My fellow Nigerians On this 12th day of June 2025, we commemorate a significant milestone in our collective journey toward a democratic, just, and inclusive Nigeria. Democracy Day is more than a date on the calendar; it is a symbol of sacrifice, resilience, and the ongoing struggle for freedom, representation, and national development.
Today, I speak not only as a former Governor but as a father, a patriot, and a firm believer in the boundless potential of our youth. I speak to the soul of Nigeria — to our young people — the torchbearers of our democratic future.
We live in a country where over 70% of the population is under 35. This demographic reality is not a burden; it is a blessing, a reservoir of talent, energy, creativity, and transformative power. And yet, year after year, democracy has danced around our youth without embracing them fully. Political power remains concentrated in the hands of a few, while the many watch from the sidelines, disillusioned and often excluded.
We must confront this democratic paradox: a nation of youth governed largely by the aged, a republic with vast potential shackled by a failure to invest in the future — its young people.
True democracy is not only the right to vote but the right to be voted for. It is not just representation by proximity, but participation by inclusion. We cannot continue to pay lip service to youth inclusion. We must build real structures that enable it.
From the “Not Too Young To Run” Act to the #EndSARS movement, young Nigerians have proven that they are not passive recipients of change but active agents of transformation. They have organized, spoken truth to power, innovated in the tech space, created jobs, driven the creative industry, and sustained the economy in many unacknowledged ways.
And so, on this Democracy Day, I challenge our political leaders, institutions, and parties: Let us move beyond tokenism. Let us intentionally mainstream youth voices in policy-making, governance, and nation-building.
I call for a legislative framework that guarantees youth quotas across all levels of government. Let us enshrine it in our Constitution that young people must sit at the table where decisions are made — not just as praise singers, not just as aides, but as equals in vision and in responsibility.
To our youth, I say: the future is not tomorrow; it is now. Engage. Organize. Learn. Lead. Hold us accountable. Nigeria is your inheritance — you must protect, rebuild, and reimagine it.
To the elders, I say: legacy is not built by hoarding power, but by empowering others. Let us mentor, not muzzle. Let us create space, not close ranks. Let us understand that a democracy that sidelines its youth is one that sidelines its own future.
Nigeria is in transition — from a nation of missed opportunities to a nation of endless possibilities. That transition rests heavily on the youth.
As we celebrate this Democracy Day, let us renew our resolve: that the dream of June 12 — of free expression, of inclusive governance, of economic justice, and of equity — shall not be deferred, especially for the youth.
May our democracy grow stronger.
May our youth rise higher.
May Nigeria become greater.
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
*H.E Dr Ikedi Ohakim, KSC,*
Former Governor,
Imo State.
