In Nigeria, young people are eager for opportunities and avenues to present their economic, social and governance grievances and demands to the leaders who represent them. Nigerian youths have more questions than answers being given, and the platforms to receive these responses remain limited.
The five years between 2020 and 2025 have seen youth-led protests around the world: from Nigeria to Kenya, from Madagascar to Morocco, as well as Nepal, Peru, Indonesia and the Phillipines, young people born between 1997 and 2012 who are known as Gen-Zs have mobilised online and on the streets to demand for accountability, change and in some cases, toppled governments using platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Discord, and Telegram
Gen-Z-led protests are typically social media-organised and rely heavily on digital tools, being leaderless or decentralised, and seek to address a mix of economic, social, and governance demands, often escalating quickly from online to the streets.
In Nigeria, Gen-Zs have started to demand ‘A New INEC’ and are mobilising young Nigerians nationwide to demand an INEC leadership that inspires confidence and guarantees free, fair, and credible elections as part of an interesting and innovative campaign tagged #ANewINEC. A group of Gen-Zs in Nigeria, in a press conference, urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to convene a historic town hall meeting with President Bola Tinubu to discuss the appointment of the next chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Nigerian Gen-Zs are bold, informed, and ready to shape Nigeria’s future, beginning with a credible electoral process which includes a truly independent election management body and a transparent, inclusive selection process for the leadership of INEC. One thing is clear: this generation is not apathetic to the electoral process, but is simply tired of a system they cannot trust. The process of rebuilding this trust must begin by providing answers to the questions that Nigerian youth are asking.
There is a growing digital advocacy for deeper electoral reforms and stronger inclusion of youth voices in democratic governance and electoral processes. With the 2027 general elections approaching, the Gen-Z movement could play a defining role in reshaping Nigeria’s democratic future.
On October 9, 2025 before President Bola Tinubu could respond to the demand for a Gen-Z Town Hall, the Council of State approved the nomination of Joash Ojo Amupitan, a law professor, as the country’s new electoral chief. This however, has not stopped the Gen-Z agitation as the demand has metamorphosed into a demand for an inclusive screening process of the nominee.
Is Nigeria’s Gen-Z movement the platform to answer the questions that millions of Nigerian youths are asking, as opposed to other formal or more traditional forms of engagement?
Recall that during President Bola Tinubu’s Independence Day broadcast on October 1, 2024, to the nation, he announced that a National Youth Conference to address the diverse challenges and opportunities confronting our young people, who constitute more than 60 per cent of our population, will be organised. After more than a year, very little information is available about the proposed National Youth Conference.
In the President’s address to the nation on the 65th anniversary of our Independence on October 1, 2025, he said, ‘I have a message for our young people. You are the future and the greatest assets of this blessed country. You must continue to dream big, innovate, and conquer more territories in your various fields of science, technology, sports, and the art and creative sector. The President’s broadcast further referred to the creation of the NELFUND to support students with loans for their educational pursuits; Credicorp, to provide affordable loans for vehicles, solar energy, home upgrades, digital devices, and more; and the Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises (iDICE) programme.
There was no mention of the National Youth Conference that was promised a year ago.
The next few months will be crucial as steps towards building trust, arresting citizen apathy among this Gen-Z population and increasing engagement via informal and formal avenues for engagement will be very important as to determining the next steps for young people and especially the Gen-Z movement in Nigeria. Whether it is a Gen Z Town Hall or a National Conference, urgent action needs to be taken to answer the questions that Nigerian youth are asking.
Ibrahim Faruk is the Program Coordinator of the Africa Division with Yiaga Africa and is a member of the leadership and strategy team of the Not Too Young To Run Movement. He can be reached via fibrahim@yiaga.org and tweets @IbrhmFaruk.
