The Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, has announced that the grassroots phase of the National Youth Conference will officially begin in the first week of June. The conference, a major initiative of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, aims to bring young Nigerians into key national conversations about the country’s future.
The conference was inaugurated on March 10 with the formation of a national planning committee. Since then, various preparatory stages have been ongoing, and the project is now set to enter a more inclusive and interactive phase.
Speaking on the progress of the initiative, Minister Olawande revealed that engagements with Nigerian youths in the diaspora and on online platforms will begin by the end of May, before the grassroots sessions kick off across the country.
“By next month, the Diaspora and online engagements will start. When I return to Abuja, we’ll go through the next report and set up a dedicated website to involve as many people as possible,” he said. “I can tell you that before May 29, the Diaspora and social platform engagements will start.”
The grassroots sessions, which will begin in early June, will take place in all 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The aim is to reach young people directly in their communities and include voices that are often ignored in centralised conferences.
“Work is ongoing. They are currently at the sub-committee stage,” Olawande explained. “Since this is not a programme that will be concentrated in Abuja, there will be local organising committees in every state and the FCT. These committees will be made up of both government officials and private sector representatives.”
He stressed that youth commissioners in the states, along with private sector leaders, will be part of the organising process. The conference, he said, is not politically driven, although youth leaders from political parties will be minimally represented.
“We’re not politicising the process,” the minister said. “We do have all the national youth leaders of political parties represented in the planning committee, but their participation in the main event will be limited to about 1%. The real driving force will be NGOs and civil society organisations.”
Minister Olawande addressed concerns about how the conference would be funded. He clarified that the event would be modest and funded through the support of development partners, not by the government through large fundraising drives or lavish spending.
“We’re being mindful of our current financial state. We’re not doing any fundraising. This is a conference, not a money-sharing event,” he stated. “If you want to join us to discuss the future of Nigeria, please come. But don’t expect to be given millions in the name of the conference. That will not happen.”
He also revealed that development partners such as the United States and Qatar embassies had shown interest and were present during the inauguration of the planning committee. These partners are expected to offer some form of support.
Olawande said that one of the reasons for taking the conference to the grassroots was to capture the wide range of youth experiences and needs across the country. Drawing from his travels to 28 of the 36 states, many of which are rural or underserved, he pointed out that the challenges facing young people differ from one region to another.
“I’ve learned from my travels that the demands of young people are different depending on where they live,” he said. “Even within one state, the youths in two different senatorial districts may have completely different concerns.”
He added that centralising the conference in Abuja would limit participation and could easily be influenced by political interests. Selecting youth representatives at the national level, he said, is far more complicated than choosing elder statesmen for a similar purpose.
“To pick youth delegates on a national scale is almost impossible,” he said. “Just one political party can have over 101,000 youth groups. There are so many youth organisations that it’s hard to count them all. So how can we include everyone? It’s just not practical.”
To address these challenges, the planning committee decided to adopt a senatorial district-based format. This approach will allow for greater participation while remaining within the limits of available resources.
“So, if we can’t reach all 360 federal constituencies due to financial constraints, why not go for the 109 senatorial districts?” Olawande asked. “Let’s take the conversation to the people who need it most.”
The National Youth Conference is expected to provide a structured platform for young Nigerians to express their concerns, share ideas, and contribute to nation-building. By engaging youth from every part of the country, the conference hopes to promote inclusive development and foster a sense of national unity.
President Tinubu’s administration has repeatedly stated its commitment to youth development, and the National Youth Conference is seen as a key part of that agenda. With youth unemployment and disillusionment rising across the country, many see this initiative as a timely opportunity for engagement.
As the grassroots sessions prepare to begin in June, all eyes will be on how effectively the process can include the voices of everyday Nigerian youths—and whether their ideas will translate into real policy impact.
In the words of the Minister, “This is not just about talking; it’s about listening and acting. Nigerian youth must be part of the conversation about their future.”
