Nigeria’s Greatest Asset Is Youth Population, Not Oil — Defence Minister

Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa, has said Nigeria’s greatest asset is not its oil wealth or natural resources but its youthful population.

Musa stated this in Kaduna during the inauguration of the Musawah for Youth and Development Initiative (MUSAWAH 4 Y-D), a platform established to promote youth empowerment, civic participation and grassroots mobilisation.

Represented by his senior special assistant on Intelligence and Security, Gen. Bala Isandu, the minister described the initiative as a movement designed to harness the potential of youths and women for national development and democratic participation.

He said the platform is founded on the principles of equality, inclusion and shared responsibility, noting that young people remain Nigeria’s most valuable resource.

“Our country’s greatest asset is not oil or land; it is our youth. More than 60 per cent of Nigeria’s population is under the age of 30. If we do not engage them, empower them and give them direction, we have failed as a nation,” he said.

Musa said the initiative would serve as a vehicle for mobilising young people towards civic engagement, grassroots development and support for government programmes.

He urged members of the organisation to embrace issue-based politics, encourage voter registration and promote peaceful democratic participation.

“Reject politics of bitterness. We will campaign on performance, not propaganda. The road to 2027 starts today, and it starts with all of us together,” he added.

Earlier, the national coordinator of MUSAWAH 4 Y-D Initiative, Hon. Polycarp Gankon, said the organisation had established a strong grassroots structure across Kaduna State, comprising 266 registered support and interest groups drawn from farmers, students, artisans, professionals, women groups, faith-based organisations and community associations.

He disclosed that mobilisation structures had been put in place across the state’s 255 wards and thousands of polling units, with plans to deploy more than 24,000 polling unit mobilisers.

Gankon also highlighted several empowerment programmes undertaken by the organisation, including artificial intelligence training for youths, support for National Identification Number (NIN) registration and public enlightenment campaigns.

Representing Governor Uba Sani at the event, the attorney-general and commissioner for Justice of Kaduna State, James Kanyip, said youth development remains central to tackling insecurity, poverty and social instability in the country.

He said many of the country’s security challenges are linked to youth unemployment and limited economic opportunities, stressing the need for sustained investment in education, skills acquisition and human capital development.

“When you engage youths through education, skills acquisition and human capital development, you take them away from poverty, insecurity, radicalisation and criminality,” he said.

Kanyip urged the organisers to ensure that the initiative remains focused on sustainable youth and community development beyond political cycles.