Nigeria Has Talked About “Leaders of Tomorrow” for Decades — So Where Are They?

For decades, Nigerians have been told that young people are the leaders of tomorrow. But there is a question that deserves to be asked again, especially as Nigeria approaches another presidential election:

When exactly will tomorrow come?

Nigeria became independent in 1960. Yet no person born in independent Nigeria has ever become the country’s president or head of state.

That is not to say that Nigeria has never had young leaders. In fact, some of the country’s youngest national leaders came to power decades ago. Yakubu Gowon became head of state at 31, Murtala Mohammed at 36 and Olusegun Obasanjo at 38.

But all of them were born before Nigeria gained independence.

Since then, Nigeria has moved through military governments, civilian administrations and several democratic elections, yet the country’s highest office has remained in the hands of people born before 1960.

The official State House record shows the succession of Nigeria’s heads of state and presidents from independence through the present day. 

   “Nigeria’s political leadership has remained dominated by generations born before independence.”

A country that became independent, but whose leadership has not changed generations

Think about the numbers.

A Nigerian born in 1960 is now 66 years old.

Someone born in 1970 is 56.

Someone born in 1980 is 46.

Someone born in 1990 is 36.

That means the generations born after independence are no longer children waiting for their turn.

They are teachers, doctors, engineers, entrepreneurs, civil servants, academics, technology professionals, farmers, journalists, business owners and political activists.

Many are now old enough to have decades of professional and leadership experience.

Yet when Nigerians look toward the presidency, the conversation continues to revolve largely around political figures from older generations.

That raises an uncomfortable question:

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If today’s adults were once described as the leaders of tomorrow, why are so many of them still waiting for tomorrow?

The pattern is clear

Nigeria’s political history makes the generational gap difficult to ignore.

Nnamdi Azikiwe was born in 1904.

Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was born before independence.

Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi was born in 1924.

Yakubu Gowon was born in 1934.

Murtala Mohammed was born in 1938.

Olusegun Obasanjo was born in 1937.

Shehu Shagari was born in 1925.

Ibrahim Babangida was born in 1941.

Sani Abacha was born in 1943.

Ernest Shonekan was born in 1936.

Abdulsalami Abubakar was born in 1942.

Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was born in 1951.

Goodluck Jonathan, born in 1957, is the first former Nigerian president in the modern democratic era to have been born close to independence.

Muhammadu Buhari was born in 1942, while Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Nigeria’s current president, was born in 1952. The official State House record confirms the sequence of national leaders since independence. 

So the question is not whether older Nigerians have experience.

They clearly do.

The question is why Nigeria has struggled to create a genuine pipeline through which younger generations can eventually reach the highest levels of political power.

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Nigeria already changed the law for young politicians

In 2018, Nigeria took an important step.

The government signed the Not Too Young To Run constitutional amendment into law.

The reform lowered the minimum age for presidential candidates from 40 to 35. It also reduced the minimum age for membership of the House of Representatives and state Houses of Assembly to 25. 

It was a significant achievement for young Nigerians who had campaigned for greater political participation.

But reducing the legal age is only one part of the problem.

A young Nigerian may legally be old enough to contest for president and still face enormous barriers when trying to win a major party nomination or build a nationwide political organisation.

That is where the bigger question begins.

Is age really the problem?

Perhaps not.

A 40-year-old politician can be ineffective.

A 70-year-old politician can be competent.

The issue should therefore not be simply about replacing older politicians with younger politicians.

Nigeria needs capable leaders, regardless of age.

But age becomes an important political question when one generation continues to dominate the system for decades while younger generations struggle to enter it.

Political experience should be respected.

But political experience should not become a permanent ticket to power.

A healthy democracy should allow experienced leaders to contribute while also creating room for new generations to rise.

What is stopping younger Nigerians?

There is no single answer.

Nigeria’s political system is expensive. Running for office can require enormous financial resources, organisation and networks.

Political parties also play a powerful role in determining who gets nominated.

Then there is the influence of political godfathers, established networks and patronage.

For a young Nigerian without a powerful political sponsor, entering national politics can be extremely difficult.

And there is another uncomfortable part of the conversation:

Young Nigerians themselves must also accept some responsibility.

It is not enough to complain about political leadership on social media.

If young people want political power, they have to organise.

They have to register and vote.

They have to understand policy.

They have to join political parties or build credible political movements.

They have to contest elections.

They have to support candidates based on competence and character rather than ethnicity, religion, money or popularity.

And they have to be prepared to participate peacefully.

Nigeria’s National Human Rights Commission has already called on young Nigerians to become active participants in the 2027 electoral process rather than remaining spectators. 

Young Nigerians cannot afford to be used only during elections

There is another side to this issue.

For decades, young people have often been among the largest groups mobilised during election campaigns.

They campaign.

They attend rallies.

They create social-media content.

They defend politicians online.

Some are even recruited into political violence.

But after elections, the question becomes:

How much actual political power do young people receive?

The Inspector-General of Police recently warned political actors against recruiting young Nigerians for electoral violence and urged youths to reject political and digital thuggery. 

That warning should be taken seriously.

Young Nigerians should not become the foot soldiers of political battles fought by people who are much older.

If young people are important enough to campaign for politicians, they should also be encouraged and supported to become politicians themselves.

2027 may provide an important test

The 2027 presidential election could make this conversation even more interesting.

INEC has published a final list containing 18 presidential candidates.

The candidates range from 35 to 79 years old.

The youngest presidential candidate on the list is 35-year-old Moses Adebisi of the Democratic Labour Alliance.

There are also candidates in their 40s and 50s, alongside much older politicians including Atiku Abubakar, listed at 79, and President Bola Tinubu, listed at 74. Peter Obi is listed at 65. 

This means something important has changed.

Nigeria’s presidential ballot is no longer legally closed to younger generations.

The question now is whether voters, political parties and the wider political system are prepared to give those generations a genuine opportunity.

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But should Nigeria simply elect a younger president?

Not necessarily.

Nigeria does not need a president who is young merely for the sake of being young.

The country needs leadership that is competent, honest, accountable, visionary and capable of understanding the realities facing ordinary Nigerians.

A young president who continues the same old political practices would not represent meaningful change.

Likewise, an older president who successfully reforms institutions, strengthens the economy, protects citizens and creates opportunities for younger Nigerians could still provide valuable leadership.

The goal should therefore be generational renewal and better leadership — not an age war.

The question Nigerian youths should ask themselves

Perhaps the most important question is not:

“Why won’t the old politicians leave?”

Perhaps it is:

“What are we, the younger generation, doing to prepare ourselves to lead?”

Because political power rarely arrives simply because a generation asks for it.

It has to be built.

It requires organisation, education, courage, discipline, patience and participation.

Young Nigerians cannot wait until they are 60 before deciding that they should have entered politics at 30.

The political system has to make room for them.

But they must also be willing to enter the room.

Nigeria’s “leaders of tomorrow” are now adults

The phrase “leaders of tomorrow” has been repeated for generations.

But tomorrow eventually becomes today.

For Nigerians born in the 1960s, tomorrow has already lasted more than six decades.

For those born in the 1970s, it has lasted more than five decades.

For those born in the 1980s, it has lasted more than four decades.

The question is therefore no longer whether young Nigerians are ready to become leaders.

The more important question is whether Nigeria is ready to allow a new generation to compete seriously for power.

And perhaps the biggest question of all is this:

Will 2027 be another election dominated by familiar political generations, or could it mark the beginning of a genuine transfer of political power to Nigerians born after independence?

The answer will not come from politicians alone.

It will also depend on Nigerian voters especially the millions of young Nigerians whose future will be shaped by the choices made at the ballot box.

Nigeria’s young people do not need to take power through confrontation or violence.

They can take greater ownership of their political future through votes, organisation, peaceful participation, competence and democratic engagement.

The “leaders of tomorrow” should not have to wait forever.

Tomorrow is already here.