deborah' are also youths..are they not?

You just hit the nail right on the head.

Akinpedia:
Thank you for the thoughtful response. I believe there may be a misinterpretation of my position, so let me clarify.

At no point did I suggest that all youths share a single ideology, support one candidate, or speak with one voice. Nigerian youths are undeniably diverse in background, geography, religion, and political preference. That diversity is not in dispute.

However, acknowledging diversity does not negate the fact that a significant segment of youths—across regions and beyond social media—felt politically disengaged, unheard, or disillusioned with the system. Low trust in institutions, voter suppression concerns, economic hardship, and security challenges affected youth participation and perception, regardless of who they voted for.

Social media is indeed not a perfect mirror of society, but it is also not meaningless. It reflects patterns, sentiments, and mobilization efforts, even if it does not represent absolute majorities. Dismissing it entirely would be just as inaccurate as assuming it represents everyone.

Regarding Northern youths, their political participation is valid and legitimate, just as that of youths in other regions. Voting quietly does not make their voices less important—but it also does not invalidate the frustration expressed by others who feel the system consistently fails them.

On your final point: yes, the perpetrators of the Deborah incident were youths. But being young does not automatically make one morally representative of “the youth voice.” Criminal acts, extremism, or mob violence should never be conflated with civic participation or political expression. Doing so risks shifting the discussion from governance and inclusion to blame and moral equivalence.

In summary, the issue is not that youths did not vote or that they voted “wrong.” The issue is that many youths—across political lines—still feel excluded from decision-making, economic opportunity, and accountable governance. That sentiment deserves discussion, not dismissal.

Thanks for your clarification.

I do agree with you that there is a strong need for increased political involvement and visibility of the youths in our society.

I just don't want us to forget the youths that are not active on social media, I can even go as far as saying this are in the majority.

This is even more important as we are discussing this online. The way many of our youths talk online gives the impression that they are the only 'Youths' that mater, they don't acknowledge the importance and relevance of the silent Majority.

While we are at it, we must also look at the impact of women, both young and old. In my little experience 'women' are the real voters, they are the ones who determine the outcome of elections.

Our youths needs to also know that election is a competion, every time you win or loose the reverse is happening to your opponents, It is wrong to only accept election results when it aligns with your aspirations.

One thing I will say is that the youth must stop blaming the system for their own laziness. How will you stay at home and expect your vote to count?

IPOB terrorists and Obidients are the loudest on media and very extremely weak in reality

This is a great analysis. Thank you for sharing.