After Delay, FG Announces October For National Youth Conference

The Federal Government has announced October as the new date for the long-awaited National Youth Conference, with 360 delegates expected to participate in the two-week event.

The conference, initially announced by President Bola Tinubu in October 2024, is aimed at providing young Nigerians with a platform to contribute directly to discussions on national development and the future of the country.

Tinubu had originally proposed a 30-day National Youth Conference as part of efforts to deepen youth participation in governance and national affairs.

The Federal Government subsequently announced plans for the conference to commence in February 2025, following three weeks of consultations across the country and a one-week gathering of youth delegates in Abuja. However, the proposed conference did not take place as scheduled.

In March 2025, President Tinubu inaugurated a 44-member committee saddled with the responsibility of planning the conference, while an online registration portal was launched in June to facilitate youth participation.

However, in a statement issued on Wednesday, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth Development and Chairman of the National Youth Conference Planning Committee, Olubunmi Olusanya, announced that the conference would now hold for two weeks in October.

Olusanya said the revised conference was designed to move youth engagement beyond consultations by giving young Nigerians a direct role in shaping government policies and national development initiatives.

According to him, the conference will bring together young Nigerians from across the country and the diaspora to identify major challenges confronting the youth, develop practical solutions and present actionable recommendations to the government and other relevant institutions.

He said the participation of 360 delegates would ensure broad representation of young Nigerians across the country’s federal constituencies.

The Federal Government is expected to use the outcome of the conference as a basis for strengthening policies and programmes targeted at addressing the concerns and aspirations of Nigerian youths.