Cite this article as: Bello, M., Garba, A.D. & Saleh, M., (2026). Mobilizing Youth for Systematic Change and Development as a Panacea for Sustainable Peace, Security and Development in Northern Nigeria. Zamfara International Journal of Humanities, 4(2), 139-145. www.doi.org/10.36349/zamijoh.2026.v04i02.013
By
Mas’ud Bello, Ph.D 1
Ahmed D. Garba 2
Maryam Saleh3
1Department of History
& International Studies, Federal University Gusau, Zamfara State
2School of General
Studies, Department of Liberal Studies, Federal Polytechnic Kaura Namoda
3Federal University of
Health Sciences and Technology, Tsafe
Abstract: Youths globally occupies a very important strategic
position in the society. The youths are in the most productive age cycle and
are found top most in population in the developing economies. and hence the
youth play a key role in the development of any nation. In all the stages of
human development, the adolescent through late adulthood stage and its
associated features are very critical in character formation. The adolescent
stage is a transitional stage of physical, psychological and mental developments
that have strong impact on character development and making of human
personality. If it is gotten right at this level, a promising youth with
positive potentials that will imbibe and appreciate the beauty of peace comes
to fore and if moral uprightness is not instilled at early and late adulthood,
a great gap that will undermine development is created. The youths in the
northern region has been embattled with chains of challenges that require a
systematic change as part of the solution to the lingering impediments of
insecurity for sustainable development and stability. Several policies by
national and sub-national Governments have been pronounced, most of which ended
at the level of mere declaration, while few others were partially implemented
with limited impact. The 21st century had been characterized by vaults of
compounded cases of insecurity in northern Nigeria. In view of the foregoing;
this paper is set to unravel youth’s restiveness, their distinct challenges and
alternative strategies for systematic transformation of the youths for
sustainable peace and security in northern Nigeria. The research adopted a
multi-disciplinary approach, the use of qualitative data through structured
oral interviews and use of documented primary and secondary sources to support
its findings.
Keywords:
Mobilization, Youth, Systematic Change, Sustainable Peace, Security,
Development, Northern Nigeria
Introduction
Statistics have shown that eighty nine 89% percent of the
global youth population lives in developing economies, particularly in Asia and
Africa. Youths are the most active group in any society blessed with relentless
energy, vigor and are the major catalyst for development in any given society.
A youth has been defined as a person from the age of 15 to 25 years (United
Nations 2020). Nigeria has one of the largest youth populations in the
world, estimated to be about 60 percent of the country's population (NBS 2023).
It is practically on record that the strength and development of any nation
strategically lies in the productivity of its youth. Equally, basic literacy
and professionalism plays a significant role in preparing youths to realize
their potentials. No nation can record and sustain economic development and
political stability without empowering its youth. The Youth has
the ability to drive an economy forward and hence investing in the health,
education and safety of young people would improve future productivity and
economic returns (United Nations 2020).
However, in Northern Nigerian societies a youth is seen as
someone who is unmarried or an individual whose age range from 18 - 35 years
(Laminu 2026), this definition is close to that of United States Agency for
International Development (USAID 2023) which gave a range between 18 - 40 years
.The youths in northern Nigeria have played remarkable role in community
development, particularly in the pre- colonial through colonial and early post
- independence periods. The changing roles and perception of youths in northern
Nigeria took a different dimension with the institutionalization of capitalism,
primitive accumulation, greed and selfishness, the waves of globalization in
the region and by extension, the Nigerian Federation (Afolayan 2018, Aminu,
& Bello 2020).
The northern region is rich in traditional
and faith based values even after the defeat of the Sokoto Caliphal system,
however, today these chains of heritage have started eroding abysmally; what
went wrong?. The youth in traditional communities went through a period of
training after which they matured physically and mentally and became full and
responsible members of the society. Elders from the age of 55 years and above
serves as role models who play the role of monitors to the young and have the
mandate and the authority to guide their lives. In event of deviant behavior by
the young their counselors were always there to advise or reprimand them. This turning point has resulted to moral decadence,
social crisis, insecurity, indiscipline, religious and communal conflicts, bad
regional and national image among several other critical impacts. There has not
been any nation in the world that has recorded meaningful development in the
absence of peace and stability. Nigeria barely six years after its independence
fought a deadly civil war with severe devastating effects and the consequences
are still felt today (Laminu 2026).
In the global arena for example, the impacts
of the world wars on Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Japan) are still felt to date,
Iran- Irag war, the deadly Tamil Tigers, Sudanese civil war, Koreans war,
Rwandan genocides, Russia -Ukraine, etc., (Pawluszko 2023). The northern region
has witnessed several religious and ethnic crisis, such as; Banditry, Zangon
Kataf crisis in Nigeria, Taraba and Benue killings, Almajiri phenomenon, Boko
Haram terrorism, Maitastine crisis in Kano, Zangon Kataf, Kasuwan Magani conflicts,
Jos civil unrests, armed banditry in the north-western Nigeria and its severe
consequences on politics, economy, dwindling livestock sector, social cohesion,
education, governance, trauma and terror, etc. all of which our productive
youths are mostly at the receiving end (Bello & Garba 2022 ), the effects
of these conflicts are still being felt and managed at present.
In the drive to achieve sustainable peace
and security in northern Nigeria, this paper believes that value re-orientation
and grassroots based public enlightment on citizens’ rights and obligations
will be a feasible project that can be achieved and sustained through orthodox
mechanisms of social controls, reforms of school system, media control, further
reforms and strengthening of democratic institutions, classical rebirth via
leadership by example, respect for rule of law, social justice and social
inclusion, leadership by example, etc. for a renewed northern Nigeria project.
(Bello 2022, Injo 2012, Oluwagbahohunmi 2017).
Definition of operational Terms
(a) Youth: A Youth in the northern Nigerian
context is an individual full of energy, ranging from the age of 15 - 35 years
(b)Youth restiveness: The difficulty in controlling
youths.
(c) Systematic change: This can be applied
to mean gradual positive transformation of societal values and structures.
(d) Peace: Rest of mind, absence of
disturbance, tranquility, freedom from oppressive thoughts or emotions.
(e) Security: A condition or state of
being very free from threats, dangers, panic, public nuisance, etc.
(f) Development: Positive change or
transformation from one stage to another level, it is a multi-dimensional
concept.
(g) Northern Nigerian Youths in diaspora: Northern Nigerian Youths
struggling for livelihood in other climes.
(h) Juvenile delinquency: This refers to a minor
who committed a criminal offence.
(i) Vocational skills: Providing training
for practical skills for the development of a specific career, trade or a role
(j) Miscreants: A person who has
committed an unlawful act
(k) Ponderous Child/Childhood: Lumpen child,
a child without a care giver, homeless child vulnerable to risks.
(l) Social Media: These are channels created
electronically for real time interaction, communication and dissemination of
information.
(m). Panacea: Solution, remedy, alternative, way forward.
Youths in northern Nigeria
The youths in northern Nigeria are known for integrity, hard
work, and commitment to community development, selfless services and social
justice. These values are informed through rich cultures of the region and
revolutionary movements in the western Sudan, particularly the Sokoto Jihad
movement. The Caliphal system lasted for a century and as a state institutions
instilled the tradition of honesty, integrity, hard work, respect for dignity
of labour, women emancipation and empowerment, pragmatic and sustainable
security strategies, leadership by example, sacrifices by its leaders, positive
economic reforms and a robust defense system (Sulaiman1986).
The implications of rapid population growth of the youths in
Nigeria with its attendant unemployment and underemployment of school graduates
and skilled young men have resulted to grave social problems like poverty,
restiveness, juvenile delinquency and high rates of crime among other vices in
different climes; social explosions, radicalism, gangsterism, etc. all of which
Nigeria has experienced due to leadership failures. On security concerns for
example, this paper believed that; Man is naturally selfish and this
self-centeredness and greed has been one of the major triggers of social
upheavals in human history, because regions where conflict economies emerge in
regions where armed conflicts, political instability and weak governance create
opportunities for informal and illegal criminal economies (Bello and Aminu,
2026). The availability of gold has intensified the rate of conflicts in
attempts to dominate mining fields, state interventions have produced limited
results and extensive mining has resulted to land degradation, water pollution,
led poisoning among other hazards. In the North West only Kano and Jigawa have
been relatively peaceful, except for recent Bandits penetration of Jigawa State
from Katsina through Taura, Local Government Area in December 2025. Attacks on
Guri-Hadejia Highway, Zarga,Yelwan Musari villages in Guri LGA etc., but the
situation was managed through immediate Security response (Premium Times 2025).
Similarly, the youths in northern Nigeria today are faced
with numerous other challenges, which have undermined their potentials and
moral uprightness. Some of these challenges are self-induced, circumstantial
and systemic. The advancement in technology coupled with globalization has
negatively and positively impacted on the youths in northern Nigeria. These
inventions have change the world today, as social media has affected every area
of man’s existence, and have become an indispensable component of day to day
life. Social media has been used for numerous purposes, which includes but are
not limited to social relations, employment opportunities, helping businesses,
to gain wider customer base, keeping in touch with family members, catching up
with current events and happenings around the world, helping to promote knowledge
sharing, spreading information, etc. (Walsh 2022).
Asides the positive benefits of the Social media, it has also
been found to have its negative impact on the society (Cybercrimes, Identity
theft and hacking can result to loss of huge amounts of money, sexual
harassment, kidnapping, spreading of false information, promoting criminal
activities, helping in the quick spread of vices, delinquencies in Juveniles,
personality attack, time consuming, etc. (Walsh 2022). And all attempts to
check the excesses of the media contents through statutory regulation has been
very difficult in Nigeria, partly because of lack of authentic means of
identification of erring citizens (Shuaibu, 2026).
Some Specific Concerns on the New Media Contents
and Implications
Music and immoral contents
This phenomenon has promoted
vulgarity, sex, promiscuity, etc. This has gone on to have adverse effect on
Nigerian Youths who are the major consumers of music. The internet does not
place any restriction on music with vulgar or profane lyrics.
Drug Addiction
The larger global society is filled with
images and videos where people abuse drugs of all kinds. These images
constantly flying around unconsciously make an imprint on the youths and
children. Continuous contact with these images and videos creates an urge to
try them out. This phenomenon has several multiplying effects and negative
implications by making youths vulnerable for conscription into criminal groups.
Addiction to Phones
A lot of youths have become addicted to the social media
space. They spend a huge chunk of their valuable time on social media. This has
displaced many other major activities in their day to day activities,
particularly academics where it has undermined concentration on studies and
attainment of better grades (Tabat, 2020).
Strategies for Systematic Change for Sustainable
Peace and Security in Northern Nigeria
The youths in northern region of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria, are strategically at the middle of all circumstances by the virtue of
their age, they stand in between elders and the younger ones, therefore, youths
can serve as the bridge to cement feuds and enhance harmonious relationships
across the region. However, the pre-requisites for the youths to exhibit this
important role as peace ambassadors is to serve as models for emulation through
good virtues, patriotism, supports for progressive initiatives, among others,
while elders must continue to set the pace and provide enabling environment for
the youths to strive. The Nigerian polity has been very unstable since the
country attained independence in 1960. Political instability, corruption,
primitive accumulation, policy inconsistency has been a traditional feature of
Nigeria’s political life. The Nigerian state has been perceived as a state of
the elites (too elitist) not the peasants whose tax and labour is being
exhausted to build the state (Bello & Garba 2022).
The social problems identified above are minute fraction of
the challenges confronting youths in the north, having diagnosed some of these
challenges, it become imperative therefore, to proffer some strategies for
systematic change for sustainable peace and security in northern Nigeria. The
most pragmatic road map towards achieving these feats is the power of
information, mobilization and sensitization for a grass root based value
re-orientation through rigorous public campaigns (Bello et all 2023).The composition
of the stake holders for the sensitization should be; neutral faith based
leaders, school instructors, community leaders and civil society groups as
anchors. The value re-orientation will be
tailored towards changing the moral thoughts and characters of our teeming
youth population for good, better and best ideal practices through the renewal
of the innermost nature in human reasoning and actions of the youths, so that
there will be new hopes for new life (Osunkoya 2017).
It is evident that Nigerians do not longer have hopes and
confidence in the political leadership at all level of government. Nigerians
has been subjected to being submissive as they have no other alternative than
patience, while others have remained silent because they benefits from the
system. But for how long will Nigerians continue to remain patient since
poverty has never in any part of the word been accepted as a permanent way of
life. The belief by some Nigerians that leaders should not be challenged and
citizens should accept whatever happens as destiny or nature has been
questioned as an Anti-Utopian ideals. This thought is a primordial perception
that has been contested in different parts of the world. There are groups who
reserved the expression of their public opinion for fear of intimidation by
state agents of coercion like the law enforcement agencies (Bello 2021). It is
therefore, the position of this paper that if our youths become role models
through classical re-birth, they stand a better position to change these
assumptions.
The level of political decay, socio-economic, and other
social vices such as prostitution, teenage pregnancy, ritual killings,
kidnapping, robbery, miscreants tendencies, corruption, militancy,
falsification of election results, thuggery, etc. have reached an alarming
stage and posing great challenge to the peace, security, growth and development
of northern Nigeria. Unfortunately, the youths are the worst hit and are used
as machineries for achieving these evil acts. As future leaders and backbone of
any nation, youth should not submit to being used and exploited as agents of
destabilization, while the wards of the sponsors are elsewhere engaged in
productive enterprises for a better future (Bello & Garba 2022).
The time has gone for negative attitudes towards good values,
virtues and hard work, laziness, lack of respect for parents, elders, the law
and leaders in authority. There is no reward for laziness; we must discourage
the concept and notion of get rich quick syndrome, because it is a
figment of imagination. Youths should be ready to embrace reality through the
acquisition of vocational or entrepreneurial skills for self-reliance and for a
better tomorrow, so that we can become employers of labor, rather than employees.
This can be achieved through self-determination, Government and family supports
(Oyekan 2015).
In strong terms, the time has come for Nigerians to
understand and believe that the inability to provide jobs for all graduates by
the Government at different levels is not common and peculiar to Nigeria alone.
There is no country that has all the means to provide employment to all
graduating students from tertiary institutions. Even though, this not admit
that the Government has done enough to provide jobs for its graduating
students. Youths are expected to look out for opportunities around, explore them
to make a difference.
Upholding Core Family Values
Family life provides high levels of love and support,
parental advice and counseling and social justice for young people. Nowadays,
increasing instability of the family have resulted to the erosion of these core
values, as parents and elders are failing in their responsibilities to raise
well-behaved intelligent children and youths (Yusuf et al, 2022), these
important core values include:
ü Discipline,
humility, decency, honesty, hard work & self-esteem
ü Love,
cleanliness, teamwork &patience
ü Creativity,
discipline, kindness, commitment and consistency
ü Trust,
friendship, respect, transparency & accountability
ü Tolerance,
integrity, confidence, justice & meritocracy
ü Appreciation
of safety for lives and properties.
ü Support
and Love for entrepreneurship
ü Respect
for laws and patriotism
When youths acquire and adhere to these values as guiding
principles morality will be upheld. And these virtues are the bedrock of peace,
security and nation building. Parents should take care of their children with
adequate provision of basic necessities of life and education. Children and
ladies should be prevented from being deceived with exotic gifts, juicy jobs
and becoming entrapped as pawns in the custody of depraved miscreants (Tabat ,
2020).
Reflections
on the Philosophical Thoughts of northern Nigerian Pioneer Political Mentors
The late Premier of northern Nigeria, Sir, Ahmadu Bello, the
Sardauna of Sokoto was once quoted to have remarked that, “ our counterparts in
southern Nigeria have picked the pen before us, let us pick the Gun before
the…..”, yes the northern military officers have ruled Nigeria for so long, but
did not contributed much to the development of northern the region. Now at
present where or in what aspect of development is the north or north-western
Nigeria leading? is it in Agriculture, industries, livestock sector, peace
& security, morality, education, technology, rather the region have highest
rates of school drop outs, street beggars, Internal Displacements,
Unemployment, destitute, terrorist, armed banditry, political miscreants,
sycophancy, infrastructural deficits, etc. on this note, this paper wish to
make a clarion call on northern Nigerian youths to apply the ideals of our past
and present national heroes to make northern region safer for human survival
(Ogwuche 2023).
Conclusion and Recommendations
1.
The
implementation of national core values by integrating the ideals of good
governance in the Nigerian educational system.
2.
Skills
acquisition and provision of opening capital, Productive professional
education, leadership by example, rule of law, Scholarship for all, social
security allowances.
3.
There should
be measures to checkmate the proliferation of indecent media contents. A transformed northern region can be re-birthed if
and when we embrace good values which have the potentials to change our
attitudes and behaviors which shall in turn bring about significant reduction
in corruption, indiscipline, immorality, terrorism, kidnapping, poverty and
other social vices.
4. The Nigerian education sector is in crisis, the
country has the highest number of out of -school children globally at 10.5
million, with northern region leading. Therefore, this
paper wishes to call on other sub-national Governments in the region to declare
state of emergency in the education sector and match the declaration with
corresponding funding in order to fix this anomaly.
5.
As
government and parents, we should keep watch on our wards to check and limit
the excesses of globalization, this strategy will go a long way in controlling
the evils of globalized technology on the moral upbringing of the young ones.
As youths we should always remember natural justice and law of retribution for
our salvation and a better tomorrow.
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