Analysts have urged the Federal Government to translate youth development promises into concrete action by tackling unemployment, poverty, insecurity and the exclusion of young Nigerians from governance.
Panelists who were speaking on Monday’s edition of Perspectives, Agate Radio current affairs programme, which examined the National Youth Confab convened by the Federal Government, stressed that the conference would be meaningless without a clear framework for funding, implementing and monitoring its resolutions.
Speaking on the programme, a Historian and Public Affairs Commentator, Iorliam Shija, emphasised that young Nigerians must be given meaningful opportunities to influence policies affecting their future rather than merely endorse government decisions and faulted the timing of convening the youth confab.
Mr Shija called for a fundamental restructuring of Nigeria’s educational system to bridge the widening gap between academic qualifications and labour market demands, recommending stronger partnerships between educational institutions and industries, expanded vocational training and improved access to digital technology, particularly for young people in rural communities.
He also advocated stronger youth representation in governance through functional youth councils and policy-making structures and called for productive investments, affordable credit and support for small businesses, warning that grants and start-up materials without sustainable support systems would not address the crisis.
A Youth Development Advocate, Jimmy Oche, who also featured on the programme identified poor implementation, rather than lack of policies, as the major obstacle to youth development in Nigeria, saying he expects the conference to examine why previous interventions had failed and recommend practical solutions.
Mr Oche called for easier access to business financing, reduced operating costs, improved infrastructure and incentives for local industries to stimulate entrepreneurship and create sustainable jobs, urging the government to invest in digital infrastructure, innovation hubs and technology training to provide young Nigerians opportunities in the emerging digital economy.
He also called for a more inclusive approach to national development, insisting that young people from rural communities, conflict-affected areas and disadvantaged backgrounds must have equal opportunities to benefit from government programmes and the governments to take greater responsibility for translating national youth policies into practical interventions at the grassroots.
