By Adeola Adelabu (Ogbeni Labzy)
Recently, political fireworks resumed between the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State over the ₦12.5 million reportedly donated by the Honourable Minister of Power during an engagement with APC Media. While such jabs are not unusual in our clime, especially as both parties gear up for congresses and, subsequently, primaries, the entire episode tells a much bigger story than either camp wants to admit.
The spokesman of the PDP, my good friend who was deservedly confirmed as PRO, threw the first jab when he mocked the beneficiaries, accusing the Minister of turning party youths into “e-tigers” recruited to attack the PDP. Behind this audacious accusation lies a sobering truth: both parties still have a long way to go in achieving meaningful empowerment for young people. While the PDP proudly flaunts a few elected or appointed officials as proof of Governor Makinde’s love for young people, many of those who amplify this narrative are worse off than the very people they aim to ridicule.
For too long, “empowerment” in Nigeria’s political lexicon has meant sharing cash gifts, motorbikes, grinding machines, Ankara fabrics, or branded souvenirs. It’s a system designed not to build independence but to buy allegiance. Political actors call it empowerment; in reality, it’s economic pacification, a way to keep people dependent, docile, and available for the next rally or hashtag war.
The same party describing another as “e-tigers” has a group initially tagged Defenders and later rebranded it as Advocates. This captures the tragedy of our political space: a generation of bright young people whose energy and creativity are confined to defending politicians online, not because they believe in ideology, but because that’s where the next allowance, appointment, or small contract may come from.
Across both parties, many loyalists, especially the youth, are struggling harder than the “e-tigers” the PDP spokesman sanctimoniously derides. Some hustle as party errand boys; others position themselves as foot soldiers for the next campaign season. If truth be told, most PDP youths are not empowered either, they are merely off-screen versions of the same struggle.
As I noted earlier, this crisis of empowerment cuts across party lines. Whether red, green, or blue, the script is the same: youth inclusion without investment, loyalty without livelihood, presence without power. Many political actors have perfected the art of mobilizing young people without modernizing their minds or improving their means. Most parties train the youth to shout slogans, not to shape policy; to circulate graphics, not to generate ideas. That is why our political culture remains noisy but not productive.
If political leaders are sincere about changing the narrative, then empowerment must mean more than periodic largesse. It must mean skills, structure, and sustainability. Train your party youths to build businesses, lead organizations, manage projects, and influence policy. Create mentorship ladders that help them transition from party hands to public leaders.
The average Nigerian youth is not lazy. He or she is simply trapped in a political system that rewards sycophancy, masked as loyalty, more than capacity. When you empower young people intellectually and economically, you liberate them from political servitude. When you don’t, you create generations of “e-tigers” and “advocates” who can bark loudly online or offline, but can’t shape outcomes beyond election day.
The 21st-century politician must realize that young people are not tools, they are talent. The strength of a party should be measured not by the size of its social media army but by the quality of its human capital.
It’s time for APC, PDP, ADC, and every other political platform to move from transactional loyalty to transformational leadership. Empowerment is not about who doles out the most money; it’s about who builds the most people.
The future of Nigerian politics will not be written by slogan soldiers; it will be shaped by empowered minds who can think, create, and lead. Until our leaders understand that, they’ll keep sharing stipends while the real prize, a generation of capable, confident young Nigerians, slips away.
Adeola Adelabu (Ogbeni Labzy) writes from Ibadan, the Oyo state capital.
