As part of his Independence Day speech as Nigeria marks its 64th Independence Day anniversary, President Bola Tinubu has announced a 30-day National Youth Conference to address challenges confronting Nigerian youths.
The President said the conference will be a platform to address the diverse challenges and opportunities confronting Nigerian youths who constitute more than 60 percent of the country’s population.
This comes amid the youth-dominated nationwide protests tagged #FearlessInOctober against acute hunger, hardship, bad governance, unemployment and several other challenges confronting Nigerians which is currently taking place in Lagos and Abuja.
The President said, “As we work to overcome the challenges of today, we remain mindful of the next generation. As we seek to galvanize their creative energy towards a better future, we lead today with the future we wish to bequeath to our children in focus.
“Recognizing that we cannot design a future that belongs to them without making them its architect, considering this, I am pleased to announce the gathering of a National Youth Conference.
“This conference will be a platform to address the diverse challenges and opportunities confronting our young people who constitute more than 60% of our population.”
According to him, the conference will provoke meaningful dialogue and empower Nigerian youths to participate actively in nation building by ensuring that their voices are heard in shaping the policies that impact their lives.
He added, “We are creating a pathway for a brighter tomorrow. The 30-day confab will unite young people nationwide to collaboratively develop solutions to issues such as education, employment, innovation, security and social justice.
“The modality of this confab and selection of delegates will be designed in close consultation with our young people through their representatives.
“Through this confab, it will be our job as leaders to ensure that their aspirations are at the heart of the conference deliberations.
“The government will thoroughly consider and implement the recommendations and outcomes from this forum as we remain resolute in our mission to build a more inclusive, prosperous and united Nigeria.”