The Real Cost of Doing Nothing

In a country like Nigeria, silence is expensive — and inaction is deadly. Every year, millions of young Nigerians leave school, roam cities, or sit idle in rural towns, facing the same bleak question: “What now?” With youth unemployment exceeding 50% and a broken pipeline between learning and livelihoods, this question is no longer personal — it’s national.

But here’s the problem: we’ve normalized doing nothing. We postpone reforms, ignore underfunded institutions, and treat systemic challenges like they’ll solve themselves. All the while, time is ticking. Every month without action means another cohort of young people pushed to the margins — vulnerable to poverty, violence, migration, or despair.

The cost of doing nothing is everything. It’s the wasted human potential. It’s the future we forfeit. It’s the billions lost in productivity, innovation, and GDP growth. According to the African Development Bank, youth unemployment costs Africa more than $40 billion annually in missed productivity. In Nigeria’s case, it’s more than a crisis — it’s a ticking bomb.

But the tragedy isn’t just economic — it’s spiritual. When a society fails to equip its people with purpose, it breeds resentment. When it ignores their gifts, it extinguishes their drive. And when it tells them they must “hustle” or “pray harder” instead of building systems that work, it quietly signs away their dignity.

This is why the Seyi Albert Foundation (SAF) exists. Because waiting is no longer an option. Because we believe Nigeria’s young people are not a burden to manage — they are a resource to unlock. And because every day we hesitate is a day we lose the race for relevance, resilience, and renewal.

Change is slow. But in a country with so much on the line, doing nothing is the most dangerous choice of all.