Catalysing Positive Social Change through Youth Engagement

The third annual ‘Youths Pray for Nigeria, YPFN, Conference united thousands of young people in Lagos, fostering meaningful dialogue, excellence, and innovation. Esther Oluku, who was at the event, reports that this dynamic gathering aims to galvanise Nigeria’s youth potential, empowering them to drive transformative change and shape a brighter future

Nigeria is currently facing one of its most turbulent times, with soaring cost of living, rising exchange rates, and a growing poverty bracket that threatens to eliminate the middle class, forcing many young Nigerians to seek better opportunities abroad.

In December 2023, the International Organisation for Migration revealed that about 260,000 Nigerians applied for immigration visas, with 80 per cent heading to the United Kingdom.

However, stricter immigration policies introduced in 2024, coupled with Nigeria’s devalued currency and scarce foreign exchange, have left many feeling trapped and hopeless.

This brain drain is a significant concern, as Nigeria’s best and brightest seek opportunities elsewhere. Urgent action is needed to address the country’s economic and social issues, promote growth, create jobs, and provide social welfare.

Following this, the Convener, Youths Pray For Nigeria, Mr. Festus Ighodaro, set his sail towards redirecting the focus from the search for opportunities outside the shores of Nigeria, but rather inspire Nigerian youths towards building the Nigeria of their dreams.

Vision

His vision for starting the conference in 2022 is that the Nigerian youth population cannot continue to wait for successive government administrations to overhaul the economic, political, and social landscape of the country as it craves. Instead, youths must rise to their responsibility by taking actions that make for the building of a formidable nation.

As such, a deliberate reorientation of young people, he said, is necessary. Starting the YPFN Conference in 2022, about 800 young people showed up to listen to accomplished speakers, learn winning attitudes and lifestyle tips, and network with peers from other selected secondary schools to rethink the conference nuggets and continue nurturing the seeds of greatness they had been impacted with.

In 2023, the number of participants grew by 50 per cent to 1,200. This growth, according to Ighodaro, was made possible by growing interest from secondary schools around Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital. This year, the participants tripled the size of the 2023 conference, with over 3,500 students in attendance.

The topics cut across education, patriotism for one’s nation, Domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence, the role of technology in driving national development and progress as well as training against drug addiction and abuse.

Need for youth engagement in shaping Nigeria’s future

According to Ighodaro, the need to stir hope in the hearts of young people should be treated with urgency as the older generation of Nigerians are disillusioned by the state of the nation.

Through the YPFN Conferences every year, the seeds of the possibility of a prosperous Nigeria are laid in the hearts of participants, which Ighodaro argues, is an essential foundation for the youth population to draw strength from for the journey ahead and the building blocks of a resilient spirit to overcome challenges that they may encounter in life.

To achieve this, the target demography of participants are students from secondary schools across Lagos and speakers are drawn from accomplished professionals across various industries with the aim of inspiring greatness.

“Many adults seem to have lost hope that this nation can ever be great again but we don’t want the youth to lose hope. That’s why we are having this conversation at YPFN. We are talking to them. We are encouraging them to believe that Nigeria can be great again and that positive change is achievable.

“Youth engagement lies at the core of the change that we hope to see, and definitely, participants are being impacted. Because most times when youth are impacted, you may not see it. They express themselves freely and you see the fruits manifest soon in them.

“One of the speakers, an Executive Director at Access Corporation, graduated from one of the schools here in Surulere, and today, he has gone around the world and has achieved so much. So allowing youth to hear his transformation and change story will inspire them with the belief that they too can be great.”

Patriotism and national development

As Nigeria marked its 64th anniversary on October 1, 2024, the YPFN conference serves as an opportunity to realign the perspectives and viewpoints of the youth population with the ideals of nationhood and patriotism for one’s country as a veritable tool for national development.

With a country-focused agenda, the conference drives a sense of ownership and national consciousness in participants, which can be harnessed for social good.  

These values can be cultivated, Ighodaro explained, through practising a lifestyle of godliness, diligence in service, love for God and country, and a passionate dream to see Nigeria become great again.

Exploiting technology for progress and prosperity

Considering that the world has become a global village where people can connect, buy and sell goods and obtain free vocational and technical training to better improve their God-given gifts and potential, the Executive Director, of Information Technology at Access Corporation, Mr. Lanre Bamisebi, who spoke at the meeting opined that young people must look towards igniting the power of technology to improve various industries in Nigeria.

According to him, beyond praying, young people can drive technological innovation in agriculture, banking, health, travel, and every other sector of the Nigerian economy.

“The Youth have a lot of energy. They have a lot of bright ideas. They are very innovative. A significant proportion of the Nigerian population is constituted by the Youth. So what that means for us is that these youths are the future of Nigeria, not only the future, but the architect of today, and technology is also very important for them, just like it is for us in different industries.

“Countries like India and China have been able to change their economy because of the focus on technology by their Youth. Now, many nations are dependent on China for so many things that were the prerogative of the Western countries. What did China do differently? They started investing in their youth. That’s what we need to do in Nigeria.

“Now, 90 per cent of our youth are on Facebook, social media, one platform or the other, but this same social media was developed by youth in other countries. We need to invest in the Youth as banks, as hospitals, and as industries. We need to invest in the Youth because that’s where the idea comes from.”

The ‘Japa syndrome’

The subject of brain drain, known in colloquial discourse as the ‘Japa syndrome’ in Nigeria has led to the migration of young, talented, and promising Nigerians outside the country in search of a better life.

Bamisebi opined that although Nigerian youths are travelling outside the shores of Nigeria to gain professional growth and advancement, the concept is not a new phenomenon but a natural course of human development that is not peculiar to this day and age.

He noted that while travelling abroad for education and enlightenment has been practised by generations of Nigerians as early as the 20th century, the advent of social media has helped to give voice to the narrative and fuel curiosity and awe as in no other age.

However, while the thirst for education can take one to foreign lands, he stated that after gaining exposure and knowledge, Nigerian Youth ought to come back home to develop their country as no place matches the experience of being at home in Nigeria.

“The japa syndrome just has a name now. People have always left the country. You find out that in the 90s, people travelled. People also travelled in the 7s and the 80s, so it’s just that now, because of social media, there’s a lot of voice to it. So people go all the time, but they always come back.

“When I finished my university education, I travelled out of the country as well. People go around. It’s part of curiosity. People are curious. They want to know what is on the other side.

“But over time, they will understand that at the end of the day, home is home. I am back home. I enjoy coming back home. The fact is, when they go, they learn one or two things and they bring it back to innovate and develop Nigeria.”

A future free of sexual and gender-based violence

As part of efforts to increase awareness of sexual and gender-based violence (GBV), Psychologist and Community Engagement Officer at the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency, Mr Olatosin Emmanuel, noted that providing students with the necessary knowledge on how to protect themselves from violence is key to creating a society free of the menace.

Emmanuel highlighted the five cardinal methods of disarming perpetrators include getting knowledge on sexual harassment and abuse, keeping a record of perpetrators, asking perpetrators to stop calmly and firmly, speaking or reporting perpetrators to relevant authority figures, and contacting the state Domestic and Sexual Violence emergency service on 08000333333.

Speaking on the importance of the YPFN engagement towards creating a domestic and sexual violence-free society, he said, “We believe that the students retain information easily, and we have seen that those that are perpetrators are products of families also.

“So our focus has always been on the young ones, the primary schoolers, the secondary schoolers, and the youths so that we have young people who have the right information on how to treat the female gender, how to feed their fellow male gender, and how to treat people in society. With these engagements, of course, we will have a better and peaceful society and, as well, be able to collaboratively fight this menace of SGBV in society.”

Participant experience

Speaking about her experience, a participant at the event, Ms. Sonia Ugochukwu of Adams College, said, “With the Youth of today, the hope of Nigeria rising again is lost. A lot of people are broken because of the economic and political instability in Nigeria.

This event has motivated me because I realized that one can’t say it is finished unless it is finished. Despite Nigeria’s situation, a lot of people have made it in life and are still shining the light at the end of the tunnel.

“This event should be sustained. It is a good motivation for the Youth of Nigeria because we have a lot of people with very good educational certifications who don’t believe that Nigeria can favour them. It should be continued annually to give Nigerians hope that we can still reach the top.”

Quote 

The Youth have a lot of energy. They have a lot of bright ideas. They are very innovative. A significant proportion of the Nigerian population is constituted by the Youth. So what that means for us is that these youths are the future of Nigeria, not only the future, but the architect of today, and technology is also very important for them, just like it is for us in different industries