The Federal Government has inaugurated a 27-member Committee to immediately commence work on the 2019-2023 National Youth Policy.
A statement issued in Abuja by Mohammed Manga, Director, Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Sports and Youth Development, said that the inauguration was in accordance with the timeline for the review.
The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar, while inaugurating the Committee, said that the aim was to ensure that the Ministry had a befitting Policy Document that would serve as a guide for the development of the nation’s teeming youth.
“The National Youth Policy, like other government policies, is the handbook of the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development’s guide on youth development as it represents the declaration of the Nigerian Government to the practical support it intends to give to its youth.”
He stated further that the 2019-2023 Edition of the National Youth Policy was in the last lap of its journey, especially as the policy itself stipulates a 5-year periodic review, hence the need for the commencement of the process.
Abubakar said that part of the successes recorded in the implementation of the 2019-2023 Edition of the NYP by the Federal Government includes Youth inclusion, participation, and access to information, which enables them to know their rights.
He said the ministry, in partnership with Civil Society Organisations, Private Sector, and International Agencies, had taken National Youth Policy to the grassroots through enlightenment and publicity.
He added that various programmes and projects were also implemented across the six geo-political zones in line with the policy thrust of the government.
Ismaila explained that the periodic review of the NYP guidelines had become imperative, particularly due to the dynamic nature of the human endeavour, which he emphasized was not static.
“It is the dynamic nature that has prompted the review of the guidelines in human activities in order to get better results,” he added.
The permanent secretary observed that, there have been a lot of changes in the perception and actions of Nigerian youth towards government policies in the last five years, especially in the era of Information Communication Technology (ICT).
Besides, he said, “the age range of youth (15-29) in the current edition of the NYP had generated a lot of debate and controversy, as it appeared to fall short of Nigeria and Africa youth age reality.”
This he said was the justification for the review to address the current situation.
“It is in view of these that the government approved the commencement of the review process with the formation and inauguration of the Committee, which is expected to work from now to February 2024.
“I charge you (the Committee) to bring your wealth of experience to bear in ensuring that we produce a one stop shop Policy Document for implementation by government.
“Other terms of reference are amongst others to oversee the entire review process of the National Youth Policy 2024-2027 until its launching and ensure integration of youth concerns from each geo-political zone into the final policy document.
“Ensure that the new policy is in tune with global trends, supervise the various consultations with stakeholders during the review process, and bring up any other activity that will add value to the process,” the statement quoted Abubakar as saying.
Abubakar commended all relevant stakeholders for their support in ensuring the success of previous reviews as well as implementation of the editions.
He therefore called on development partners and other relevant stakeholders to put all hands on deck to ensure youth issues were mainstreamed into National Agenda.
He assured that the Ministry would continue to maintain open doors to partnerships and collaborations.
He expressed confidence in the ability of the committee to live up to its task of producing a new Policy for Nigerian Youth in line with the policy thrust of President Bola Tinubu-led Administration.
The Chairman of the committee, who is also the Director of Education and Youth Development (EYD), in the Ministry, Alhaji Kabiru Mohammed gave the assurance that members would work tirelessly to provide Nigeria with the best policy document, in line with global best practice.
