{"id":254,"date":"2026-06-30T14:39:55","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T13:39:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=254"},"modified":"2026-07-01T10:35:59","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T09:35:59","slug":"the-pressure-to-make-it-invisible-struggles-of-nigerian-youths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/?p=254","title":{"rendered":"The Pressure to Make It: Invisible Struggles of Nigerian Youths"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

BY MARVIS ESEBERUO<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At 19, Sandra\u2019s day begins before sunrise. Between attending lectures, managing her online thrift business, and completing assignments, she barely has time to rest. Yet every time she opens social media, she is welcomed by videos and pictures of her peers living what looks like perfect lives, catching flights, wearing designer outfits, and celebrating achievements. Instead of motivation, it leaves her with anxiety and one question: \u201cAm I doing enough?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across Nigeria, thousands of young people are dealing with the same quiet pressure. One phrase continues to echo among them: \u201cI must make it.\u201d Success is no longer seen as a long term goal, it now feels more like an urgent deadline they cannot afford to miss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Economic hardship has only made things worse. With the rising cost of living, limited job opportunities, and increasing financial responsibilities, many young people are forced to find creative ways just to get by. Students now juggle lectures with different online businesses and side hustles. Graduates take on multiple jobs. Aspiring entrepreneurs risk their savings in hopes of building something that can secure their future. While these efforts bring in extra income, they also reflect a growing reality: many young people no longer feel they can rely on their degrees alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 200 level physiology student, Yemi Precious, described the pressure as overwhelming:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSometimes it doesn\u2019t even feel like pressure at first”, observed Precious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It starts small. You see someone your age achieving something, then another posting a new win, and without realising it, you begin to measure your own life against theirs. You tell yourself you\u2019re fine, that everyone moves differently, but on quiet nights when everything slows down, the thoughts still come back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Am I behind? Am I doing enough? It\u2019s not always loud or dramatic, but it sits there in the background, shaping how you see yourself and what you think you should have achieved by now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Behind the smiles and carefully curated posts on social media, many young people are quietly struggling with anxiety, depression, self doubt, and burnout as they try to keep up with social expectations both online and offline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Youth advocates say the issue goes beyond personal ambition. It reflects deeper concerns about the economy and the limited opportunities available. When the future feels uncertain, the pressure to make it becomes even heavier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The popular phrase \u201cI must make it\u201d raises an important question: are young people truly chasing success, or are they simply trying to survive? The intense pressure to \u201cmake it\u201d has made many Nigerian students overly focused on money. As a result, some no longer attend lectures, care about their results, or stay committed to their academic goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite everything, Nigerian youths continue to show deep resilience that often goes unnoticed. Beneath the pressure, uncertainty, and daily struggles, many are quietly finding ways to survive and still dream. Some are learning digital skills late at night after lectures, others are starting small businesses with little or no capital, and many are creating content in hopes of building a better future for themselves. At the same time, countless students are still trying to keep up with school, attending classes, writing exams, and holding on to the hope that their efforts will eventually pay off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Even when support feels limited and the path ahead seems unclear, they keep going. They adapt to difficult situations, improvise when resources are lacking, and push forward even on days when motivation is gone. It is not always loud or visible, but in their persistence, sacrifices, and quiet determination, there is a powerful story of endurance. Despite the weight of expectations and the reality of hardship, they continue to hold on to their dreams, refusing to give up on the possibility of a better life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pressure to make it may define this generation, but so does their determination. Behind the social media highlights is a generation working quietly and consistently toward a better future slow and steadily one hustle, one step at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pressure to \u201cmake it\u201d may define this generation, but it does not define its weakness. It reveals a group of young people navigating uncertainty with courage, creativity, and quiet endurance. Behind every hustle, late-night study session, and social media smile is someone trying to build a future that feels stable and meaningful. Perhaps the real question is not how fast young people are making it, but how long they can continue carrying so much pressure alone and what it would look like if they didn\u2019t have to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BY MARVIS ESEBERUO At 19, Sandra\u2019s day begins before sunrise. Between attending lectures, managing her online thrift business, and completing assignments, she barely has time to rest. Yet every time she opens social media, she is welcomed by videos and pictures of her peers living what looks like perfect lives, catching flights, wearing designer outfits, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":255,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,15],"tags":[33,49,50,28],"class_list":["post-254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abrakametro","category-viewspoint","tag-health","tag-life","tag-success","tag-wellness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=254"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":256,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254\/revisions\/256"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mediaconversation.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}