The Social Democratic Party’s Vice Presidential candidate, Professor Usman Bugaje, has identified lack of political will and leadership competence as major obstacles to Nigeria’s development, urging young Nigerians to take a more active role in changing the country’s political direction.
Bugaje spoke in Abuja when the SDP leadership received executives of the Young Professionals for Social Change and the Confederation of West African Youths, who visited the party to discuss governance and policy reform.
According to Bugaje, Nigeria’s problems are not insurmountable, but require leaders with the political will to make difficult decisions and the competence to implement them effectively.
“The major problem of this country is the lack of that political will to do the right thing, and the lack of competence in leadership to know what to do and do it properly,” he told the youth leaders.
He challenged young Nigerians to view political participation as a responsibility rather than remaining on the sidelines while decisions affecting their future are made.
Bugaje pointed to the development experiences of Japan, South Korea and Singapore, saying their transformation demonstrated the importance of purposeful leadership and policy implementation.
“We represent the change that you are looking for, and what we are trying to do is to put this country on a different trajectory,” he said.
He expressed confidence that Nigeria’s challenges could be addressed if the country developed the political will and leadership capacity required to implement solutions.
His position formed part of a broader message from the SDP leadership to young professionals at the meeting, with the party urging youths to become more actively involved in the political process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The SDP presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, told the youth representatives that Nigeria’s difficulties should not become a reason for political withdrawal.
Instead, he urged them to take their participation from professional circles and social media platforms to their communities and polling units.
“Go back to our own districts. Politics is done in the neighbourhoods—166,874 polling units,” Adebayo said.
He also urged the youth to reject what he described as defeatism, religious divisions and elitism, saying the younger generation had a responsibility to participate in rebuilding the country.
National Chairman of the SDP, Professor Abubakar Sadiq Gombe, focused on voter apathy, asking the youth organisations to expand their civic enlightenment activities and mobilise Nigerians who do not participate in elections.
Gombe said youth participation should extend beyond political conversations to actual engagement with voters and communities.
The meeting brought together the SDP’s leadership and representatives of youth organisations at a time when political parties are intensifying mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections.
For Bugaje, however, the central issue remains the quality of leadership: whether Nigeria can produce leaders with both the political will to act and the competence to deliver.