NYA Condemns Use-and-Dump Treatment of Youth after Electioneering

Sunday Ehigiator

The National Youth Alliance (NYA) has condemned the practice of Nigerian politicians mobilising young people during electioneering only to abandon them after securing victory, describing the trend as unacceptable and damaging to the country’s democratic growth.

The President of the NYA, Aliyu Bin Abbas, made this declaration yesterday in Abuja while inaugurating the chairmen of the alliance across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as well as unveiling the organisation’s official website and digital portal at the NAF Conference Centre.

Abbas said many politicians had confused and misguided Nigerian youths by using them as tools during elections and excluding them from governance thereafter.

“We must speak the truth: many of our politicians have confused and misguided the youths, using them during elections, ignoring them during governance, and abandoning them after victory. Women, despite their strength, resilience, and numbers, remain largely confined to the margins of power,” he said.

Describing the situation as unacceptable, Abbas explained that the NYA was established not as a platform for violence or noise-making, but as a movement focused on structure, inclusion, ion,, and leadership development.

According to him, the inauguration of state chairmen across the federation was a deliberate effort to position young men and women who understand their communities and are committed to service rather than self-interest.

“To the newly inaugurated state Chairmen and FCT leadership, you must be active, not ceremonial figures. You are architects of grassroots transformation, responsible for organising, educating, and mobilising youths and women for constructive participation in politics, governance, and nation-building,” he stated.

Abbas noted that the unveiling of the NYA website and digital portal marked a historic milestone for the organisation, symbolising transparency, coordination,  and a new digital direction for youth engagement in Nigeria.

“This gathering is not ceremonial alone; it is symbolic and strategic. Nigerian youths and women are angry and aggrieved; not because they lack ideas or energy, but because they have been excluded, misled and underrepresented in decisions that shape their future,” he said.

He added that the digital platform would connect NYA structures nationwide, amplify youth voices, provide access to opportunities and serve as a hub for ideas, policy engagement and leadership development.

“The future of Nigeria will not be secured by age alone or recycled leadership. It will be secured when youths and women are properly positioned, not as tools, but as decision-makers,” Abbas stressed.

He reaffirmed the alliance’s commitment to peaceful engagement, political education, accountability,    nd responsible leadership, while expressing appreciation to partners, elders, and allies supporting the NYA vision. In her goodwill message, the former Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory and Mother of the Day, Hajiya Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, urged Nigerian youths to unite and take their rightful place in leadership.

She said the unity of Nigeria is non-negotiable, and challenged young people to pursue change through collective action rather than repeating failed approaches.

Also speaking, former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Spokesman and Chairman of the occasion, Chief Segun Showunmi, said Nigeria’s political parties had lost ideological direction.

While inaugurating the NYA state executives, Showunmi noted that the alliance could become a vehicle for rescuing the country if it pursued a journey beyond prevailing political ideologies.

“You have gathered because of passion and belief. If you approach your work as a journey that surpasses our current ideology, you may help rescue Nigeria,” he said.