Expert Tasks FG, Others On Investment In Youths

Managing director of FREEE Recycle Limited, Ifedolapo Runsenwe, has tasked the federal government, corporate bodies, and well-meaning Nigerians to continuously invest in youths with entrepreneurial training and the requisite tools and resources.

Runsenwe, who organised a five-week eco-art residency training for young people using his recycling firm, noted that Nigerian youths are talented and have resources that need to be discovered and developed for the benefit of the nation.

“Nigeria’s future depends on our ability to invest in young people. Through this, we as an organisation see the importance of shaping capable, creative minds who can proffer lasting solutions that strengthen our communities and collective identity. This programme speaks directly to those national goals.

“This residency suggests that the things we discard may hold the power to reconnect us with what we’ve lost.  Too often, we treat waste and heritage as unrelated challenges,” Runsenwe said.

According to her, the five-week eco-art programme by pioneer tyre recycling firm, FREEE Recycle, would train scores of young artists to go green, integrating environmental sustainability and heritage into a creative dialogue, adding that the residency programme is a bold new initiative combining ecological sustainability with cultural revitalisation and youth empowerment.

Themed “Echoes of Reclamation: Rebuilding Heritage from Waste,” she added that the residency is designed to empower a new generation of eco-conscious artists while advancing circular economy principles.

‘’The selected participants will explore and bring to life Nigeria’s rich, but often forgotten, artistic legacy through contemporary works crafted from reclaimed materials.

In a country where over 60% of the population is under 25 and climate change and unemployment remain pressing, the programme signals a fresh approach to solving national problems through art, innovation, and grassroots collaboration,’’ she said.

The free Art Residency Programme, which ran from July 28 to August 30, 2025, had selected young Nigerian artists who focused on transforming recycled materials into artworks that reinterpret lost Nigerian artefacts.

Participants were selected from recognised Nigerian tertiary institutions through a competitive process that assessed their passion for art, cultural research, and sustainability.