The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and other development stakeholders have called for greater youth participation in national decision-making and electoral processes, urging governments to dismantle age-based stereotypes and recognise young people as key partners in governance.
The call was made in Abuja on Wednesday during the fifth-anniversary celebration of the Nigeria Youth Futures Fund (NYFF), where government representatives, civil society leaders and international partners stressed the need to give young Nigerians a stronger voice in shaping the country’s future.
Executive Director of LEAP Africa, Kehinde Ayeni, urged successive administrations to regularly review national youth policies and establish accessible platforms for skills development, civic engagement and direct youth representation in policy-making.
“Young people have the agency, voice, and creativity to drive solutions for nation-building,” Ayeni said, adding that meaningful civic participation must go beyond activities on social media.
She disclosed that the NYFF initiative had directly reached more than 22,000 young Nigerians and supported over 1,000 youth-led organisations across the country’s six geopolitical zones.
According to her, the programme also prioritises the inclusion of vulnerable groups, including internally displaced persons (IDPs) and people living with disabilities.
Also speaking, the Director of NYFF at LEAP Africa, Dr Onyeche Elizabeth Agbiti-Douglas, challenged the widespread perception that young people lack the experience required to contribute meaningfully to governance.
She noted that Nigerians below the age of 30 account for between 60 and 70 per cent of the country’s population, arguing that they should be treated as active partners in national development rather than passive beneficiaries of government programmes.
“When we trust young people and equip them with necessary resources, they demonstrate remarkable leadership in driving our economy and society,” Agbiti-Douglas said.
In a message of international solidarity, the UNODC Country Representative in Nigeria, Cheikh Ousmane Touré, said the country’s future depended largely on how effectively it harnessed the potential of its young population.
With upcoming electoral cycles in view, Touré encouraged young Nigerians to remain informed, observe electoral activities and participate actively in the democratic process, while ensuring that youth perspectives feature prominently in national discussions.
“If we don’t make space for youth at the table and ensure their positions shape key decisions, we cannot build an inclusive future,” he said.
Established in 2021 by LEAP Africa, the Nigeria Youth Futures Fund marked five years of supporting young Nigerians through capacity building, grant funding and policy engagement.
