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FG Partners CIML, Mind the Gap Television to Drive Youth Innovation and Media Engagement
Joel Ajayi
The Federal Ministry of Youth Development has signed separate Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with the Chartered Institute of Management and Leadership (CIML) and Mind the Gap Television to promote youth innovation and strengthen youth-focused media engagement across Nigeria.
The MoU with CIML is aimed at implementing the Youth Innovate Naija Initiative, a programme designed to unlock the innovative potential of Nigerian youth and support them in becoming entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders.
The Ministry also signed a separate MoU with Mind the Gap Television to produce and promote a youth-focused YouTube television programme titled “The Youths Are Here,” which will provide a digital platform to showcase youth voices, ideas, and development initiatives across the country.
Speaking at the signing ceremony held at the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja, the Permanent Secretary, Dr. (Mrs.) Maryam Keshinro, who represented the Honourable Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande, described the initiatives as strategic platforms designed to harness the creativity and energy of Nigerian youth while connecting them with opportunities for enterprise development and national growth.
In his address ,the Honourable Minister noted that Nigeria is endowed with one of the largest youth populations in the world, presenting the country with a unique opportunity to drive innovation-led development. He stated that across universities, polytechnics, research institutions, and communities, young Nigerians are generating remarkable ideas and conducting valuable research capable of addressing real-life challenges. He however noted that many of these ideas often remain underfunded, uncommercialized, or disconnected from platforms that can transform them into viable enterprises.
According to the Minister, the Youth Innovate Naija Initiative was conceived to bridge this gap by providing a national platform where young Nigerians—both students and non-students can present innovative ideas, develop prototypes, receive mentorship, and connect with investors and industry leaders.
He further stated that the programme will focus on key sectors critical to Nigeria’s development, including agriculture and food security, renewable energy, digital technology, healthcare innovation, smart infrastructure, and the creative economy.
Comrade Olawande
emphasized that the partnership between the Ministry and its collaborators is both timely and strategic, noting that the organisations bring valuable expertise, institutional credibility, and media visibility that will strengthen the implementation and outreach of the initiatives.
He added that beyond the competition aspect of the programme, the initiative is designed to create sustainable impact by encouraging the emergence of youth-led start-ups, promoting the commercialization of research, strengthening innovation ecosystems within educational institutions, and attracting private sector investment as well as international partnerships.
The Honourable Minister noted that the signing of the MoUs marks the beginning of a transformative journey that reflects the Ministry’s commitment to moving beyond policy discussions to concrete actions that empower Nigerian youth to realize their full potential.
In his remarks, the Chairman, Board of Trustees of CIML Nigeria, Dr. Steve Longe, described the Youth Innovate Naija Initiative as a pioneering programme designed to bring together Nigerian youth from diverse backgrounds, educational levels, and regions under a single national platform that promotes innovation, enterprise development, and collaborative growth.
He noted that the programme will provide an inclusive opportunity for young Nigerians in both the formal and non-formal education sectors to contribute to national development through creativity, knowledge development, and entrepreneurship.
Also speaking, the representative of Mind the Gap Community and Youth Development Foundation, Mr. Tayo Olosunde, emphasized the importance of effective digital communication in ensuring that government development initiatives reach and positively impact young Nigerians across the country through platforms such as the YouTube programme “The Youths Are Here.”
The initiatives are expected to serve as catalysts for youth-driven innovation, entrepreneurship, and national engagement while promoting sustainable economic growth.
News
Musawa Seeks Broader Significance for June 12
Joel Ajayi
The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, Esq., says June 12 must be remembered as a sacrifice that gave Nigerians democracy, beyond its status as a public holiday.
In a statement signed on Saturday by the Senior Assistant Media & Publicity to the Honourable Minister,Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy Dr Nneka Ikem Anibeze Ph.D in Abuja.
Musawa stated this at the national premiere of “MKO”, a film on Chief Moshood Abiola, held at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and Creative Arts, Lagos, to mark Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary.
She said 33 years after June 12, 1993, many young Nigerians know it only as a holiday, but the film turns it back into memory.
“For too many young Nigerians, June 12 is simply a public holiday. This film tells them that our democracy did not arrive by chance. It was fought for. It was defended. It was paid for. This documentary is in honour of the heroes of June 12, the men and women who gave their lives for the mandate of June 12, 1993 and for the democracy Nigeria enjoys today,” the Minister said.
Musawa hailed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Chief Host, for his participation in the June 12 struggle and paying the price in exile, adding that Nigeria’s creative industry will keep telling the story of its democracy with courage.
“Through film and the creative economy, Nigeria will preserve its history. A nation that forgets its past loses its way to the future. Nigeria has a story and our story deserves to be told,” she said.
Earlier, the director of the investigative documentary, Ose Oyamendan, said the film was in honour and memory of heroes who fought for Nigeria’s democracy.
“There was Hope ’93 and now there is Renewed Hope. There was a man who sacrificed his life so we may have democracy and there is a man who almost lost his life fighting for democracy who is now helping build a lasting democracy.
“There was a great man called Bashorun MKO Abiola and there is now another great man called Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Democrats. Nationalists. Nation builders. Leaders of men and women. We must never forget our story. We must always honour and remember our heroes,” Oyamendan said.
Top government officials including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the wife of the President Senator Oluremi Tinubu; Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas, Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Chief of Staff to the President Rt. Femi Gbajabiamila, state Governors, members of the National Assembly, Ministers and other distinguished dignitaries attended the premiere.
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