By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA – Northeast youth leaders have expressed disagreement with recent remarks by former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, in which he said Nigeria is on the right track, saying such claims do not reflect the social and economic realities faced by many citizens across the country.

The position was contained in a statement signed by Comrade Mohammed Grema Adamu, Chairman of the Coalition of Northeast Youth Groups Leaders, in which the group said assessments of national progress should be grounded in outcomes that are visible and measurable in the daily lives of Nigerians.

“This is not governance, it is spectacle,” the statement said.

The coalition noted that millions of Nigerians continue to grapple with hunger, insecurity, unemployment, and uncertainty, arguing that claims of progress should align with lived experience rather than public commentary.

“To declare progress that cannot be touched, measured, or felt is a brazen insult,” the statement read.

The youths also addressed the broader political conversation around representation, cautioning against framing leadership primarily through religious identity, which they said risks reducing governance to symbolism rather than substance.

“Leadership is not a theatre of religious tokens,” the statement said.

Drawing on Nigeria’s democratic practice, the coalition pointed to Dogara’s own emergence as Speaker of the House of Representatives as an example of leadership derived from broad-based support across faiths and regions.

“When he became Speaker of the House of Representatives, was he elected by Christians alone? The answer is self-evident, he was elected by a diverse constituency of Muslims and Christians alike,” the statement said.

The group stressed that representation carries concrete responsibilities and outcomes, not just symbolic value, and warned against approaches that downplay regional balance and accountability.

“Representation is not a symbol, it is concrete, regional, and consequential,” the statement said.

On governance challenges, the youths said explanations focused on inherited difficulties no longer address the expectations of citizens facing present-day pressures, noting that elected officials are judged by their response to current conditions.

“The excuse of ‘inherited problems’ is now exhausted,” the statement said.

Speaking on behalf of young people in the region, the coalition said economic hardship and insecurity have stretched public patience, calling for leadership that delivers practical and measurable improvements.

“Patience is not policy and endurance is not governance,” the statement added.

The group urged political leaders to align public narratives with realities on the ground, emphasizing the need for accountability, equity, and leadership outcomes that can be felt across communities.