2027 Election: What Abuja Youths Want From the Next President

We Are More Than Voters

We want a leader who treats our voices like sunlight, not background noise.

Chinedu, 24, tech entrepreneur in Wuse

Walk through Garki, Yaba, Lugbe or Life Camp, and you’ll see the faces of Nigeria’s biggest peaceful protests, the fast-rising startups, and the students burning midnight oil for NECO and JAMB. Abuja’s youth are not silent, they are screaming for change and they want a president who hears every one of those cries.

Ahead of 2027, their demands are real, emotional, rooted in hope, frustration, and fierce belief in this country’s potential.

1. Jobs That Don’t Twist the Knife

University degrees used to be tickets out. Now they can feel like invitations to waiting rooms. Youth unemployment is a scar across the city. We want a president who understands that a job is more than income, it's dignity, pride, hope.

We want practical job creation, investment in youth-led enterprises, and clear pathways to accessing capital, mentorship, and opportunities across sectors. One tweet or campaign slogan is not enough.

2. Education That Doesn’t Promise and Forget

Many young people I’ve spoken with in Life Camp and Kubwa remember paying school fees, only to find the projector broken, the teacher absent, or the school without power. Good education feels like a lie.

They want accountability in schools, teacher training, reliable power and internet access, and vocational centres that teach real life skills—not just theory.

3. A Government That Addresses Mental Health and Youth Care

Anxiety, depression, hopelessness, they are quiet crises sweeping through areas like Nyanya and Gwarinpa. Many young people feel alone in their struggles.

They want mental health services in schools, hospitals, and local communities. They want a president who realizes that mental health is not talked about, it is lived.

4. Accountability and Trust in Governance

Youth are tired of broken promises and feel politics is a closed loop for old faces. They want honesty, open data, citizen oversight. They want to know where every naira in education and health went. They want real youth representation, not just someone to smile at a camera.

5. A Leader Who Speaks Our Language

Not just English, or political clichés. A president who understands digital trends, hashtags, real stories, and real solutions; someone willing to tweet community updates, listen on Instagram, sit in WhatsApp groups, and treat transparency like oxygen.

Why This Matters

If you listen to young Abujans, they will talk about their parents’ loans, the monthly question of rent, and the belief that they can do more than survive, they can build. Voting in 2027 is not a gesture, it is a chance for radical reckoning. businessday.ng+7apnews.com+7apnews.com+7

They are not looking for freebies, they are looking for a partnership: policy built with empathy, funding that restores belief, and conversations that feel real.

A Generation at the Crossroads

Young people see the future differently. They are digital natives with memories of #EndSARS, online businesses, creative endlessly. They are fearless and fatigued, ready to vote, ready to work, but unwilling to accept watered-down promises.

As one youth leader phrased it: “Stop treating our energy like content, treat it like agreement and accountability.” A leader who does will not just win votes, they will earn a nation.