Rising Costs and Disillusionment: How Economic Reforms Are Driving Nigeria's Youth to Seek a Better Future Abroad
Illustration done with OpenAI
Matthew Ejeson stood amidst the bustling market in Kwara, his home state in Nigeria. It had taken him just 30 minutes to get there, a ride that costs 300 Naira—less than a dollar, but a price that has grown significantly in recent months.
Men and women were shouting their wares, voices rising above the din in choruses of "Buy this! Buy that!" Offers and counteroffers exchanged in rapid-fire succession.
Ejeson’s focus was on only one thing, though: palm oil, the key ingredient in countless Nigerian dishes, from fragrant Jollof rice to hearty stews. As he neared a stall selling the familiar amber liquid, something caught his attention. The 250ml bottle that had cost him 1,100 Naira only a month ago was now priced at 1,600 Naira. A 45% increase, similar to so many other essentials in the market.
“We are just in the survival of the fittest here,” he said. “Because every next day the price of commodities is rising.”
Ejeson, a biology and education Graduate at the University of Ilorin, is one of thousands of young Nigerians who are struggling with recent increases in the cost of living coupled with high unemployment. This has led many to become disenchanted with their government, seeing emigration as the only viable option.
The steep rise in prices follows controversial economic reforms under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration. Last year, the government removed long-standing fuel subsidies and imposed a demonetization policy, which sought to reduce the overreliance on cash and adopt digital alternatives that further devalued the Naira. By June 2024, inflation had surged to 34.2%,
up from an already high 25.09% in 2023. The economic change sparked widespread protests, culminating in mass demonstrations against the government’s handling of the crisis.
Femi Mimiko, a professor of economics and politics at Obafemi Awolowo University, said the anger on the streets is palpable. While he agrees that the subsidy removal was necessary to curb corruption, he argues that it was implemented without adequate policies to ease the impact on Nigerians. "If you take out the subsidy, you need to do something to control the costs. You need to address the pains of the most vulnerable," he said.
These decisions have made young Nigerians become increasingly disillusioned, feeling that democracy has not met their aspirations. A study by the International Inequalities Institute at London School of Economics showed this is a trend seen all across the continent. After gaining independence from Britain in 1960, Nigeria became a democracy. Six years later, a coup led Nigeria to endure a military dictatorship for 39 years, which ended in 1999. This brought widespread excitement about the transition to civil democratic governance.
In the last presidential elections in 2023, voter turnout was just 26.72%, with only 24.9 million of 93.47 million registered voters casting ballots. This trend is applicable to the youth.
Reken Renos, a physics student at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, shares a deep sense of disillusionment as he faces the realities of the labor market. Despite his qualifications, he fears they won’t be enough to secure a job. “I'm a graduate, but I'm jobless,” he said. "And a lot of us are out there full of potential and talent. But we are jobless.” This frustration has driven him to become an “activist of change,” rallying people to take to the streets and demand a government that prioritizes the needs and opportunities for young people like himself.
Recent data from the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, a non-profit that promotes reforms of the Nigerian economy, shows that Nigerians with post-secondary education face higher unemployment rates (9.0%) than those with only secondary (6.9%) or primary education (4.0%). This is fueling a sense of hopelessness, with the out-of-labor force rate rising from 3.1% in late 2023 to 3.6% in early 2024.
Recent graduates like Emmanuel Charles, who studied urban and regional planning at Ahmadu Bello University, say the situation has pushed them to consider emigration as a last resort. As the eldest son and father, Charles feels a heavy responsibility to provide for his family. "If I don’t find a job, I have a friend in Libya who can help me get to Italy," he said.
Following “japa”—a Yoruba word that means “to run away” or “to flee”—a survey by the Africa Polling Institute showed 69 % of Nigerians would like to relocate to another country. Jing Jing Liu, assistant professor at MacEwan University, Canada and researcher on Nigerian youth’s education migration, acknowledges the growing frustration leading young Nigerians to depart. “The motivations to migrate are a rejection of that kind of thinking or expectation that everyone should just kind of buckle down and do their best to be resilient, to survive,” she says.
On the other hand, Amaka Emordi, a professor of political science at Obafemi Awolowo University, disagrees with the idea of emigration as a solution. She argues that young Nigerians may find a harsher environment abroad, and that leaving may not provide the escape they hope for. Emordi emphasizes that despite Nigeria’s challenges, it is still a place where young people can build their futures. "Nigeria is a place where you can be whatever you want to be, you can grow," she says. “And, if everybody leaves, who is going to fix the country?”
Ejeson still believes that despite the challenges, young Nigerians remain resourceful and resilient. “A good number of young ones, we always find a way,” he said. "That is one thing. No matter how tough things seem to be, we always find a way."
