The Gen-Z Population That The Ruling Class In Nigeria Has Thrown Under The Bus

For clarity and academic excellence, the writer of this article will absolve himself from any socio-political interest, and base his critical and data analysis strictly on verifiable statistical knowledge and professional journalism.  In other words, nothing in this essay will be founded on prejudice or sentiment, but empirical evidence only.

It is very germane to say the reason for this essay is to sensitize and educate our people about the meaning and value of the GEN – Z population, to appropriately correct a misconception of a population – which is the trend of a new global economic power and prosperity – being seen as deviant population by the rudderless political elites who will always want to stick with the old order from the 19th and 20th centuries in a digital age. This stigmatization is borne out of a sit-tight attitudinal disposition to power, corruption, greed, selfishness, inordinate ambition, and self-aggrandisement. Methinks, it is like putting a “round hole in a square peg”, whereby the old order will not give way to the new order in a digital age.

Suffice it to say: “change is constant.”

To start with, what is the meaning of GEN-Z POPULATION in this 21st century of the digital age and industrial revolution?

The classification refers to the generation born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s, generally following Generation Y (the Millennials).

Known as “digital natives,” this generation is defined by growing up with the internet and digital technology, and they are the most diverse and tech-connected generation in human history.

It is the first generation to be raised with the internet, social media, and smartphones, a situation that thus influenced their communication and worldview.

Other characteristics include pragmatism, concern for mental health, and a strong focus on social and environmental issues.

The GEN – Z is estimated to be the largest generation globally,  numbering around 2 billion to 2.5 billion people. The figures may vary, depending on the exact birth year used for the definition. Gen – Z makes up roughly one quarter to one third of the world’s population.

Also, in global dominance, it is the largest generation in human history, surpassing the “Millennials” and the “Baby Boomers” in population size.

In regional distribution, the majority of the Gen Z population lives in Asia and Africa.

In the case of Nigeria, Gen Z makes up approximately 25.8% to 31.8% of Nigeria’s population, and is within the range of the working population, with some sources citing around 50 million individuals.

This demographic population is generally defined as those born between the late 1990s and early 2010s (approximately aged between 15 and 28),  constituting a larger and influential portion of the country’s youth, often combined with Millennials to represent over 50% of the total population. This, in other words, translates to roughly 50 million people, based on Nigeria’s estimated total population of over 200 million.

In demographic characteristics, Gen-Z is a significant part of Nigeria’s youth, with some sources indicating that over 60% of the population is under the age of 25 years.

However, if the Gen-Z population significantly dominates Nigeria’s working population, what is the place of this youthful population in power politics to determine who gets what for true nation-building? Has Nigeria’s Gen-Z population not been thrown under the bus by the rudderless political elites whose age bracket is between 50 and 80 years old? To be “thrown under the bus” means to be publicly blamed or betrayed by someone else to protect themselves or to gain an advantage.

Moreover, the Gen Z population in Nigeria has been socially stratified as a deviant population: Why? The old population, ranging from the fifties and above, expects the Gen-Z population to follow a set of orders without asking questions. But, the Gen-Z population is driven by digital knowledge and information technology, and ever ready to question any set of orders viewed as not in tandem with available digital information. Hence, the members are labelled as deviants who may change a set of orders that are deemed as obsolete and inapplicable in a digital age. Invariably, this digital mindset will not fit into that of the institutionalized analogue.

In addition, the Gen-Z population in Nigeria has mostly been shut out from both the economic and political systems due to a lack of job opportunities, financial facilities, poverty rate, and bad government, thus ending up being excluded from governance, devoid of a conducive environment, and basic infrastructures to thrive.

Also, if most of your working population is alienated from your decision-making process because you want to maintain a status quo of a set of old orders rooted in the 20th century, you are building a generation of failure as the aging population fades away. It is known as the ‘Law of Evolution’ or ‘Natural Law of Selection’.

However, Nigeria’s Gen-Z population is making significant waves by driving innovation and entrepreneurship, especially in the tech and creative industries, as well as challenging some traditional norms – moves that have stigmatized them as “social deviants”.

In the final analysis, the Nigeria’s Gen Z population is increasingly making waves in the political landscape, primarily through protests, a classic example being the #End SARS action that was started in October 2020 and which, unfortunately, ended in a massacre of several of Nigeria youths in cold blood by the security agents under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, but marked by digital activism and a drive towards a demand for fiscal and administrative accountability. However, this has not yet translated into direct influence in formal decision-making processes.

Also, young people remain largely excluded from formal governance institutions, and often have limited platforms to ventilate their grievances to leaders. This is coupled with high levels of mistrust in government institutions as well as elected officials, which means many young people are dissatisfied with the current democratic processes, leading some to prefer other forms (like protests) over traditional political engagement or political dialogue.

Is it not high time we realize that the Nigerian Gen-Z population, like their counterparts in the advanced countries such as the United States, England, Canada, and Russia is the new trajectory to drive our political process and economic power to a place of an “Eldorado” such as will rightly position Nigeria as an enviable country in the comity of nations?

The fact that the future of our dear country is in the hands of our young population which is possessed of digital knowledge is undeniable, and the social responsibility of the aging population to support them with its cultural value to build a strong and reliable economic and political system for many generations to come cannot be overemphasized.

“A stitch in time saves nine.”

Time will tell. ✍️

David Adenekan Is The Editor Of ‘Shekinah International Magazine’, And A Media Consultant. He Writes From Chicago, Illinois.