Setting an Agenda for Youth Development in Nigeria: A Report on the Retreat by the Federal Ministry Of Youth Development

Jenny Chisom & Terkuma Ivande

16 Aug. 2011

As part of the quest to relieve our nation of highly talented but indolent young people, there has been a rendezvous of planning sessions for execution where emerging leaders with young minded Nigerians gathered to craft a workable agenda towards youth development in Abuja recently.

The retreat organized by the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, tagged “YOUTH DEVELOPMENT AND THE TRANSFORMATION AGENDA’’ which held from the 4^th – 6^th August 2011 at Nicon Luxury Abuja had in attendance the GOTNI president, Mr. Linus Okorie as he contributed to the discussion and resolve to empower young Nigerians in this administration through his goodwill message as a representative of the Civil society organizations/ NGOs.

Cross section of participants:
From left, The Hon. Minister, Bola Abdullahi, Linus Okorie, Frank Nweke Jr. & Fela Durotoye

The deliberations during the retreat covered areas like job creation opportunities, entrepreneurship funding and youth empowerment schemes that can uplift our national economy. The objectives were clearly to develop strategies for making the ministry of youth development a major driver of the transformation agenda through ensuring effective delivery of skills acquisition on all levels of government, designing major advocacy programmes that drive youth development by mobilizing all relevant stakeholders to scale up investment and participation in the sector. The deliverables also included developing a process for a clear measurable multi-sectoral operational plan for youth employment and also build cohesion and synergy amongst stakeholders.

Deliberations going on

Top on the list of participants were the able Honourable Minister of Youth Development, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Alh. Baba Umar Faruk, Mr. Fela Durotoye of Visible Impact, Prof. Foluso Okunmadewa of the  World Bank, Head of Service boss Prof. O.A Afolabi, Frank Nweke Jnr, and other great youth representatives.

The Minister for Youth Development, Bolaji Abdullahi & Linus Okorie

It was on this note also that the Minister of Youth development, made it clear that the ministry would not host any programmes for Nigerian youth but would co-host it with youth organizations in all the geopolitical zones to make for even representation of young people all over the nation. 

Linus & Hassan Rilwan

 The ministry headed by the Hon. Minister, Bolaji Abdullahi has indeed shown great commitment to youth development as not just paying lip service.

Linus and Frank Nweke jr.

For the foregoing, it is clear that the minister is an answered prayer to the teeming population of young people who are capable of engaging their minds and strength to not only make a living but to uplift our national economy. It seems the days of gloom are over for industrious young Nigerians as the Minister has set the pace and there’s indeed no going back.