The Presidential aspirant on the platform of the African Democratic Congress, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, has urged young Nigerians to use the 2027 general election to demand accountable leadership capable of addressing unemployment, insecurity and worsening economic hardship across the country.
Speaking on Thursday at a Youth Townhall held at Novare Mall, Abuja, the economist and former Chairman of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group said Nigeria’s political leadership had failed the younger generation through years of poor governance, weak economic planning and inadequate investment in human capital.
Hayatu-Deen, who recently completed the ADC presidential screening process ahead of the party’s primary scheduled for May 25, said the country’s current realities had denied millions of young Nigerians opportunities for education, employment and security.
Addressing hundreds of youths at the event, the presidential hopeful declared that the future of Nigerian youths was “being stolen” by what he described as recycled politics and failed leadership.
“Vote for jobs. Vote for safer communities. Vote for leadership with calmness, discipline, and competence. Vote for a Nigeria that finally puts its young people first,” Hayatu-Deen said.
According to him, “Two-thirds of Nigeria’s population is under the age of 35. So whenever politicians talk about Nigeria’s future, they are talking about young Nigerians. And the painful truth is this: right now, the future of young Nigerians is being stolen,” he said.
He expressed concern over the rising number of out-of-school children and growing youth unemployment, insisting that Nigeria’s challenges stem largely from leadership failures rather than a lack of talent among young people.
“The problem has never been the young people of Nigeria. The problem has been leadership, leadership that failed to plan, leadership that failed to invest, leadership that normalized suffering and then told Nigerians this was simply how things are,” he stated.
Nigeria has continued to grapple with rising inflation, unemployment and insecurity in recent years, with many households struggling under the pressure of high food prices, currency instability and declining purchasing power. Youth unemployment and underemployment have remained major concerns, even as insecurity linked to banditry, kidnapping and violent extremism persists in several parts of the country.
Against this backdrop, Hayatu-Deen challenged the ADC leadership to present what he described as a credible alternative capable of defeating the ruling All Progressives Congress in 2027.
“The ADC will decide whether it is truly serious about winning, whether it is prepared to offer Nigerians a real alternative, and whether it is ready to present a candidate who understands the pain people are living through every day,” he said.
Positioning himself as a candidate focused on jobs, security and economic recovery, Hayatu-Deen unveiled parts of his policy agenda, including a proposal to guarantee 100 days of public work annually for eligible low-income Nigerians and provide tax incentives for businesses employing NIN-verified workers from vulnerable communities.
“Jobs are not just economic policy. Jobs are security policy. Every young Nigerian with a job is one less recruit for crime, extremism, banditry, and violence,” he added.
The former banker also spoke emotionally about insecurity, revealing that his sister had once been abducted and held captive for three years, an experience he said strengthened his resolve to confront kidnapping and violent crime.
“My own sister was abducted and held for three years. So when I say this issue is personal to me, I mean it in a way very few people in public life can understand,” he said.
He pledged that, if elected president, his administration would immediately designate bandit groups and kidnapping syndicates as terrorist organisations, intensify action against their financiers and strengthen security collaboration with neighbouring countries.
“These are not second-term promises. These are Day One priorities,” he declared.
Hayatu-Deen further described the ADC as “the only party built with the welfare of Nigerian citizens at the core of its formation,” while cautioning against what he called the recycling of old political structures and alliances.
“The only way to defeat a fatigued APC is with a fresh candidate. I am that candidate. I carry no baggage. I owe no political godfathers. I am not a product of factional wars,” he said.
He concluded by calling on young Nigerians and ADC delegates to mobilise ahead of the party’s presidential primary and support leaders committed to employment generation, security and competent governance.
