The Federal Government has fixed October for the National Youth Conference, with 360 young Nigerians expected to represent the country’s federal constituencies.
The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development and Chairman of the conference’s planning committee, Olubunmi Olusanya, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday.
According to Olusanya, the two-week conference is designed to move youth engagement beyond consultation and provide young Nigerians with a platform to participate meaningfully in national development.
The conference was first announced by President Bola Tinubu on October 1, 2024, when he proposed a 30-day national youth conference.
The Federal Government had subsequently announced that the conference would commence in February 2025, with three weeks of grassroots consultations followed by a one-week meeting of youth delegates in Abuja.
The plan, however, was not implemented as scheduled. In March 2025, Tinubu inaugurated a 44-member planning committee, while an online registration portal for the conference was launched in June of the same year.
Olusanya said the new two-week programme would commence with a nationwide virtual consultation open to Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 35, including those living in the diaspora.
Young Nigerians will be allowed to submit memoranda, ideas and policy proposals through an online portal as part of the consultation process.
“It will bring together young Nigerians from across the country and the diaspora to identify challenges, propose practical solutions and develop actionable recommendations for government and other relevant institutions,” Olusanya said.
He added that the physical conference would hold in Abuja during the second week, with one youth delegate representing each of Nigeria’s 360 federal constituencies, in addition to six diaspora delegates, stakeholders and observers.
The conference is expected to focus on governance, leadership and political participation; economic transformation, entrepreneurship and job creation; education and skills for the future; technology, innovation and digital transformation; climate change and energy transition; as well as social cohesion and security.
It will also feature expert panels, policy discussions, an innovation showcase and networking sessions, with recommendations from the deliberations expected to be presented to the President and relevant government institutions.
On delegate selection, Olusanya said the process would be open and transparent, with emphasis on merit, grassroots representation, gender balance, regional inclusion and the participation of persons with disabilities and other marginalised groups.
He said state ministries responsible for youth affairs would collaborate with the planning committee to coordinate nominations and registration at the state level.
The Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, urged young Nigerians to participate actively in the consultations and submit proposals that could shape government policies.
“The National Youth Confab is not simply about bringing young people together to talk. It is about giving them a structured platform to put forward practical ideas, influence policy and hold us accountable for the outcomes,” Olawande said.
He urged youths to see themselves as partners in shaping the future of the country, rather than merely beneficiaries of government policies.
Interested participants are expected to register through the National Youth Conference portal on the Ministry of Youth Development’s website.
