Former Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai (rtd), has identified poverty and social exclusion as major drivers behind the increasing recruitment of Nigerian youth into terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Delivering a lecture at the 18th Distinguished Public Lecture Series of the Federal University, Lokoja, Buratai underscored the urgent need for comprehensive reforms in governance and security. He noted that the absence of government presence in many rural and underserved communities has created conditions that extremists exploit to lure vulnerable youths.
“With over 60 percent of Nigeria’s population made up of young people, youth engagement is not a choice, it is a necessity,” Buratai stated. “When properly empowered, Nigerian youth can play a transformative role in national development across various sectors.”
He warned that failure to engage and empower the youth could lead to their exploitation by extremist elements, criminal networks, or foreign influences.
“If we fail to reach out to our young people, we risk leaving them to be recruited by criminal gangs, terrorist groups, or foreign interests,” Buratai cautioned. “However, when empowered, they will not only defend the country’s peace but also shape its future.”
