Odimmegwa Johnpeter/Abuja
The Forum of National Youth Leaders of Political Parties in Nigeria (FNYLPPN) has advocated for the inclusion of the Nigerian youth in governance. It also called for the extension of the active youth age bracket in Nigeria from 18-35 to 18-45 years. This was due to the many factors militating against the development of young people, especially at their early stage in life.
This was the content of the communique adopted on Saturday in Abuja during the National Youth Leaders Hangout with journalist, organised by FNYLPPN on the theme, ‘The Place of Nigerian Youth in the 2027 Political Discussion and Beyond, which was read by Miss Jennifer Okechukwu, the secretary to the director-general of the Forum and adopted through affirmation by the participants.
The communique reads in part: “The forum demands that the federal government and all institutions or agencies responsible for the youth related policies, programmes and projects that benefit young Nigerians should also extend their operational youth age bracket from 18 to 35 years to 18 to 45 years, knowing how difficult it is for young people to find their feet early in Nigeria.
“This is necessary to accommodate millions of energetic and productive Nigerians in their late 30s and early 40s who are still actively struggling for economic stability, leadership opportunities and national relevance in youth programmes of their government”.
The special guest of honour at the event was the Honourable Minister for Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande; the keynote speaker, Senator Shehu Sani who was represented by one of his aides, Ms Cecilia; as well as the national chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Dr. Yusuf Dantalle.
The session also brought together youth stakeholders, national youth leaders of political parties, FCT youth leaders of political parties, media practitioners, policymakers, and other key stakeholders to deliberate on the theme of the event.
The communique further stated : “The forum called on all presidential candidates for the 2027 general election and national chairmen of political parties in Nigeria to publicly commit themselves to a clear youth inclusion agenda and demonstrate readiness to support leadership transition to a younger generation by making public, oral, and written promises that they will facilitate the transition of power back to the younger generation under the age of 60 in 2031, if supported in 2027.
“Since it is the political parties that decide who stands a candidate, the forum urges the national chairmen of political parties to adopt and enforce deliberate policies for youth inclusion in party structures outside the single position of the youth leader to enable the youth to participate in candidate selection and internal decision-making processes.
“The forum calls on all political parties in Nigeria to reduce the price of their expression and nomination forms and to grant at least 70 percent discount on expression of interest and nomination forms for youths aged 35 years and below seeking elective positions saying that democracy must not be reserved only for the wealthy.
“The forum calls on the Presidency, National Assembly, Independent National Electoral Commission, political parties and other relevant stakeholders to address the issues of campaign financing, violence and intimidation that disproportionately affects young aspirants through electoral reform.
“The forum expresses great concern over rising unemployment, poverty and hopelessness among Nigerian youths and calls on the Presidency to address youth unemployment using skill acquisition to empower the youth for self-reliance and become job creators, suggesting that President Bola Tinubu establish national youth skills and acquisition and empowerment centers in the 774 local government areas of the 36 states of Nigeria and the six Area Council of the FCT.
The Minister for Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, in his keynote address, stated that part of the problems facing the Nigerian youth is the lack of courage to take the bold step. Olawande affirmed that youth inclusion is not a favour but a necessity for Nigeria’s development. According to the Minister, the future of Nigeria is bright, but that future lies with the Nigerian youth. He said there is a need for aggressive youth engagement to address the low participation of Nigerian youths in governance and said we have to be strategic about this to achieve result. He said there is a need to also address the skill gap which is the main cause of youth unemployment in Nigeria.He narrated his life story and how he managed to train himself in school before getting the opportunity to become a minister.
He therefore encouraged the Nigerian youth to be active participants in partisan politics so that they would become part of the decision-making process of the country. He stressed the importance of education and self development to equip the Nigerian youth to participate in governance effectively. He also revealed that his ministry is doing a lot to make life better for the young people.
Chairman of the Forum is Honourable Eze Onyebuchi – the immediate past chairmanship candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), for the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) in the FCT Council Elections held on February 21, 2026, in his contributions affirmed that the Nigerian youth should do more than just be cheer leaders or political thugs for politicians whose policies are not youth inclusive. He also calls on the Nigerian media to be facilitators in this regard.
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