Sanwo-Olu’s delayed appointments expose a deeper crisis: Nigerian youths see politics as employment, not governance.
By Ibrahim Kegbegbe
In Lagos State, the ink has barely dried on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s inauguration speech to the 57 newly sworn-in Local Government Chairmen. Yet, the scramble for appointments has already descended into a shameful spectacle. Instead of settling into office with patience and purpose, as the governor advised, the system has been hijacked by an army of lobbyists—many youths who should be in lecture halls, workshops, studios, or tech labs, not at the doorsteps of politicians.
For the first time since the dawn of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic in 1999, the appointment of Supervisory Councillors, Special Assistants (SAs), and Senior Special Assistants (SSAs) has been deliberately delayed to allow elected chairmen to study the pressing needs of their communities before picking their teams. But rather than applaud this sober move, a section of Lagos youths is crying foul, accusing the governor of political high-handedness.
Some insiders within the All Progressives Congress (APC) even revealed to The Merit Newspaper that a group of overzealous youths have gone so far as to drag the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, into their selfish campaign, begging her to persuade President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to arm-twist Sanwo-Olu into opening the floodgates of appointments. If true, this is not lobbying—it is outright desperation wrapped in entitlement.
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When Begging Becomes a Career
Politics in Lagos is fast becoming the biggest employer of idle youths. Instead of writing exams, learning skills, perfecting crafts, or building enterprises, many young people now spend their days trailing politicians, waiting for crumbs of appointments. This culture is toxic, not only because it cheapens public service, but because it enslaves an entire generation to dependency and mediocrity.
What happened to the spirit of resilience that birthed Nollywood in the streets of Surulere? What happened to the creative fire that turned Bariga’s ghettos into incubators of Afrobeats now dominating the world? Why are the same youths who should be building the next Flutterwave or Paystack now wasting energy chasing portfolios they neither earned nor deserve?
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A Generation Selling Its Future
Let’s be clear: no government can absorb all its youth into political appointments. Even if all the 57 council chairmen in Lagos were to appoint 20 aides each, the number would barely scratch the surface of Lagos’s millions of unemployed young people. The truth is that politics cannot, and must not, become the only gateway to relevance.
Those lobbying for these appointments are not just undermining themselves—they are sabotaging their peers. Every hour wasted at a politician’s gate is an hour stolen from research, invention, enterprise, or self-development. Every naira spent printing banners to “congratulate” an official is capital that could fund a small trade. Every bowing and scraping for crumbs only cements the belief that the Nigerian youth are best suited for servitude, not leadership.
Sanwo-Olu’s Delay Is a Test, Not Tyranny
Governor Sanwo-Olu’s decision to delay appointments is not an abuse of power—it is a rare attempt to restore sanity to grassroots governance. For decades, local councils have been run like family estates where councillors and aides are installed overnight without any plan, purpose, or evaluation. By urging chairmen to take 30–60 days to understand their constituencies before making appointments, the governor is demanding that service precede selfishness. The fact that this modest reform has provoked outrage among youths tells us all we need to know: too many of our young people would rather scramble for stipends than build legacies.
Time for a Harsh Truth
Young Nigerians must wake up. Your future will not be written in the corridors of Alausa alone. It will be written in classrooms, in coding bootcamps, in farms, in fashion studios, in music booths, and in every space where grit and creativity outweigh political patronage. Lobbying for council appointments is not ambition—it is laziness in disguise.
If you truly want to serve, start serving where you are. Volunteer in your communities, start ventures that solve problems, and sharpen your academic pursuits. Service is not about titles—it is about impact.
Stop Begging, Start Building
Nigeria does not need another generation of beggars in an agbada. It needs inventors, thinkers, creators, and builders. It needs young people who will demand accountability from politicians, not line up to share the spoils of corruption.
If Lagos youths cannot resist the temptation of petty appointments today, what moral right will they have to demand good governance tomorrow? If they sell their voices for crumbs, they will eat crumbs forever.
Governor Sanwo-Olu’s delay in council appointments should be a challenge to our youths, not a curse. It is time to stop begging for seats at the table and start building tables of our own.
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The message is simple: your degree is more valuable than a desk job as an SA; your skills will outlive any political appointment. Stop begging. Start building.
