“‘Delta Youths Are Political Tools, Not Job Creators’ — Festus Tony’s Reply to PLO Lumumba Sparks Outrage”
By Passman Akpos
Civil rights activist Festus Tony has responded to the questions raised by Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba during the Delta State Economic and Investment Summit 2026, arguing that many young people in Delta State are being engaged in politics rather than productive economic activities.
In an open message addressed to Prof. Lumumba, Tony said he believed he had an answer to one of the speaker’s major concerns about the future of Delta youths under the administration of Sheriff Oborevwori.
According to him, Delta youths are largely engaged in political activities instead of sustainable employment, entrepreneurship and innovation.
Tony listed what he described as 11 ways youths are currently being “engaged” in the state. He alleged that some youths are used to produce and circulate social media content promoting government projects, while others are mobilised during election campaigns to chant political slogans in exchange for food and other incentives.
He further claimed that some youths serve as political thugs or online defenders of political office holders, while many are appointed as Special Assistants (SAs) and Senior Special Assistants (SSAs) with portfolios he argued have little measurable impact on society.
The activist also criticised what he described as vehicle empowerment programmes for political appointees, arguing that many beneficiaries lack sustainable sources of income to maintain the vehicles after leaving office.
Tony further alleged that government critics, including himself and other activists, have faced attacks from politically aligned youths for speaking out on governance and development issues.
He also expressed concern that many graduates remain unemployed and are instead engaged in political support groups, temporary campaign structures or revenue collection activities rather than productive sectors capable of driving economic growth
According to Tony, the situation has left many educated young people without meaningful employment despite Delta State’s abundant natural and economic resources.
He urged Prof. Lumumba to also consider the reactions of Deltans on social media, saying the comments reflect widespread frustration over unemployment, governance and economic opportunities in the state.
During his keynote address at the Delta State Economic and Investment Summit 2026, Prof. Lumumba challenged the state government on several issues, including youth development, industrialisation, agriculture, electricity, research, innovation and long-term economic planning.
Among his widely discussed questions was whether Delta State was preparing its young people to become entrepreneurs, innovators and job creators or merely training them to depend on government employment. He also urged the government to build institutions capable of sustaining development beyond the tenure of the current administration.
The Delta State Government has not publicly responded to Tony’s latest remarks at the time of filing this report. The issues raised remain matters of public debate and represent the opinions of the activist.
