While Nigeria has yet to conquer the challenge of unemployment, it has undeniably narrowed the survival strategies available to its youth.
For many young Nigerians today, career choices appear starkly divided: either pursue legitimate employment and remain financially strained, or engage in illicit activities and reap substantial rewards. The former path demands formal qualifications and patience; the latter involves secrecy, quick gains, and often, a network of support systems. The nation’s current reality makes it painfully obvious which option yields tangible benefits.
Let’s take a grassroots look across the country, bypassing economic reports and focusing on lived experiences.
In Abuja, a fresh graduate working at a bank with a monthly salary of ₦150,000 is pressured to maintain an image of affluence-dressing impeccably, affording upscale housing, yet subsisting on minimal food. Lagos presents a similar struggle: a junior employee in the tech sector earning ₦250,000 battles daily traffic and rising rents that threaten their stability. Meanwhile, in Zamfara, legal employment barely covers fuel for a motorbike, whereas illegal mining groups distribute millions as casually as daily allowances. Over in Owerri, dubbed the emerging hub of nightlife commerce, a university student acting as a “social connector” reportedly earns in a weekend what a government worker makes in three months. Different cities, diverse lifestyles, but a unanimous conclusion: formal salaries build endurance, not wealth.
This is not to undermine the integrity of countless hardworking Nigerians. The youth are far from indolent-they are simply overwhelmed. They juggle multiple side hustles: selling fashion online, creating graphic designs, hairstyling, coding, running delivery services, trading cryptocurrencies, offering beauty services, and managing payment terminals-yet still end each month questioning the value of their labor.
Parallel to this honest workforce is a burgeoning shadow economy-the Alternative Workforce. These individuals don’t accumulate resumes; they collect ransoms. They don’t track performance metrics; they orchestrate phishing schemes. Highly strategic, technologically adept, well-resourced, and cooperative, they function in networks, share resources, provide internal training, and reinvest their earnings. In many ways, they embody the efficiency and scalability that Nigeria’s formal economy aspires to achieve.
Data from the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit reveals that cybercrime funnels billions of naira into illicit financial channels annually. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime consistently lists Nigeria among countries with high rates of kidnapping for ransom. Even a former Communications Minister acknowledged that “the average successful cybercriminal earns more than a mid-level oil sector employee.” Such figures speak louder than any motivational speech.
Of course, not every young Nigerian is drawn to illegal activities. Many uphold their principles, choosing honor over quick money. Yet, the harsh truth remains: dignity alone does not cover electricity bills. The price of morality has become unaffordable for those earning minimum wage.
What Needs to Shift
The core issue extends beyond crime itself-it lies in an economic system that makes unlawful ventures appear as viable career options. When young people are underpaid, denied access to credit, and blocked from opportunities, it’s no surprise they seek alternative routes to success. For Nigeria to reduce the ranks of cybercriminals, kidnappers, and exploiters, it must create an environment where legal work is rewarding-offering accessible loans without prohibitive collateral, fair wages, and policies that view youth as valuable contributors rather than liabilities. A society where diligence and ingenuity coexist harmoniously.
Final Reflection for Leaders and Stakeholders
How long can a nation endure when its law-abiding citizens feel undervalued, while its lawbreakers thrive as entrepreneurs?
At this moment, Nigeria is not merely losing its young people to poverty-it is losing them to pragmatic choices shaped by circumstance.