Prioritising Rural Youth Participation in Democratic Governance for Sustainable Development in Nigeria

Abstract

The study is premised on the notion that existence and consolidation of democratic governance in any society are only possible through robust participation of the people, especially the youth who constitute the bulk of the citizenry. Though Africa has the youngest population in the world, many of them have been deliberately excluded from governance. The study examines the political participation of youth in selected rural Nigerian communities. Both quantitative and qualitative social survey data are obtained and utilized. The paper finds that political participation of rural youth has been relatively low and restricted to activities in the fringes of the democratic process, and that this largely accounts for the poor fortunes of the rural folk and the slow march of the democratic enterprise. Accordingly, the paper recommends that the democratic process in Nigeria should be digitalised; the rural youth should be massively mobilized and re-oriented through deliberate campaigns; and government should introduce affirmative action strategies with a view to encouraging youth, women and other marginalised segments of the population to meaningfully participate in governance and the democratic process.