Youths in Nigeria have been charged to look inward, embrace education, skill acquisition and Pan-Africanism as antidotes to the country’s poor developmental profile, which has its roots in international dirty oil politics.
This was the crux of a lecture titled “Oil Politics And Historic Antecedent of Nigeria Poor Developmental Profile: Challenges Of Future For The Youth” delivered by Professor Sabit Ariyo Olagoke JP, at the Grand Finale of the 2026 Anniversary Week of the Shafaudeen Sisters Dawah Circle (SSDC) and Shafaudeen Brothers Dawah Movement (SBDM), held at the Shafaudeen Centre for Religious Cooperation Tolerance (CRCT) Ultramodern Hall on Sunday
Professor Olagoke traced Nigeria’s poor developmental profile to its mistake of making oil the mainstay of the economy without aggressive diversification.
According to him, the real genesis of Nigeria’s problems and coups was the insistence of patriotic leaders that Nigeria must not continue to export crude oil only to import refined products.
“Peep well into the trajectory of our Socio-Economic and Political Profile in history. The insistence that they will not accept to be exporting crude oil only to be importing refined products was the beginning of Nigeria’s problem. That was the real genesis of coups in Nigeria,” he said.
He noted that down memory lane, as leaders began to build refineries by 1965, Nigerians were fed with excuses on why those leaders were removed through coup d’etat without the knowledge of those being used by foreign powers.
“Zik and Tafawa Balewa government suffered from this fate on January 15, 1966. Libya of Gaddafi for example was removed in 2011 through the unseen hands of the CIA representing Europe!”
Prof. Olagoke distinguished between two forms of sabotage: International Dirty Oil Politics and Domestic Dirty Oil Politics explaining that International Dirty Oil Politics is the role of international oil companies being utilized by foreign forces, the unseen hands of certain foreign countries who bring governments into power and kick them out if they don’t do their bidding.
“General Yakubu Gowon was removed while General Murtala Muhammed was kicked out with cooked stories, all because they were patriotic to build refineries,” he stated.
He added that the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy upon which the budget is annually built is oil, but it is mostly influenced by the international market and the mafia of cartels, hence the need to regulate and control sharp practices that undermine true development.
Providing solutions, Prof. Olagoke said Nigeria must take lessons from history. He cited how the UK in the 12th-15th century sat down to decide to become a world lion through diplomacy and military might, how France, the US and Japan chose negotiation over confrontation, and how China from the 14th century realized that skill acquisition is the way out for a new world order.
In Nigeria’s case, he said youth must be focused on empowerment for a secured future by investing heavily on education, vocation and job creation.
“All agents of socialization for their mentorship and guidance must be rejuvenated via activation of cultural integrity, functional education for civility and skill development as well as professional ethics. The environment of divinity from sanitized Houses of God must be effected to save our youths from the present dehumanized state of savagery,” he said.
He stressed that this is the only way Nigeria and its regions can be saved from imminent collapse.
“Unless Nigeria comes together, understands who we are, what we have and then gives direction, and that’s the real word called Restructuring,” he said.
Prof. Olagoke submitted that Pan-Africanism is the antidote to foreign power ploy and domination
” We must be in control of what we have with partnership for the foreign powers that would respect our terms, while justice and equity must drive the wheel of our democratic dynamics. We need to develop zero tolerance to corruption and indiscipline to achieve true independence, liberty and freedom,” he said, calling for a complete overhaul, auditing and sanitization of the NNPC management.
He concluded that efforts of heroes past must not be in vain and Nigeria must work towards self-sufficiency through the Pan-Africanism template.
In their goodwill messages, the Grand Amirah, Alhaja Simiat Olagoke, charged the youth to utilize lessons from the lecture for community and national progress, while the Oyo State Chairman of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Comrade Alex Emiola, urged youths to take their stand to ensure right things are done.
Also, the National Financial Secretary of NYCN, Amb. Olusegun Abdul-quadri, called for protection of the rights of the girl child.
Earlier, in their brief welcome addresses, the SSDC Chairperson, Maryam Abdul-Hamid and SBDM Chairman, Brother Rafiu Roqeeb, expressed gratitude to Almighty Allah, Professor Olagoke and the Grand Amirah for their support and guidance.
They said this year’s anniversary, themed around Youth Development and Purposeful Living, featured excursions to the Shafaudeen Ancestral Home at Agboole Aare Alasa, Oja’ba, the Shafaudeen Pure Water Factory, Bower’s Tower and Mapo Hall, as well as branch quiz competitions on Islam and Shafaudeen heritage.
They also announced a special N1.5 million legacy project towards the ongoing Shafaudeen Group of Schools at the National Headquarters, Apata, Ibadan.
The occasion featured the presentation of prizes to winners of the quiz competition organised for the youth.
