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2025 Youth Day: Minister, Mind the_Gap Urge Youth to Lead With Action, Innovation, and Impact
Cyril Ogar
The Federal Government has renewed its call for young Nigerians to move from conversation to concrete action as the country commemorates the 2025 National and African Youth Day.
The Federal Ministry of Youth Development, in collaboration with Mind the Gap, others stakeholders, facilitated the commemoration of the 2025 Africa/National Youth Day on Thursday, November 27, 2025, in Abuja under the theme “From Aspiration to Action: Youth as Agents of Reparative Justice and Sustainable Development.”
Speaking at the event, the Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to empowering young people within the framework of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
He noted that Nigeria has entered a new era where young citizens are no longer seen as leaders of tomorrow, but as leaders actively shaping national development today.
“This is the first time our story is changing,” Olawande said. “Young people must move from talking to producing tangible results. Your ideas, your courage, and your energy will shape the future of Nigeria and Africa.”
The Minister highlighted the significant progress made in youth-inclusion policies, innovation partnerships, and investment attraction—driven by the Ministry’s renewed collaborations with the private sector, international organisations, and development stakeholders. He emphasised that new institutional reforms and policy frameworks are designed to equip young Nigerians with tools to tackle long-term challenges related to justice, green skills development, digital innovation, and inclusion.
Olawande also applauded the Mind the Gap, UNFPA, NILDS, the National Youth Service Corps, and other partners for their contributions to youth empowerment.
According to him, the NYSC is evolving beyond national service into a platform for capacity building, entrepreneurship, and employability enhancement.
“The Renewed Hope Agenda is a clear promise to support young Nigerians,” he added. “Progress needs all of us—government, private sector, communities, and young people themselves.”
In his remarks, the Executive Director of Mind the_Gap and Special/Technical Adviser to the Minister of Youth on Institutional Capacity and Programme Sustainability, Tayo Olosunde, stressed the importance of institutionalising and strengthening youth development initiatives.
He commended the Minister for his exceptional leadership in uniting key actors across sectors to drive strategic investments in young people.
“As we advance, several new MOUs will shape the next phase of youth empowerment in Nigeria,” Olosunde said. “Our responsibility is to ensure these agreements are institutionalised and sustained, creating programmes that deliver long-term impact.”
Olosunde also announced that the National Youth Development Awards will hold for the first time, recognising organisations, ministries, agencies, and states that have shown exceptional dedication to youth development. He described the upcoming ceremony as “the icing on the cake” of the year’s efforts.
Delivering his welcome remarks, the Director-General of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Prof. Abubakar O. Sulaiman, underscored that Africa’s youthful population represents immense potential—but only when backed by deliberate, inclusive policies.
He stated that young people must be seen as active co-creators of policy and agents of transformation, not passive beneficiaries. According to him, this requires moving from political rhetoric to strategic interventions that build real skills, capacities, and leadership pathways.
“Today’s gathering is more than ceremonial; it is a call to action,” he said. “Government, institutions, development partners, and communities must renew their commitment to youth inclusion and forge a new social contract that sees young people not as problems, but as partners.”
Prof. Sulaiman urged young Africans to keep aspiring, innovating, and taking bold steps to drive sustainable development across the continent.
However, the two-day event feature: Open conversations, Innovation exhibitions and pitches, Youth parley, Cultural displays, Dance-drama performances, Launch of new youth-focused initiatives
As the celebration serves as a powerful reminder that the future of Africa rests in the hands of its youth, while also providing a platform for dialogue on issues shaping the continent’s future.
News
Eagle Times Newspaper Will Be Voice for Nigerians – Publisher Chukwunyere Vows
Joel Ajayi
The Publisher of The Eagle Times Nigeria, Sir Ikechukwu Chukwunyere, has pledged that the newspaper will promote accountability, credible journalism and public-interest reporting in its coverage of national affairs.
Chukwunyere made the commitment on Thursday, October 1, 2026, during the official unveiling and launch of The Eagle Times Nigeria.
He said the new media organisation was established not merely to add another newspaper to Nigeria’s media landscape, but to provide a platform committed to serving the public interest.
According to him, the newspaper’s guiding philosophy, “The Voice for the People, The Watchdog for the Nation,” places a responsibility on the organisation to listen to Nigerians, tell their stories, highlight issues affecting their daily lives and scrutinise those entrusted with public responsibilities.
“To be a voice for the people means that we must listen to Nigerians, tell their stories, highlight their concerns and give visibility to issues that affect their daily lives,” he said.
The publisher added that The Eagle Times would be guided by accuracy, fairness, professionalism, credibility and responsible journalism, stressing that the newspaper would not publish stories merely because they were sensational.
“We will verify. We will investigate. We will seek the other side. We will correct our mistakes when we make them,” he said.
Chukwunyere further stated that the newspaper would endeavour to give individuals and organisations the opportunity to respond whenever allegations were made against them.
“Our commitment is not to any political party, government or individual. Our primary commitment is to journalism, to truth and to the Nigerian public,” he said.
He noted that the newspaper was launching at a time when the media industry was undergoing rapid transformation, with audiences increasingly consuming news through digital platforms, including websites, television, podcasts and social media.
He said The Eagle Times would therefore operate as a multimedia organisation, combining its newspaper with digital platforms and The Eagle Times TV to reach audiences across different channels.
According to him, the organisation also intends to create opportunities for young journalists, writers, photographers, producers, digital creators and other media professionals to develop their skills and contribute to journalism and national development.
Chukwunyere said the newspaper’s coverage would include politics, governance, business, economy, security, judiciary, education, health, technology, sports, entertainment, lifestyle and international affairs.
He, however, said the organisation intended to distinguish itself not only by the subjects it covered but by the quality and approach of its journalism.
We want to tell stories that matter, we want to investigate issues that require investigation, we want to highlight Nigerians who are making a difference, and we want to give communities that are often ignored an opportunity to be heard,” he said.
The publisher acknowledged the challenges involved in establishing a newspaper, saying the venture required investment, commitment, professional discipline and the courage to pursue an idea.
He expressed appreciation to the management, editorial, reporting, production and digital teams, as well as families, friends, partners and supporters who contributed to the establishment of the organisation.
Chukwunyere also assured readers, viewers and the newspaper’s digital audience that The Eagle Times would strive to earn their trust and remain accountable to the standards it had set for itself.
He said the newspaper’s success would not be measured only by circulation figures, website traffic or social media followers, but also by the confidence Nigerians placed in its journalism.
“Today, we spread our wings. Today, The Eagle Times takes flight,” he said, reaffirming the newspaper’s commitment to its slogan: “The Voice for the People, The Watchdog for the Nation.”
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