A new report by Chain Reactions Africa (CFA) has found that declining trust in traditional institutions is reshaping how young Nigerians make decisions, seek validation and navigate their futures.
Franklin Ozekhome, Executive Vice President, Strategy and Innovation, CFA, said this at the fourth edition of the Youth Culture and Trends Report on Wednesday in Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event, organised by CFA, was with the theme, ‘Aramanda Youth Futures 2026 4.0.’
Ozekhome said the Youth Future Report, from a research conducted by the organisation, identified broken trust at home, in schools, workplaces and religious institutions as one of the major issues shaping young people’s behaviour.
He said young people increasingly turned to peers and social media for validation when traditional institutions failed to provide the conversations and support they needed.
Ozekhome said institutions needed to understand young people’s realities rather than relying on age-based classifications to define them.
He noted that the report challenged the tendency to treat young Nigerians simply as a population or market without understanding the conditions shaping their lives.
“We’re saying age is just a number, youth is a condition. Can you understand my condition?” he said.
Ozekhome said changing economic conditions were also forcing young Nigerians to rethink conventional career paths and seek multiple sources of income.
He said young people were increasingly concerned if education, employment and conventional career progression could provide the security expected of them.
He said education should prepare young people for future jobs while teaching them how to create capital and wealth.
“We need to teach people how to make an economy out of themselves,” he said.
Ozekhome said critical thinking and judgment would also become increasingly important as technology changed the value of technical skills.
He advised young people who were confused about how to move ahead to seek guidance from people they admired, compare their perspectives and discuss their concerns with parents or guardians.
Earlier, Managing Director of CFA, Israel Opayemi, said understanding how young people think was important to understanding their behaviour and choices.
Opayemi said the report was intended to provide a deeper understanding of the forces shaping Nigerian youth.
He also urged political actors to pay attention to the report as the 2027 election cycle approaches, given the importance of young people to the country’s future.
NAN also reports that the event featured discussions on youth identity, changing careers, education, workplace realities, artificial intelligence, consumer behaviour and the relationship between brands and communities.(NAN)
