As Nigeria joins the global community to mark the 2026 International Day of Education under the theme “The Power of Youth in Co-Creating Education,” it is imperative that we move beyond rhetoric and confront the realities facing our young people. Education cannot be meaningfully co-created without first acknowledging the obstacles that currently undermine its purpose and threaten the future of our nation.
Nigeria’s youth population is one of the largest in the world, yet many young people are growing up in an environment marked by economic uncertainty, weak institutions, moral disorientation, and limited access to quality education and opportunities. These challenges have contributed to the rise of troubling social vices among segments of the youth population—ranging from internet fraud and financial scamming to prostitution, drug abuse, cultism, violent crime, and the glorification of ill-gotten wealth. Increasingly, shortcuts to success are celebrated, while diligence, integrity, and lawful enterprise are dismissed as slow or outdated.
The dangers of these vices are profound and far-reaching. At the individual level, they destroy character, truncate potential, and expose young people to lifelong legal, psychological, and social consequences. At the societal level, they erode trust, weaken the rule of law, discourage investment, and deepen inequality. A generation that normalises fraud, violence, and exploitation cannot sustainably build strong institutions or command global respect. Ultimately, these vices mortgage Nigeria’s future and perpetuate the very hardships young people seek to escape.
Education remains the most powerful tool for reversing this trajectory—but only if it is value-driven and purpose-oriented. Education must do more than impart knowledge; it must shape conscience, instil civic responsibility, and reinforce respect for the rights and dignity of others. A truly better society is one that respects the rights of every person, and it is this respect that makes a society just and egalitarian. Nigerian youths must therefore model and defend fundamental rights as guaranteed under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended)—including the right to dignity of the human person, personal liberty, fair hearing, freedom of expression, freedom of thought, conscience and religion, freedom of association, and freedom from discrimination. These rights are not abstract ideals; they are the building blocks of peaceful coexistence and national development.
Scripture aptly reminds us: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). Education, rightly conceived, is that training—one that equips young people to reject destructive paths and embrace responsibility, service, and nation-building.
The task of co-creating education and rebuilding Nigeria cannot rest on the shoulders of youths alone. All stakeholders must rise to the occasion. Government must prioritise access to quality education and youth-centred policies. Educational institutions must nurture character alongside competence. Parents and families must reinforce values at home. Civil society, the private sector, and faith-based organisations must invest in mentorship, skills development, and positive role models.
At the same time, young people must step up to their own responsibilities. They must consciously reject vices that undermine their future, commit to learning and self-development, respect the rights of others, and see themselves as custodians of Nigeria’s tomorrow. Repairing Nigeria must begin with the youth—and it must begin now.
This commitment to engaging young minds was demonstrated in practical terms when the WELA team, led by Mrs. Funmi Falana SAN, visited 9 Brigade Primary School, GRA, Ikeja, on Friday, 23 January 2026, ahead of the International Day of Education. During the visit, Mrs. Falana encouraged the students to remain focused and committed to their education as the surest path to a brighter future and a better Nigeria. The engagement was marked by warm interactions and the presentation of gifts to the pupils, reinforcing the message that they are valued, capable, and central to the nation’s future.
If the Nigeria of tomorrow is to be better than today, then today’s youths must start building it—through education, integrity, and purposeful action.