In Nigeria, a disturbing trend has emerged where youths in their 20s, 30s, and even older have become willing tools in the hands of politicians and political parties. These young Nigerians, often vibrant and full of potential, are recruited as social media influencers and attack dogs, tasked with silencing dissent and attacking anyone who dares to question the governance of Nigeria or its states. This phenomenon is not only wrong but also a dangerous betrayal of the nation’s future, as it mortgages the potential of its youth for the fleeting gains of self-serving politicians.
The allure of quick money, access to power, or the promise of future favours drives many youths to dedicate their productive years to defending politicians online. Armed with smartphones and data plans often funded by their political patrons, they flood platforms like X with vitriolic attacks, propaganda and misinformation to drown out voices of reason.
This is a gross misuse of their energy and talents. Instead of harnessing their creativity for innovation, entrepreneurship, or nation-building, they are reduced to digital mercenaries, fighting battles that serve only the interests of the elite.
This trend is deeply harmful to Nigeria’s progress. By weaponising social media to suppress constructive criticism, these youths stifle the very discourse needed to hold leaders accountable and drive systemic change. They unwittingly perpetuate a cycle of bad governance, where corruption, inefficiency and impunity thrive unchecked.
Nigeria’s challenges — poverty, unemployment, crumbling infrastructure— require critical engagement, not blind loyalty to politicians who often prioritise personal enrichment over public welfare. When youths become complicit in this system, they undermine the collective push for a better Nigeria.
The consequences for the youths themselves are even more dire. While they expend their prime years serving as political foot soldiers, the politicians they defend are busy amassing wealth to secure the future of their own children and families. These rulers loot public funds, invest in foreign properties and send their offspring to elite schools abroad, ensuring generational wealth.
Meanwhile, the youths who champion their causes online are often paid a pittance — barely enough to sustain their immediate needs. They are left with no savings, no skills development and no meaningful achievements to show for their efforts.
As these youths age, the harsh reality awaits: Nigeria lacks a robust social safety net. Without personal savings or investments, many will find themselves impoverished in their later years, with nothing to fall back on. The politicians they served will have moved on, their loyalty forgotten, their sacrifices unacknowledged. This is the tragedy of mortgaging one’s youth for temporary gains. The productive years spent as political attack dogs could have been invested in education, skill acquisition or building businesses that would provide long-term security.
Nigerian youths must awaken to this reality. Their energy should be channelled into holding leaders accountable, advocating for policies that uplift the masses and building a future they can be proud of. They must reject the role of pawns in the hands of self-serving politicians and instead become architects of a new Nigeria. Only then can they secure a future where their potential is not wasted, and their old age is not marked by regret and poverty. The time to act is now — before it is too late.
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