By Joan Odafe
Nigerian youth are facing a future where the traditional path from education to employment no longer guarantees security.
That was a key takeaway from the fourth edition of the Aramanda Youth Futures Report organised by Chain Reactions Africa in Lagos.
The report found that declining trust in traditional institutions is reshaping how young Nigerians make decisions, seek validation and plan their futures.
Executive Vice President, Strategy and Innovation at Chain Reactions Africa, Franklin Ozekhome, said trust had broken down across homes, schools, workplaces and religious institutions.
He noted that institutions needed to look beyond age when engaging young people.
“Youth is a condition. Can you understand my condition?
“The concern about trust reflects a wider shift in how young Nigerians view work, success, education and adulthood.”
Adaobi Nwabuisi, Senior Strategy Consultant, CFA, said the shift was rooted partly in mindset, with youthfulness extending beyond biological age.
Nwabuisi described youth as a community of mind, adding that people could remain connected to new possibilities when their minds remained free and flexible.
She said the mindset was increasingly evident in a work environment where careers are becoming less linear, and a single employer may no longer provide income, identity and long-term security.y.
Panelists examined how the old architecture of work was changing, with people moving across roles, developing multiple skills and reconsidering the idea of one fixed career.
The discussion also questioned the assumption that a university degree would remain the primary credential for navigating an increasingly fluid employment landscape.
Panelists suggested that education should prepare individuals for a future where skills change quickly and careers may develop through several different paths.
The emphasis, therefore, was not simply on acquiring qualifications but on developing the ability to adapt, create value and recognise emerging opportunities.
Head of Strategy, Intense Group, Samuel Solake, said solutions would be more effective when institutions understood problems from the perspective of young people.
He emphasised the need to understand how young people think before designing solutions for them.
He also said change should involve the people expected to embrace it, rather than simply being imposed from above.
“Approach the issues from the mindset of the youth,” he said.
Director, Digital and Growth Marketing, CFA, Peter Adesanya, linked the changing workplace to the growing importance of critical thinking.
Adesanya said technical skills were becoming easier for technology, including artificial intelligence, to replicate, making depth of thought increasingly important.
He also noted that the changing workplace did not necessarily mean abandoning the traditional nine-to-five structure.
He said workers could still operate within nine-to-five environments while having flexibility around how they organised their work, provided they delivered what was required.
Group Associate Director, Strategy and Innovation, CFA, Eyo Inameti,
brought the discussion back to balance as young people navigate multiple identities, interests and career possibilities.
Inameti noted that young people were increasingly exposed to a wide range of activities and possibilities, encouraging them to approach life in range rather than depth.
He, however cautioned, that range needed balance because critical thinking and meaningful work also required depth.
Earlier, Israel Opayemi, Managing Director, CFA, said understanding how young people think was essential to understanding their behaviour and choices.
He said CFA’s work sought to delve into how people think, what drives them and how those forces influence their decisions.
For Opayemi, the importance of understanding young people extends beyond describing them as a population or market.
He said it required listening closely to what shapes their thinking and behaviour, particularly as technology, work, culture and economic realities continue to change.
The discussions therefore suggested that Nigeria’s youth are not simply rejecting traditional careers but navigating a world in which the old guarantees are less certain.
The emerging question is how education, workplaces, institutions and businesses can respond to young people whose paths may be defined by adaptability rather than a single career ladder.(NAN)
Edited by Folasade Adeniran
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