Nigeria, May 11 -- In Nigeria, the question of who qualifies as a "youth" has become an almost comical national riddle. Is it 35 and below? Or 40? Or perhaps 50 - if we go by the age of some self-proclaimed "youth leaders" gracing conference stages and chairing youth-focused summits with receding hairlines and grown-up children. The truth is, this debate misses the point. In a country where age is often manipulated for political or economic advantage, chronological age has become a poor indicator of generational identity. What matters more is a shared experience - a collective feeling of being tethered to a system that has failed to evolve with us, has failed to dignify us, and has in many, many ways, failed us.

Those who are truly young...