Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, and his Osun and Benue counterparts, Senator Ademola Adeleke and Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, have called for stronger institutional support, coordinated partnerships, and sustained investment in volunteerism as a strategy for national development.

The governors made their positions known at the 2026 National Volunteer Conference held at the Dr. Olusegun Mimiko Event Centre, Akure, where government representatives, the United Nations, educational institutions, and other stakeholders advocated a structured approach to voluntary service.

Aiyedatiwa, represented by the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Sunday Olajide, disclosed that more than 2,000 volunteers had been mobilized in Ondo State to support health, education, skills development, and other community initiatives.

He stressed that volunteerism must be backed by deliberate policies, effective coordination, appropriate institutions, and government support to deliver sustainable results.

The governor explained that the Ondo State Volunteer Service was established to provide an institutional framework for citizens to contribute their time, talents, knowledge, skills, and resources to the state’s development, adding that development cannot be left to government alone.

He urged schools, tertiary institutions, youth organizations, professional associations, businesses, and development partners to establish structured opportunities for young people to volunteer, acquire skills, and develop leadership capacity.

“Volunteerism should not just be seen as a realm of abstract thinking, but it should be practicable, something we can see, something we can feel,” he said.

He added that young people should see volunteering as an opportunity for self-development and contribution to the common good rather than as a distraction from their aspirations.

Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, represented by the Director-General on Climate Change and Renewable Energy, Prof. Chinwe Obiaku, commended the United Nations Development Programme for promoting voluntary service and called on governments, businesses, educational institutions, and civil society organizations to expand accessible and well-coordinated volunteering opportunities in education, healthcare, environmental protection, and skills development.

Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, represented by the Director-General of the Benue State Bureau for International Cooperation and Development, Dr. Aondoaseer Leonard-Angelo Viashima, called for stronger partnerships among governments, the United Nations, the private sector, and civil society to expand opportunities for young people.

The guest speaker and vice-chancellor of Yakubu Gowon University, Abuja, Prof. Hakeem Fawehinmi, called for a coordinated national approach to harness Nigerians’ skills towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

Fawehinmi stated that Nigeria needs a renewed ethic of service, solidarity, responsibility, and practical citizenship because public institutions alone cannot achieve the goals, noting that effective volunteerism requires training, coordination, supervision, institutional support, and measurable outcomes.

The National Directorate of Employment, through its Director-General, Silas Ali Agara, represented by the Director of Inspectorate, Mrs. Steve-Ogundipe Olayinka, urged Nigerians to embrace volunteerism to address unemployment, poverty, and skills deficits.

The Country Coordinator of the United Nations Volunteers Programme in Nigeria, Ms. Veronica Obiuwevbi, called for greater recognition, protection, and investment in volunteerism as an instrument of national development.

The United Nations Population Fund, through Resident Representative Ms. Muriel Mafico, represented by the South-West Sub-Office Head, Ms. Abbigail Msemburi, called on federal and state governments to formalize youth volunteer recognition and training and allocate dedicated budgets for youth-led initiatives.

The World Health Organization, through Country Representative Dr. Pavel Ursu, represented by the Osun State Coordinator, Dr. Ojediran, called on governments and stakeholders to invest in, protect, and recognize volunteers to achieve health for all by 2030.

He said more than 4,000 volunteers had supported community health across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory in eight years by strengthening disease surveillance, immunization, maternal and child healthcare, outbreak response, and access to healthcare for vulnerable populations, and stressed the need for training, safety, equipment, support, and recognition.