T-Fresh Civic Voice

Silence is not always golden. Especially not when it comes from the youth in a country crying for transformation. In Nigeria, where each day delivers new headlines of broken promises, rising costs, and fading hopes, the silence of young people — the largest demographic — has become more dangerous than noise. Too often, we scroll, sigh, complain in private chats, or drop a comment on a trending post — then go silent again. But silence, in civic life, is not neutral. It’s a space quickly filled by others: those with louder voices, deeper pockets, and often, narrower interests. I’ve come to see how this silence shows up. It’s in the low voter turnout among youth. It’s in the absence of young voices in town hall meetings or student union decisions. It’s in the way many shy away from writing, speaking, or even tweeting boldly about social injustice, corruption, and governance. And yes, sometimes it’s even in my own hesitation — to publish, to speak, to question. But here’s the truth I’m lea...