Jigawa youths have called on governments at all levels to move beyond promises and political slogans on empowerment, demanding transparent programmes that translate public spending into jobs, viable businesses and sustainable income.
The demand came on Wednesday as the world marked the 2026 International Youth Day, themed “Different Contexts, Common Aspirations.”
Speaking in separate interviews in Dutse, Hadejia, Kazaure and Ringim, the youths said many empowerment initiatives had failed to reach people already operating businesses or possessing practical skills.
They alleged that political connections often influence beneficiary selection, leaving genuine entrepreneurs without the equipment, credit or market access required to grow their businesses.
A 28-year-old fashion designer in Dutse, Hadi Sani, said he had worked in the tailoring business for five years but needed only an industrial sewing machine to expand.
“I have been sewing for five years, and I need just one industrial machine to expand,” he said, alleging that some previous beneficiaries were not tailors and later attempted to sell the machines.
A farmer in Hadejia, Usman Dankoli, also called for support to be directed towards people already engaged in agriculture.
“We are already into rice and sesame farming. What we need is support with inputs and water pumps,” he said.
In Kazaure, graduate and bakery owner Bashari Kazaure said young entrepreneurs wanted sustainable assistance rather than token distributions.
“Empower us beyond slogans. Give us market linkage, affordable loans and training that leads to certification,” he said.
Another youth, Naziru Adamu, a phone repairer and accessories dealer in Ringim, urged the government to audit beneficiaries of empowerment schemes.
“If you empower the wrong person, you have empowered waste,” he said, arguing that young people already operating businesses were sometimes overlooked because they lacked political connections.
The complaints come as youth empowerment remains part of Governor Umar Namadi’s development agenda.
The Jigawa State Government operates the Jigawa State Youth Empowerment/Employment Agency, which is tasked with providing young people with skills, opportunities and resources.
The state’s 2026 budget also contains about N12.7bn for youth empowerment and employment initiatives, including skills development, microcredit and equipment-related programmes.
Governor Namadi had presented the N901.8bn 2026 budget, titled “Budget of Innovation and Transformation for Greater Jigawa II,” to the State House of Assembly in November 2025. The budget was subsequently passed and signed into law.
Despite the scale of the allocation, the youths said the success of empowerment programmes should not be judged simply by the number of beneficiaries or items distributed.
They want authorities to track whether beneficiaries remain in business, create jobs and increase their income after receiving government support.
Jigawa-based activist Inuwa Babale said the concerns raised by the youths were legitimate and reflected weaknesses in the implementation of empowerment programmes.
“You cannot keep empowering people who are not in business and expect self-reliance,” Babale said.
He urged the government to publish beneficiary lists, involve professional associations such as tailors, farmers and welders in the selection process, and monitor the use of equipment after distribution.
Babale also proposed sanctions for beneficiaries who sell government-provided equipment and called for a unified youth database that could help authorities identify genuine entrepreneurs and unemployed young people.
The youths similarly demanded that government and partner organisations adopt needs-based and community-verified selection systems rather than relying on lists generated through political structures.
Efforts to obtain the Jigawa Government’s response to the allegations were unsuccessful at the time of filing. Calls and a text message sent to the Commissioner for Information, Youths and Sports, Sagir Ahmad, were not answered.
For the young entrepreneurs who spoke, the central demand was straightforward: empowerment should result in productive businesses, decent work and lasting economic independence — not simply another round of announcements.
