The Unified Nigeria Youth Forum (UNYF) has cautioned that Nigeria is drifting into dangerous territory due to leadership failure, rising insecurity, and economic hardship, urging young Nigerians to rise and chart a new course for national rebirth anchored on integrity, accountability, and visionary leadership.
Speaking during a press conference held on Monday in Lagos, President of the Forum, Comrade Olajide Filani Toriah, said the gathering was not another lamentation of the nation’s woes but a patriotic awakening to rescue Nigeria from systemic decay.
Toriah said Nigeria stands at a dangerous crossroads as citizens continue to bear the brunt of poor governance and economic mismanagement that have left the country struggling to fulfill its promise of greatness.
He noted that insecurity, corruption, and policy inconsistency have combined to push millions of Nigerians into poverty and despair, while public confidence in leadership continues to decline.
While buttressing his points on the press conference theme, “Nigeria the Way Forward: UNYF Setting the Pace in Nigerian Politics – The Emergence of a New Nigeria, Toriah recalled the words of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who in 1981 declared that Nigeria was seriously ill and warned of frightful dangers ahead for a nation that fails to look beyond selfish interests.
He reiterated that more than four decades after that warning, the condition of the country has deteriorated even further, as insecurity, economic instability, and moral decay continue to threaten national unity.
The UNYF president observed that from one administration to another, successive leaders have failed to confront the root causes of Nigeria’s crisis, allowing insurgency, banditry, and communal conflicts to destroy lives and livelihoods across the North-East, North-West, and North-Central regions.
He disclosed that millions have been displaced, farmers cannot access their lands, traders are unsafe on the highways, and families live daily in fear of abduction and violence.
He said, “Nigeria’s economy, once a source of pride for Africa, has become fragile due to mismanagement, weak institutions, and inconsistent policies that have eroded investor confidence and deepened the suffering of ordinary citizens. The continuous fall of the naira, rising inflation, and the high rate of unemployment have pushed millions of Nigerians into untold hardship, while many young people now seek survival through irregular migration and crime.
“The current situation should serve as a wake-up call to those in authority, warning that the time has come for leaders to either step up or step aside for competent and visionary citizens to steer the country toward genuine progress. As we approach the 2027 general elections, it must not be another cycle of mediocrity and corruption, but a turning point for Nigeria to rediscover its soul through the emergence of credible and patriotic leadership.
“Nigeria’s problem is not merely economic or political but a crisis of vision, integrity, and accountability and rebuilding the nation requires a new moral consciousness driven by young people who are ready to take responsibility and reject the culture of indifference that has held the country hostage for decades.”
Toriah maintained that despite constitutional guarantees that place the security and welfare of citizens as the primary purpose of government, the present reality across the country shows a tragic contradiction where lives are wasted with impunity and justice is often delayed or denied.
While reaffirming the Forum’s commitment to promoting unity, accountability, and visionary leadership, Toriah said the youth must take charge of their destiny and ensure that the dream of a new Nigeria is not lost to corruption and indifference.
He reiterated that the time for excuses is over, stressing that the Forum’s guiding vision remains anchored on a common resolve expressed in the slogan “One Youth, One Dream, One Destiny” and called on the youth to rise above ethnic, religious, and political differences to unite for national renewal and charge young people across the country to take responsibility for their future and make this generation the one that refused to give up until the dream of a united, peaceful, and prosperous Nigeria is achieved.