The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Olayemi Cardoso, has described younger Nigerians as the nation’s greatest asset and urged young people to prepare to lead the country into an era of stability, innovation and inclusive growth.
Cardoso said this on Friday at the first CBN Governor Annual Lecture Series, which was held at the Lagos Business School under the theme, ‘Next Generation Leadership in Monetary Policy and Nation Building.
The CBN Governor’s Lecture Series, part of Mr Cardoso’s broader Knowledge Acceleration and Thought Leadership Initiative, is central to the CBN’s strategy of deepening public understanding and strengthening the transmission of monetary policy.
It aims to foster dialogue, promote innovation, and advance an inclusive financial system that works for all Nigerians, while positioning the country as a leader on both the African and global stages.
Speaking at the inaugural edition of the Lecture Series, the CBN chief emphasised that leadership rooted in credibility, transparency and innovation would determine the nation’s economic trajectory.
He said, “Nigeria’s most important asset is its next generation. You, the emergent cohort of scholars, professionals and civic actors, are not simply participants in this dialogue; you constitute its very subject.
“Leadership cannot be divorced from nation-building. It must be anchored on trust, stability and the collective confidence of millions of economic actors.”
The governor noted that more than half of Nigeria’s population is under 30, with a national median age of 18, placing the country among the youngest nations globally. According to him, this demographic structure provides both an opportunity and a responsibility.
“As of mid-2025, more than half of Nigeria’s population falls below the age of 30, with a national median age of 18 years. Such demographic indices situate Nigeria not only amongst the youngest polities globally, but also amongst those most richly endowed with prospective human capital,” he said.
Highlighting recent economic reforms, he explained that decisive policy tightening had reduced inflation from nearly 35 per cent to about 20 per cent, while GDP expanded by 4.2 per cent in the second quarter of 2025. External reserves have also strengthened to above $42bn, with capital flows and investor confidence gradually rebounding.
He added that the restoration of credibility in monetary policy, including halting CBN’s direct financing of government and unifying exchange rate windows, had helped stabilise the naira and improve sovereign credit ratings.
The CBN governor also referenced the reopening of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts on Wednesday as an example of rebuilding national pride and reputation.
He said, “That project went far beyond restoring a physical structure. It was about restoring pride in what it means to be Nigerian. And this brings me to the point about reputation being one of the most valuable assets a person, an institution or a nation can possess. However, as Nigerians, we are often the first to run ourselves down.
“Make no mistake, criticism, and in particular, constructive criticism, has its place because it keeps us accountable. But if all we do is criticise ourselves, we will risk eroding that credibility, both at home and abroad, that said we can also we cannot ignore the reality that life remains hard for many Nigerians, nor deny that leadership has sometimes fallen short, yet reputation matters when it falters, confidence weakens and opportunities narrow, but when it is rebuilt, confidence returns capital flows and stability takes root.”
He asserted that reputation is one of the most valuable assets a nation can possess. “When it falters, confidence weakens; when it is rebuilt, opportunities multiply. As Nigerians, we must learn to balance constructive criticism with the confidence to tell our own story,” he said.
The CBN governor urged young Nigerians to embrace digital innovation, evidence-based decision-making and active participation in public discourse.
He stressed that today’s students would be tomorrow’s policymakers, entrepreneurs and central bankers, and must therefore be ready not just to inherit leadership but to transform it.
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