As Adebayo challenges youths on nation-building

Federal Government has vowed to ensure that the forthcoming 2026 National Youth Confab in October produces concrete policy actions rather than another set of recommendations that end up on government shelves.

The Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, who unveiled plans for the October conference, said the initiative was designed to move young Nigerians from passive participation in national discourse to active ownership of solutions and policy outcomes.

Speaking at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, yesterday, Olawande said the conference, themed “Next-Gen Nigerian: Crafting Solutions, Owning the Future,” would provide young Nigerians aged 18 to 35 with an opportunity to articulate their challenges, present ideas, and participate directly in shaping policies that affect their future.

The minister noted that the process would begin with about two weeks of virtual consultations, followed by a physical conference in Abuja involving delegates representing the country’s 360 Federal Constituencies, Nigerian youths in the diaspora and other stakeholders.

He disclosed that a dedicated portal, to be managed by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), would facilitate online participation, receive policy proposals and collate contributions ahead of the physical conference.

Olawande said the organisers would reach out to young entrepreneurs, farmers, students, artisans, technology innovators and other young Nigerians, including those who feel excluded from national conversations.

The selection process, he added, would emphasise transparency, merit, grassroots representation, gender balance, religious inclusion and participation by young people with disabilities and other marginalised groups.

The minister identified six priority areas for the deliberations: governance, leadership and political participation; economic transformation, entrepreneurship and job creation; education and skills for the future; technology, innovation and digital transformation; climate change and energy transition; and social harmony and security.

Speaking on behalf of the Presidency, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Digital/New Media, O’tega Ogra, said President Bola Tinubu had deliberately created greater space for young Nigerians to participate in governance and national development.

Ogra said the administration had reviewed previous youth conferences and was determined to avoid their shortcomings.

Also speaking, Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, Segun Dada, reinforced the government’s commitment to ensuring the conference does not become another documentation exercise.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth Development, Dr Maryam Ismaila Keshinro, said the youths would lead the process, while the ministry would provide institutional coordination.

The 2026 National Youth Confab is scheduled to commence in October, with the virtual consultations expected to generate ideas and policy proposals ahead of the physical gathering.

MEANWHILE, Social Democratic Party presidential candidate, Adewole Adebayo, has challenged young Nigerians to move beyond political discussions and take an active role in building the institutions and systems that will shape the country’s future.

Adebayo made the call in Abuja while speaking to members of the Young Progressive Professionals who visited the Social Democratic Party’s national secretariat.

He said Nigeria’s younger generation could not afford to remain on the sidelines while decisions affecting their future were being made.

According to Adebayo, young Nigerians have a unique opportunity to participate directly in nation-building rather than simply inherit institutions created by previous generations.

He urged the professionals to expand their engagement beyond their immediate group and take conversations about governance into communities across the country.

Earlier, the National Chairman of the SDP, Prof. Abubakar Sadiq Gombe, said the visit by the Young Progressive Professionals showed that young Nigerians still had hope in the country’s future.

Gombe urged young professionals to take a more active role in politics and support initiatives aimed at promoting what he described as competent and purposeful leadership.

Also speaking, Bugaje said Nigeria required political will and competent leadership to address its development challenges.

Earlier, the interim Chairman of the Young Progressive Professionals, Emmanuel Fortunatus, said the group visited the SDP leadership to exchange views on Nigeria’s challenges.