Youth organisations in Nigeria have called on the Federal Government to establish a Youth Advisory Body for the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) to ensure accountability, transparency and youth participation in policy implementation. The appeal was made in a joint statement over the weekend, marking National Youth Day.
Groups including LEAP Africa, Network of Youth for Sustainable Initiative, NAF Foundation for Young Women, Nigeria Youth Futures Fund, and S4Television commended government initiatives such as NELFUND, the 3 Million Technical Talent Programme, Nigerian Youth Academy, and Nigeria Youth Investment Fund for addressing unemployment, educational access, and digital skills development.
The organisations stressed that youth-focused programmes must be co-created with young people. They urged the institutionalisation of mechanisms for youth representation, participatory governance, and digital accountability across all levels of government.
They also recommended regular review and funding of the National Youth Policy, the promotion of youth-led innovation, and community development initiatives to ensure that young people are not just beneficiaries but active co-drivers of national progress, contributing directly to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
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