Strategic Youth Leadership and Advocacy for sustainable Youth Development

I most sincerely thank the leadership of this great and noble organization for this wonderful and exceptional honour to address the gathering of participants at this Summit.

Youths are critical to the survival of every country.

The United Nations defines youth as the age range of 15 – 24 years. Moreover, the African Youth Charter of 2006 defines youth as persons between the ages of 15- 35 years. The National Youth Policy of 2009 defined youth as persons of age 18- 35 years.

In the Nigeria’s context, the standard definition of youth, by the National Youth Policy of 20Strategic Youth Leadership and Advocacy for sustainable Youth Development- 29 years.

The National Youth Policy 2019 (which replaced the National Youth Policy of 2009), is a national policy framework for the development of youth in Nigeria. The document captures workable strategies for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), Demographic Dividend and the Economic Recovery Growth Plan (ERGP) policies of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The policy identified 5 development pillars that are critical to the success of youth in Nigeria. They are: (1) productive workforce and sustainable economic engagement of youth; (2) health and health- promoting lifestyle; (3) participation, inclusiveness and equitable opportunities for all youth; (4) promotive and protective environment for youth development; and (5) partnership- building and effective collaboration.

REPOSITIONING NYCN FOR POLICY- DRIVEN YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AND GOVERNANCE

1. The emerging challenges in the youth sector necessitated the birth of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN).

2. Youth as critical component of our society, need social, economic and political support to realize their full potential.

3. Nigeria ranked as the 7th most populous country in the world. The 2006 Census indicates that Nigeria had 50 million youth; the 2012 National Bureau of Statistics, National Baseline Youth Survey, estimated the population of youth in Nigeria as 64.1 million (age 15- 35 years) and 52.2 million (age 18- 35 years). Lagos State has the highest population of youth while Kwara State has the lowest. According to the said Survey, Zamfara State had an estimated youth of 1.78 million.

4. If we must progress as a country, our youth must acquire high- quality education and skills, so as to contribute to a productive economy. They must be employable to be able to have access to the job markets that can absorb them into the labour force.

5. Nigeria’s education faces 2 major challenges: access and quality.

6. An estimated 10 million out of the 30 million school- aged children are not enrolled in school in Nigeria.

7. In 2008, over 1.6 million students registered for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations, but only about a quarter scored up to 50% in the examination.

8. Similarly, youth in rural areas have less access to education compared to their counterpart in the urban areas.

9. Also, the quality of education is higher in urban areas that in rural.

10. In order to address the challenges of education of youth in Nigeria, the 2019 Policy identified some objectives, implementing framework and strategies at pages 43- 49. I urge you to read the pages.

11. Also, at pages 10- 17 of the Policy, the federal government had committed itself in education; capacity- building and skills development; employment creation and entrepreneurship; youth in agriculture; youth in ICT and numerous other opportunities for the youth.

12. In this regard, I hereby, most passionately, appeal to the federal government, states and local governments, to invest heavily on the education of our youth and strategically equip them to seize the opportunities for meaningful and descent jobs.

13. The Policy Context in 2.1, 2.1.2 and 2.1.3 at pages 31- 35 of the 2019 Policy, the federal government had identified some national policy initiatives and international programs and conventions that are geared towards the development of youth in Nigeria. I recommend the policy to you.

14. The youth unemployment rate in 2016 was 24%. The N- Power program of the federal government was a good initiative, which, if rightly managed, would have solved the youth unemployment in Nigeria. It was a job creation and empowerment program of the National Social Investment Program of the Federal Government of Nigeria, targeted at young Nigerians. The program has 2 categories: the graduate category (N- Power Knowledge and N- Power Build). It is arguably the largest post- tertiary engagement of human resources in Africa. It had engaged 500, 000 youths between 2016 and 2017 into her program. Sadly, some unpatriotic Nigerians compromised the program and diverted the funds that are meant for the vulnerable youth.

15. In order to address the challenges of unemployment among youth in Nigeria, the 2019 Policy identified some objectives, implementing framework and strategies at pages 51- 66. I urge you to read the pages.

16. Nigerian youths (whether rightly or wrongly), are generally seen to be lazy, which was why, on 18th April, 2018, at the Commonwealth Business Forum, in Westminster, London, United Kigdom, former president of Nigeria, late Muhammadu Buhari (may his soul rest in peace) described Nigerian youths as lazy.

17. I appeal to the federal government, states and local governments, to provide entrepreneurship development in Nigeria for economic growth and development, as permanent solutions to extreme hunger and poverty, dictated by unemployment.

18. At the moment, the active engagement of youth in politics is not impressive, perhaps due to their inexperience and lack of knowledge and institutional support from the core politicians.

19. There is therefore the need to strengthen their capacity through training and mentorship, and the promotion of their leadership skills for governance.

20. Power is not given but taken. Power is not handed but contested. You need to be active players in politics not onlookers. You should develop clear criteria for leadership.

21. As youth, you need to mobilize and strategize to snatch the mantle of leadership from those ‘old’ cargos who have refused to give you chance to showcase your leadership abilities.

22. You should have the opportunity for meaningful engagement and participation in development processes and governance.

23. Identify credible candidates amongst yourself, support them to win elections for the presidency, governors, senators, members of the House of Representatives, members of states Houses of Assembly, chairmanship and councillorship respectively. You can leverage on your political party (Young Progressives Party).

24. You should lead the discussions on free Nomination Forms for the youth; 25% political appointments; 25% elective positions; exclusive rights over the positions of the Minister/ Commissioner for Youth Development and the promulgation of the National Youth Act.

25. Exercise your civic responsibility responsibly by choosing the right candidates, irrespective of their political party affiliation. Vote wisely, based on merit (not flat rate). Get your Voter’s Card (PVC) with which to dislodge unwanted government and replace it with the government of your choice.

26. You need to uphold your side of the social contract by being law- abiding and paying your taxes. Be well- home trained, cultured, disciplined and responsible, because you are the leaders of today and tomorrow.

27. I urge you to see leadership as service and responsibility for institution building, not as an opportunity to enrich yourself.

28. As youth, you must eschew corruption and act as advocates in the fight against corruption in Nigeria.

29. Mental health is associated with the youth in Nigeria, largely due to substance abuse.

30. Nigerian youths consume cocaine, heroin, opioids, methamphetamine, and other local brews.

31. Nigeria has high drug abuse rate. Data from the 2018 National Drug Use Survey, conducted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) showed 14.4% of Nigerians, aged 15-64 years (approximately 14.4 million people) used drugs in the past year.

32. In the same vein, around 3 million Nigerians live with drug use disorders.

33. Also, a 2019 UNODC Survey revealed that 10.6 million Nigerians are abusing marijuana.

34. In 2020, the Executive Governor of Kano State, His Excellency Abdullahi Umar Ganduje (as he then was), introduced a policy by which all the candidates for the chairmanship and councillorship positions were subjected to compulsory drug test, based on which 6 candidates, were disqualified for the January 6 Local Government Councils Elections.

35. Similarly, in August 2020, the Executive Governor of Zamfara State, His Excellency Bello Mohammed Matawallen Maradun (as he then was), established the Zamfara State Directorate of Drugs, Narcotics and Human Trafficking, with Maj. Aliyu Muhammad Maradun (rtd) as the pioneer Special Adviser.

36. The Federal Government of Nigeria is not left behind in the struggles for making Nigeria a drug- free nation.

37. On 22nd December, 2025, the federal government announced introduction of mandatory pre- employment drug test for all prospective applicants into the public service.

38. The Policy, outlined in a Circular from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to partner with the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on the implementation of the Policy, as part of ongoing efforts to curb the rising menace of illicit drug use and its attendant consequences on national development and security.

39. This is a welcome development. However, the new Policy needs to be expanded to include all serving public servants (appointed and elected); military and paramilitary; traditional institutions; academic institutions (primary, secondary and tertiary); security agencies; judiciary; police; members of the National Assembly; justice system administrators and career promotional examinations.

40. There should be random drug test for motorists on Nigerian roads.

41. The federal government should implement the National Drug Control Master Plan and promulgate the National Drug Act under which intending couples will be required to produce Drug Certificates before marriages can be solemnized in Mosques and Churches throughout the country.

42. We must collectively take proactive steps to sanitize our society from drug abuse.

43. Strategic measures need to be taken to improve the health of our youth, including training of adequate and competent health- care workers on youth- related health services and the implementation of the National Health Act.

44. On the issue of advocacy strategies that promote constructive engagement with government and stakeholders, I am of the humble opinion, that the NYCN should identify and collaborate with the relevant stakeholders for effective partnership- building and collaboration in youth development.

45. NYCN and its activities are not well- known to most Nigerians. Civic engagement will go a long way.

46. There should be massive public enlightenment on the activities of the NYCN.

47. The 2019 Policy needs to be translated into 3 major languages in Nigeria: Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba.

48. The NYCN should collaborate with the youth- related councils and parliaments: the National Youth Development Council (NYDC); National Council on Youth Development (NCYD); Nigeria Youth Parliament (NYP); Youth Development Technical Working Group (YDTWG); the Presidency, National Assembly, security agencies; Federal Ministry of Youths and Sports Development; Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs); states and local government councils; private sector; civil society; academia; professional groups; media; National Youth Service Corp (NYSC); Citizenship and Leadership Training Center; National Bureau of Statistics; Youthhub Africa; Students’ Unions; youth- focused and youth- led civil society organizations (CSOs) and other youth organizations, and international development partners.

49. The National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) offers the largest platform for civic engagement in Nigeria, with about 350, 000 youths engaged in the scheme.

50. Youth- related organizations, such as the Man O’ War, Boys and Girls Brigade, Boys Scout, Girls Guide, Red Cross and Red Crescent have served as useful platforms for civic engagement of the Nigerian youth.

51. Another key strategic intervention to promote civic engagement is the education on citizenship and community values, creating and supporting opportunities for youth engagement.

52. On the role of the NYCN as a bridge between youth constituencies and public institutions, it is my humble opinion that the NYCN should serve as the mouthpiece and should see itself as the conscience of the common man. It should take the message of the Nigerian youth to the government and take government message to the youth. It should defend the interest of the youth, especially the most- vulnerable and not to act as an extension of the government.

53. In January 2026, Jersey, United States of America repatriated $9.5 million in funds to Nigeria. There were 2 other Memorandum of Understanding in the past. A total of $300 million has so far been repatriated to Nigeria.

54. The funds are to support 3 major infrastructure projects: Lagos- Ibadan Expressway, the 2nd Niger Bridge and the Abuja- Kano Road.

55. The 1st and 2nd works have been completed while the last project (Abuja- Kano 375 kilometer road) is not yet completed.

56. These are some of the concerns of the Nigerian youth who are curious to ask questions regarding how and why the project was not completed.

57. The NYCN is expected to ask these kinds of questions on behalf of the Nigerian youth and demand accountability.

58. By Article 6(2)(b) of the Constitution of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, 2018 (as amended), one of the objectives of the Council is to coordinate all activities of the Nigerian youth and Voluntary Youth Organizations as apex and umbrella body and be the liaising structure between the Nigerian Youth Organizations and government at all level.

CONCLUSION:

I do hope that these few remarks will benefit you and the nation at large.

I look forward to having another opportunity to speak before you.

May Allah (SWT) bless this country with good leadership, leaders with wisdom, Bello Galadi (Turakin Galadi, Chiroman Batauna),
and fear of Allah (SWT).

Thank you,

18th January, 2026