FG establishes committee to study national youth policy

The Federal Government has formed a 27-member Committee to begin work on the 2019-2023 National Youth Policy right now.

Mohammed Manga, Director, Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Sports and Youth Development, issued a statement in Abuja on Thursday stating that the inauguration was in conformity with the timeframe for the review.

While inaugurating the Committee, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar, stated that the goal was to guarantee that the Ministry had a suitable 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 Nigerian Government’s declaration to the practical support it intends to give its youth.”

He went on to say that the 2019-2023 Edition of the National Youth Policy was nearing the end of its voyage, especially because the policy itself calls for a 5-year periodic review, necessitating the start of the process.

According to Abubakar, one of the successes noted in the Federal Government’s execution of the 2019-2023 Edition of the NYP is youth involvement, participation, and access to information, which allows them to know their rights.

He stated that the ministry, in collaboration with Civil Society Organisations, the Private Sector, and International Agencies, has brought National Youth Policy to the grassroots through education and publicity.

In accordance with the government’s policy focus, he added, numerous programmes and projects were also executed across the six geopolitical zones.

Ismaila said that the NYP standards needed to be reviewed on a regular basis, especially given the dynamic character of human endeavour, which he stressed was not static.

“It is the dynamic nature of human activities that has prompted the review of guidelines in order to get better results,” he noted.

According to the permanent secretary, there have been significant changes in the perspective and actions of Nigerian young towards government policies during the previous five years, particularly in the era of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

Furthermore, he claimed that “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.”

He stated that this was the reason for the evaluation to address the current issue.

“In light of these considerations, the government approved the start of the review process with the formation and inauguration of the Committee, which will work from now until February 2024.”

“I charge you (the Committee) with bringing your wealth of experience to bear in producing a one-stop shop Policy Document for government implementation.”

“Other terms of reference include, among other things, overseeing the entire review process of the National Youth Policy 2024-2027 until its launch and ensuring that youth concerns from each geopolitical zone are integrated into the final policy document.”

“Ensure that the new policy is in line with global trends, supervise the various stakeholder consultations during the review process, and bring up any other activity that will add value to the process,” Abubakar was quoted as saying in the release.

Abubakar thanked all key parties for their contributions to the success of past reviews and the execution of the editions.

As a result, he urged development partners and all important stakeholders to work together to guarantee that young issues were mainstreamed into the National Agenda.

He pledged that the Ministry would continue to welcome partnerships and collaborations.

He expressed confidence in the committee’s ability to complete its mission of developing a new Youth Policy for Nigeria in keeping with the policy thrust of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Alhaji Kabiru Mohammed, Chairman of the Committee and Director of Education and Youth Development (EYD) in the Ministry, assured that members will work relentlessly to present Nigeria with the greatest policy paper in line with worldwide best practise. (NAN)