Nigerian Youth Are Being Weaponized for Ruin, Not Reform—Human Rights Lawyer

By Mary Obi

Renowned human rights lawyer and activist, Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has issued a scathing critique of Nigeria’s political elite, accusing them of systematically undermining the nation’s youth, once seen as the hope for a better future.

In a statement released on Wednesday titled “A Nation at the Crossroads: When Tomorrow’s Leaders Become Instruments of Yesterday’s Chains,” Ejiofor lamented what he described as the tragic transformation of Nigeria’s young population from torchbearers of national hope to enforcers of a dysfunctional status quo.

Ejiofor, who serves as legal counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), described Nigerian youths as “disoriented at a critical juncture in history,” and alleged that many have been “seduced, coerced, or willingly conscripted” into the same oppressive machinery that has long suppressed their future.

“Graduates now drift through life with résumés that gather dust and dreams that gather rust,” he said, noting a growing trend of disillusioned intellects turning to crime, substance abuse, or what he termed “the toxic theatre of online aggression.”

He criticized what he sees as the exploitation of young people by political power brokers who manipulate their energy and potential, not for national development, but for personal gain and public spectacle.

“Their energies once meant to build, are now bartered for petty tokens of survival or, worse, for applause from those who thrive on dysfunction,” Ejiofor warned.

Full Statement Excerpt:
“Nigeria teeters on a fragile edge—not with the thunderous collapse of a broken dam, but with the quiet rot of a house neglected from within. What gnaws at the soul is not just institutional decay or hollow leadership, but the haunting reality that the torchbearers of tomorrow have become foot soldiers of yesterday’s tyranny.”

“How tragic it is to see vibrant minds and gifted hands diverted from purpose—repurposed into shields for the corrupt and saboteurs of national progress. This is not an isolated crisis; it is a systemic betrayal.”

“As 2027 looms, a darker playbook is unfolding—one not of civic enlightenment but of digital thuggery, political puppetry, and divisive echo chambers. The youth, Nigeria’s beating heart, are being weaponized—not for reform, but for ruin.”

Ejiofor also condemned the rise of what he described as “chaos merchants”—individuals who manipulate digital platforms to spread misinformation, glorify dysfunction, and silence dissent for personal or political gain.

“They do not whisper in corners; they shout from platforms, drawing cheers from crowds too exhausted to care or too programmed to resist,” he said.

He concluded with a call to action, urging Nigerian youth to reclaim their agency and resist the lure of short-term allegiances that compromise their future.

“Hope cannot thrive in denial. The youth must become more than echoes of failed men. They must choose the long, painful road of truth over the quick fix of allegiance to rot.”

“This is not merely a political call—it is a moral reckoning. Our crossroads is not just national, it is generational. And every compromise made today will echo through a tomorrow that might never come.”
“Let the youth rise—not as tools, but as architects. Not as hashtags, but as harvesters of a new dawn.”
End.