By Henry Umoru
ABUJA — The Confederation of West African Youths has called for greater youth participation in governance, accountable leadership and policies capable of creating more economic opportunities for young Nigerians.
The Regional President of the organisation, Ambassador Israel Akinola, made the call yesterday in Abuja when a delegation of the group paid a courtesy visit to the National Secretariat of the Social Democratic Party, SDP.
Akinola described the confederation as a platform for African youths committed to promoting effective leadership and governance, saying it had members across West African countries.
He said Nigeria required a new approach to governance, with greater emphasis on citizens’ welfare, accountability and opportunities for young people.
According to him, young Nigerians face challenges including economic hardship, unemployment and limited opportunities to develop and commercialise their skills and ideas.
Akinola, who said he had previously been involved with the SDP, explained that the visit was aimed at engaging the party intellectually on its ideas for addressing the country’s challenges.
He also called for stronger public-private partnerships, saying government policies should have tangible effects on citizens, particularly young people and those at the grassroots.
“We want what will make every African country experience leadership and governance at its peak,” he said.
Akinola criticised what he described as poor governance and alleged misuse of public resources by some political leaders, saying Nigeria needed leaders who would focus on delivering tangible results for citizens.
“We need people who understand what leadership truly is. And we need a government that the citizens would have a direct feeling of. We need a government that poor masses can actually have a direct feeling of,” he said.
He said the confederation was seeking to promote practical solutions to Nigeria’s challenges rather than merely criticising those in government.
Speaking, the SDP presidential candidate for the 2027 election, Prince Adewole Adebayo, thanked the delegation for the visit and highlighted the historical role of West African youth movements in the struggle for independence and self-government.
Adebayo urged the youths to take their engagement beyond political meetings and into communities across the country.
He said meaningful political participation depended on sustained interaction with citizens at the grassroots and polling-unit levels.
The presidential candidate also urged young people to build a common sense of purpose around national development and engage citizens honestly on issues affecting their communities and the future of the country.
Responding, the SDP Vice National Chairman, Senator Ugochukwu Uba, who represented the National Chairman, Professor Sadiq Gombe, said the party was committed to pursuing what he described as a different approach to governance.
Uba said the SDP’s programme was anchored on the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy contained in Chapter Two of the Nigerian Constitution, particularly provisions relating to the welfare and security of citizens.
He said growing interest among young Nigerians in the party indicated increased engagement with its message and policy proposals.
According to him, the party’s recently presented manifesto contains programmes aimed at addressing some of Nigeria’s development challenges.
Uba argued that Nigeria had remained underdeveloped despite its human and material resources, saying leadership and governance remained central to addressing the situation.
He said the SDP was seeking a change in the country’s political culture through what he described as a different approach to governance and national development.
The visit provided an opportunity for the youth organisation and the SDP leadership to exchange views on governance, youth participation, economic opportunities and Nigeria’s development challenges.
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