NYFF Unveils $1.2m Grants for Youth-leadership Development 

* Poor youths can’t advance course of democracy, says Gbajabiamila

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

The LEAP Africa, a youth-focused leadership development organisation, has offered $1.2 million (N958.8m) grant to 170 youth groups to promote their participation in governance.

The grant, offered through its youth engagement and advocacy programme, Nigeria Youth Futures Fund (NYFF), will strengthen youth leadership through policy engagements and inclusive resources.

NYFF is supported by MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation and Luminate Group.

Speaking at the unveiling of the grant in Abuja on Monday, LEAP Africa’s Executive Director, Kehinde Ayeni, said the fund would be given to the youth groups over the next 12 months.

Ayeni said: “The organisations received grants to promote civic participation and engagement where youths participate in governance.

“Some of the success of the last election was as a result of the work that we did, especially with the young people.

“We have seen how young people are speaking up on issues of policies and programmes.

“We are asking for more visibility and opportunities for young people, and we believe that this second grant that we are giving will facilitate good governance further in Nigeria society.

“In this second grant, we are giving about $1.2 million  to 170 organisations and we will give this grant in the next 12 months.”

She therefore urged the beneficiaries to ensure judicious use of the fund.

The Country Director for Nigeria at DAI, an international development company, Dr. Joe Abah, said the high cost of running for political offices in the country is preventing the youths from contesting.

He therefore urged political parties to slash the price of nomination forms to encourage more youth participation in politics.  

“By making it very expensive to run for public office, you are automatically excluding young people. Although you have passed the Not-too-young-to-run Act, you have taken steps to ensure that they can’t run by making the forms too expensive. 

“So, I will call on the political parties to take a look at that to ensure that we don’t consciously or unconsciously exclude our youths,” he said. 

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, urged the youth not to relent in their quest to achieve a transformative change.

He said: “The challenges we face are not insurmountable obstacles but rather opportunities for innovation, collaboration, and transformative change.

“Step into the arena of leadership, not as mere participants, but as architects of a new Nigeria. Let your voices be heard, your ideas be shared, and your actions be the driving force behind a nation that truly reflects the dreams and aspirations of its youth.”

Meanwhile, the Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, has said it will be pretty difficult for financially unstable youths to advance the course of democracy.

He has therefore addressed the need for stakeholders in the private sector and non-governmental organisations to partner President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s efforts to empower the Nigerian youths financially.

Gbajabiamila stated this at the opening ceremony of the Second Legislative Mentorship Initiative Fellowship Programme organised by the National Institute For Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS).

According to him, “A generation of young people struggling to meet their basic financial needs are unlikely to be productive contributors to the advancement of democracy.  

“On the other hand, when young people are engaged in productive economic pursuits that can provide for their needs, they are better positioned to participate in politics and governance from a position of strength.” 

The former speaker of the House of Representatives said that was one of the reasons the administration of President Tinubu was determined to rebuild the foundations of the  national economy.

He said it was necessary so that the country would become more attractive to the foreign and local capital needed to build essential public infrastructure, develop new industries, build our communities and create sufficient numbers of well-paying jobs.

When this is done, he said, it would be easier for the government to meet the demands of the large and growing population of young people in Nigeria.  

“We must continue in the public sector, at all levels and arms of government, in the private sector, in the development sector and every other possible arena to make room for young people.

“They should be made to bring their unique energies and perspectives to influence how we operate in these spaces.

“The role of economic factors in facilitating participation in public affairs is not often sufficiently addressed,” he said.

Gbajabiamila also stressed the need to make the nation’s electoral system credible in order to encourage youths active participation.

“Credible elections are essential to retaining the public’s faith in democracy.  Election outcomes must reflect the people’s will, and citizens must have confidence that they can hold political leaders accountable through the ballot box.  

He explained that the purpose of the Legislative Mentorship Initiative (LMI) was to identify and train a generation of public sector leaders who understand that the point of holding power is to get things done and accomplish things.

He said they would also be mentored to acquire expertise and temperament to use the machinery of government and the instruments of power to achieve peace, drive progress and ensure prosperity for all.  

The Director General of NILDS, Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, said this is the first set of participants to be mentored under the stewardship of NILDS.

He said: “This programme marks a new chapter in the LMI’s evolution, ensuring its sustainability and expanding its reach to empower future generations of legislators.

“The LMI is the brainchild of the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, and was initiated with the vision of fostering a vibrant and well-equipped legislative cadre capable of navigating the complexities of governance and delivering effective representation to the Nigerian people.”