NGO Seeks Youths Participation In Politics, Governance 

The country director of International Alert Nigeria, Kingsley Udo has called for stronger government action to create an enabling environment for young Nigerians to participate meaningfully in politics, governance, community development and peacebuilding.

Udo said Nigeria could not afford to ignore its youthful population, warning that failure to provide young people with opportunities, voice and opportunity could lead to the loss of their skills to other countries and deepen social challenges.

He spoke at the Young Change Makers Summit organised by International Alert Nigeria and sponsored by Irish Aid in Abuja, with the theme, “Youth Leadership for Peace, Climate Resilience and Democratic Participation.”

Speaking on youth participation and the civic space, Udo said young Nigerians should not wait for permission before taking positive action in their communities, stressing that youthfulness comes with energy, passion and the capacity to drive change.

Udo challenged Nigerian youths to stop waiting for permission to make a difference and take greater responsibility for driving positive change in their communities.

The International Alert country director acknowledged that young Nigerians were confronted by harassment, intimidation, shrinking civic space and limited opportunities to participate in governance, but said such challenges should not become excuses for inaction.

According to him, youths should move beyond asking who is holding them back and begin asking what they can do to transform their immediate environment.

“Stop asking who is holding you back. Ask yourself what you can do. There is an inner energy that comes with the word youth,” Udo said.

Also speaking, the senior technical adviser to the minister of humanitarian affairs on poverty reduction, Agustin Ajijelek urged young Nigerians to use their voices responsibly and speak out against actions capable of undermining the country’s wellbeing.

Ajijelek said young people had a responsibility to challenge social problems while respecting the law.

The keynote speaker, Dr Azeezat Yishau, a youth policy strategist also said the summit was timely because young Nigerians had a strategic role to play in addressing climate change, insecurity, peacebuilding and democratic development.

Yishau said Nigeria’s large youthful population should be viewed as an asset, stressing that youths must move beyond observing development processes and take leadership in shaping the future they desire.