Dream versus reality as a Nigerian youth: the Nigerian youth dilemma.

Research has shown that the amount of unemployed youths on the streets of Nigeria is becoming alarming. As Nigerian youths we all have dreams.... Dreams of quitting the 9-to-5, building a brand of our own and traveling the world without worries. As Nigerian youths our dreams are bright, loud and valid but reality hits hard shutting out all our dreams. From the case of rising unemployment to high cost of living, the gap between what we want and what we are able to get feels almost impossible to bridge.

We tend to imagine ourselves making it big. The ambitious ones amongst us dream of becoming the next tech innovator, influencer, and entrepreneur. Personally I dream quietly of stability, financial independence and simply living life without financial stress. These dreams gives us life; it gives us the hope and makes us believe that no matter the struggle we can still rise.

As Nigerian youths, we tend to have to strive harder than the average person. We are forced to work to survive and not to get what we want. This has become a serious pain to Nigerian youth and to me personally because despite all the hard work and struggles "we earn to survive". This type of living or situation restricts us from bringing our dreams to life and this is caused by the high cost of living and the fact that there are even no jobs to assist us. Reality is often times harsh and unfair. While unemployment is being a thorn in the flesh on one side, inflation eats up whatever we can even gather from the little jobs we do. Some of us even work five jobs just to meet up with family needs. And then aside all these problems there is still the problem of societal pressure family emergency and so much more. And then while you think frustration will just be the peak you realize time is also against you in terms of aging and by the time you are no longer a youth you realize you were not able to fulfill most of your dreams leaving you disappointed in yourself.

Most of the times the situation of struggling youth tends to lead them to comparison. This is often because of what they see on the social media space. Due to these things they see, they start comparing their humble little beginnings to order people's flashy lifestyle wondering where they went wrong and questioning their faith. But despite all of these they still stand up on a daily basis and continue the struggle because giving up would feel like betrayal to themselves and to those who look up to them.

But despite the struggle I can proudly say Nigerian youths are becoming stronger and adapting. We learn new skills on a daily basis, explore digital skills and turn social media into income streams. Some of us have learned to accept the situation finding strength in friends who understand the struggles and pressure. Redefining our end goals and accepting our little wins as progress regardless.

In conclusion,reality may challenge our dreams, delay them, and even test our patience, but it does not have the final say. Nigerian youths are learning to redefine success on their own terms, to grow through the challenges and life struggles, and to keep moving ahead. The journey is hard, but someday the dreams we carry will be brought to reality.