By Adeniran Bamisaye
Some speeches end when the applause stops. Others deserve to become part of a wider conversation. Chief Mrs. Mutiat Olufunmilola Disu’s message to Nigerian youths on International Youth Day belongs in the second category.

At the heart of her address was a line that cuts through the noise of politics and social media: “Your future is too valuable to be rented out.” It is a powerful reminder that one of Nigeria’s challenges is not only youth unemployment or political apathy, but the ease with which young people’s energy can be redirected toward causes that ultimately work against their own future.

Young people are often described as the nation’s future, yet during political seasons, some are recruited to intimidate opponents, spread misinformation, disrupt communities or become foot soldiers in conflicts whose consequences they are left to bear. When the campaign banners come down, those who encouraged the violence can move on, while young people may be left with injuries, arrests, lost opportunities or lasting regret.

This gives Mrs. Disu’s warning particular weight. When she urged young Nigerians not to allow anyone to “use your youth as a weapon and leave you to face the consequences alone,” she drew attention to the unequal bargain behind political violence. The person who benefits from the unrest is not necessarily the person who pays its price.

Her message, however, was not a call for political disengagement. She encouraged young people to ask questions, participate in democracy and use their voices, ideas, skills and votes. The distinction is important: Nigeria needs politically conscious youths, but not a generation that mistakes violence for influence or intimidation for leadership.

That responsibility now extends into the digital space. Her advice to “think before you click; verify before you share” is particularly relevant in an environment where a manipulated video, fabricated screenshot or false claim can spread rapidly and inflame tensions before the truth catches up. Responsible digital citizenship has become part of responsible citizenship itself.

The message also aligns with the broader focus of the Nigeria Police Force’s 2026 International Youth Day initiative, which promotes youth leadership, peaceful democratic participation and digital responsibility, including campaigns against political and digital thuggery and misinformation.

But responsibility cannot rest on young people alone. It is easy to tell youths to reject political thuggery; it is harder to confront the political actors who recruit and exploit them. If Nigeria genuinely wants young people to choose peace over violence, leaders must stop treating them as disposable instruments of political ambition. Families, schools, civil society, religious institutions and the media also have a role in building the values, opportunities and critical thinking that make such exploitation less attractive.

Perhaps the most human part of Mrs. Disu’s speech was the perspective from which she spoke. She addressed the youths not only as an official, but as a mother: “As mothers, we want to see you come home safely.” Behind every act of political violence is a family that may have to live with its consequences long after the political contest has ended.

Nigeria’s young people possess far greater assets than violence can offer. Their ideas can build businesses, their creativity can shape culture, their skills can solve problems and their votes can influence governance.

The choice before them is not whether to participate in Nigeria’s future, but how. They can become builders of the country or instruments in someone else’s ambition. That is why Mrs. Disu’s warning deserves to be remembered: a nation’s greatest resource should never become its most expendable one.

Adeniran Bamisaye wrote in from Lagos, Nigeria