Mindset reset and reorientation have been identified as major solutions to securing the future of Nigerian youths amid the dysfunctional influences of social media and peer pressure shaping their thought processes and values.

Speaking on the programme ‘Issues that matter,’ broadcast on Montage 99.7 FM, Abuja, on Monday, Senior Special Assistant to Governor Umo Eno on Ethical Orientation, Rev. Dr. Osondu Ahirika, decried the excessive focus of youths on social media, which he said distracts them from positive engagements that could make their lives more meaningful.

Ahirika argued that the government is not wholly responsible for youth unemployment, noting that with the monetisation of social media, many young people have abandoned vocational training, entrepreneurship, and agriculture for content creation and online fame.

He said this shift has popularised vulgarity, cyberbullying, fake news, and obscenity among youths seeking validation through likes and followers. He also blamed the ‘get-rich-quick’ mentality for pushing many into cybercrime, banditry, kidnapping, and drug trafficking.

Ahirika praised Eno for intentionally redirecting youth focus through initiatives like the Ibom-LED Entrepreneurship Accelerated Programme and the Dakkada Skills Acquisition Centre. He said thousands of youths have been trained and hundreds empowered with grants, especially those engaged in agriculture.

He urged leaders nationwide to emulate Eno’s model of youth empowerment and called on governments at all levels to fix electricity, address insecurity, update the education curriculum, and strengthen social empowerment programmes that foster youth development.