Get Guardian on GooglePresident Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Monday, directed the Federal Ministry of Youth Development to immediately implement the outcomes of the 2026 National Youth Confab.
The President also called for the active involvement of young Nigerians in implementing and monitoring the conference resolutions, stressing that youth participation must extend beyond consultation to actual decision-making and implementation.
The President disclosed this in Abuja, at the closing ceremony of the National Youth Conference, insisting that its recommendations must produce measurable results within clearly defined timelines.
Tinubu, represented by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, directed the Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande, to work with relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), state governments, the private sector and development partners to develop a practical implementation framework.
The framework, he said, must contain clear priorities, assigned responsibilities, realistic timelines and measurable indicators to track progress.
He said: “The real test of this Conference begins after today. I do not want the recommendations of this Conference to become another report gathering dust on government shelves. I want them to become a guide for action,” the President declared.
“You must not be invited to the table only when decisions are being discussed. You must also have a place at the table when those decisions are being implemented.”
The President who was represented by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, acknowledged the economic and social challenges confronting Nigerian youth. President Tinubu said his administration understood their concerns about unemployment, the cost of living, access to education, business opportunities and insecurity.
He stressed that young Nigerians deserved more than explanations about current economic difficulties, assuring them that the government’s reforms and investments in education, skills development, innovation and entrepreneurship were intended to create opportunities that would improve their lives.
Highlighting initiatives such as the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, the Three Million Technical Talent programme, YouthCred and the Nigerian Youth Academy, the President emphasised the need to ensure that skills training translates into employment, innovation attracts investment and young entrepreneurs have greater access to finance.
He also commended the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, the Conference Planning Committee and participating young Nigerians for demonstrating that the country’s youth possess the ideas, courage and determination required to contribute meaningfully to national development.
Speaking earlier, the Honourable Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande, disclosed that the conference had produced a comprehensive 18-point action agenda covering six priority areas, following nationwide virtual consultations and physical deliberations involving youth representatives from across the country and the diaspora.
Olawande described the conference as a major step towards giving young Nigerians a stronger voice in national decision-making, stressing that the Ministry’s priority was to ensure that the ideas generated translated into policies, programmes and opportunities that would directly benefit them.
He said: “For the first time in the history of this country, the youth can feel the government, see the government, and touch the government.”
He explained that the conference recommendations would be pursued through relevant executive, legislative and judicial channels, with the Ministry working alongside stakeholders to ensure that the outcomes received the necessary institutional attention.
The Minister also expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for providing the platform, describing the conference as an opportunity for young Nigerians to move beyond expressing their concerns to contributing directly to solutions.
Delivering the keynote address, the Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, challenged young Nigerians to play a more active role in shaping the country’s economic future and strengthening confidence in Nigeria’s investment potential.
He warned that negative perceptions and distorted narratives could discourage investment, undermine economic confidence and ultimately deny young Nigerians opportunities for employment and enterprise.
He urged delegates to embrace constructive engagement, innovation and practical solutions to national challenges.
Oyedele emphasised the need to translate economic progress into tangible benefits for citizens through increased investment, production, job creation and shared prosperity.
The National Youth Conference, convened by the Tinubu administration, brought together young Nigerians from across the country and the diaspora to deliberate on pressing national issues and develop recommendations aimed at strengthening youth participation in governance, economic development and nation-building.
With the President’s directive, attention now turns to the development of an implementation framework that will determine how the conference outcomes are translated into government action, with young Nigerians expected to remain active participants in the process.
