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Stakeholders in the security sector and youth development have pledged to join forces to tackle cultism, drug abuse, unemployment and other social vices in Lagos State.
They also announced plans to organise a state-wide sensitisation walk against fake food products, drugs and alcoholic drinks, warning that the circulation and consumption of substandard products were claiming the lives of young Nigerians.
The resolutions were made yesterday in Festac Town, Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos, during the inauguration of the newly elected executives of the Lagos State chapter of the Nigerian Youth Congress (NYC) and its leadership and training summit.
The newly inaugurated leadership of the Congress pledged to address unemployment, insecurity, poor road infrastructure, cultism and the circulation of fake drugs, while promoting youth participation in governance.
Speaking at the event, a candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Lagos State House of Assembly, Amuwo-Odofin Constituency I, Folorunsho Olusegun; the National President of NYC, Jethro Annum; and the Lagos State Chairman of the Congress, Adebowale Alimi, outlined their positions on youth development, security and governance.
Olusegun, who acknowledged the economic difficulties confronting Nigerians, urged citizens to appreciate the reforms introduced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, expressing optimism that the country would eventually reap the benefits.
“Through the reforms we are going through, he has done a lot of things. The allocations being given to the state and local governments have enabled several palliative measures to cushion the effects of the hardship,” he said.
He added that although the reforms had brought temporary difficulties, the country was gradually moving towards economic recovery.
According to him, the Federal Government has also introduced palliative measures to ease the burden on citizens, while the Lagos State Government has continued to initiate programmes aimed at supporting young people and vulnerable residents.
On his personal efforts to address youth unemployment in Amuwo-Odofin, Olusegun said he had facilitated employment opportunities, provided financial assistance to students and supported several young people through various empowerment initiatives.
“It is not an issue again because Mr President has already made arrangements for loans for students, so everybody will be able to learn.
“But in our local government, as a person, we have done a lot of things. If you want to have an idea, you can visit my website, http://olaweston.ng, where you will see many of the things I have done for the youths of the community,” he said.
Reacting to agitation by groups such as Bring Back Festac over deteriorating roads and other infrastructural challenges in the area, Olusegun said he was still a candidate awaiting election and, therefore, did not occupy an elective office.
“Remember, I am a candidate waiting for my election. Although I have a lot of things that I have been doing for the community, that is part of the fact that I am not yet in office,” he said.
He, however, disclosed that he had been engaging friends in government and various ministries to attract interventions to the community, particularly in areas affecting young people.
Olusegun also defended the performance of the current Amuwo-Odofin Local Government chairman, urging critics to assess the administration based on its achievements.
According to him, the chairman, who has been in office for about 15 months, has facilitated the construction of more than 13 roads, while the Lagos State Government has taken over the construction of three other roads in the council area.
He said public criticism had also encouraged the local government administration to review its performance and address identified shortcomings.
On his legislative ambition, Olusegun said he hoped to provide effective representation through lawmaking, oversight functions and constituency projects, while remaining accessible to the people.
“The job of a lawmaker is to perform oversight functions, facilitate projects and make laws, but beyond that, he must be visible and accessible to the people. Already, I am accessible, and people across the area know me,” he said.
On insecurity and criminal activities, he said he had consistently engaged young people, advising them to shun drug abuse, gambling, cultism and other forms of criminality.
He warned that involvement in crime could destroy their future and expose them to unnecessary risks.
“Drugs cannot take them anywhere; they can only destroy them,” he said.
Olusegun also urged young Nigerians to be responsible in their use of social media, particularly ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He cautioned against cybercrime, character assassination, online blackmail and the spread of fake news, including manipulated content generated through artificial intelligence.
He urged young people to verify information before sharing it and to avoid using social media to insult or defame political opponents.
On the importance of youth participation in the forthcoming elections, he said young people must make informed choices because the future belonged to them.
The National President of NYC, Jethro Annum, said the Congress was established to provide leadership, direction and a unified platform for Nigerian youths.
He explained that the organisation emerged against the backdrop of leadership crises and factional disputes within some existing youth organisations.
According to him, the then Minister of Youth Development approved the registration of a new apex youth body through the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to provide a platform for engagement between government and young Nigerians.
“The body will be used for the mobilisation and engagement of young people,” he said.
On efforts to tackle cultism, crime and unemployment, Annum said the process of instilling discipline and responsible behaviour in young people must begin at the family level.
“The training you give to young people begins at the family level before society takes it up. We believe that when a child is born, the immediate family and parents must train the child to understand what is good and evil before the child reaches the teenage stage.
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“Instilling discipline in children begins from the home,” he said.
He noted that the responsibility of raising responsible young people was shared by families, schools and society, adding that NYC would continue to complement these efforts through sensitisation and leadership training.
Annum said the Lagos gathering was not merely an inauguration ceremony but also an opportunity to train young people on leadership, unity, responsible citizenship and participation in governance.
“What is going on in the hall behind us is the training of young people on which way to go. We are emphasising the need for unity, shunning social vices and finding a place at the decision-making table of governance in Nigeria.
“We are tired of being onlookers. We are participants now,” he declared.
On youth inclusion in governance, he said NYC had continued to push for greater opportunities for young people following the passage of the Not Too Young To Run legislation.
He disclosed that the Congress had endorsed Olusegun’s legislative ambition, expressing confidence in his ability to represent the interests of young people.
Giving an account of the achievements of his administration since assuming office last year, Annum said the Congress had secured opportunities for more than 10,000 young Nigerians to participate in the Federal Government’s 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme.
“We have been in talks with them, and we are participants. The Nigeria Youth Congress is a key participant in that programme to train young people in technology and information and communications technology,” he said.
The newly inaugurated Lagos State Chairman of NYC, Adebowale Alimi, described himself as a youth advocate, saying his emergence was the outcome of years of investment in youth development and empowerment.
He said he had encouraged young people to abandon drug addiction, pursue tertiary education and acquire vocational skills that would improve their economic prospects.
According to him, a church in the community has also offered university education opportunities to interested young people.
Alimi said his responsibility had now expanded beyond Festac Town and Amuwo-Odofin to cover the entire Lagos State.
He announced that one of the first major programmes of his administration would be a state-wide sensitisation walk against fake food products, drugs and drinks, in collaboration with relevant regulatory agencies, including the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON).
“We had a walk on October 1 for good governance in Nigeria. We will be staging another walk to raise awareness against fake food, fake drugs and fake drinks.
“We are going to stage this walk across Lagos State because young people are dying at ages when they should still be contributing to society. We see our parents grow old and our grandparents still live.
“If you say the youths are the leaders of tomorrow, they must actually stay alive to become the leaders of tomorrow,” he said.
On cultism, which he described as one of the greatest challenges confronting young people, Alimi identified education as a major instrument for prevention.
He urged parents and young people to take education seriously, stressing that academic and vocational development should remain priorities.
He, however, acknowledged that youth organisations could only encourage members to abandon cultism, while the responsibility for its eradication rested largely with government and relevant security agencies.
Alimi said he would convene a roundtable discussion with members of his executive committee to develop practical strategies for tackling the problem.
His advice to young people was to acquire education, learn vocational skills and avoid violence and criminal activities.
“Get educated because an educated environment is a safe environment. Violence does not add any value to anybody. It does not add any paycheque to your pocket.
“Get something doing. Learn a skill. People don’t look for jobs again; jobs look for you, depending on the skills you have acquired,” he said.
Addressing concerns about public confidence in NYC, given that the organisation was established in 2021, Annum said credibility could only be achieved through effective performance and accountability.
He maintained that trust was earned through service and not merely through public declarations.
“Trust is not what you sell in the market. Trust is what you earn from the people. Without working effectively and allowing people to know that you are apolitical, there is no way you can tell them to trust you,” he said.
He also urged young Nigerians to scrutinise the manifestoes of political aspirants and assess their commitment to youth development before deciding whom to support in the 2027 elections.
On concerns about possible rivalry with other youth organisations, Alimi said NYC was not interested in competing with any group for leadership space, insisting that performance should determine an organisation’s relevance.
He also pledged that his administration would prioritise the proposed campaign against fake products within its first three to six months, while other programmes would be developed in consultation with members of his executive committee.
“We will not tell you things that will not happen. But the first thing you will get from us is the staging of a walk because we are losing too many young people every day,” he said.
Editorial note: I have retained the substance of the interviews while correcting repetitions, grammatical errors and inconsistencies. Please confirm the exact name of the church mentioned by Alimi and the official designation of the 3 Million Talent Training Programme before publication. Also, the headline deliberately gives prominence to the collective security initiative rather than the political candidate’s comments.
