Tinubu opens National Youth Confab 2026, urges young Nigerians to shape policy
President Bola Tinubu
Abdullateef Fowewe
President Bola Tinubu on Friday announced the formal opening of the National Youth Confab 2026, calling on young Nigerians at home and in the diaspora to actively participate and help shape decisions affecting their future.
In a statement posted on his official X account, Tinubu said, “Today, we open the National Youth Confab 2026. The message to every young Nigerian is this: Our dear country believes in you and in what you can do for its future.”
He emphasised that the conference was designed to give youth more than symbolic involvement.
“When I proposed this Confab, I wanted young Nigerians to have more than a seat in the room. Your experience and ambition should help shape the decisions that affect your lives,” he stated.
Tinubu encouraged candid input, adding, “Say what you think. Where you disagree with us, say so, and bring the alternative with you. Our job as a government is to listen and act on what deserves action.”
Virtual consultations will run for the next two weeks and remain open to participants wherever they are, including those abroad.
The president said he looks forward to receiving recommendations and giving them serious consideration.
The National Youth Confab 2026 is Nigeria’s largest youth-driven dialogue platform, organised by the Federal Ministry of Youth Development under Tinubu’s mandate.
Themed “Next Gen Nigeria: Crafting Solutions, Owning the Future,” it aims to move young people (primarily aged 18–35) from passive participation to active solution-building.
Tinubu first proposed a youth conference in his October 1, 2024, Independence Day broadcast.
After planning delays and a committee inauguration in 2025, the government confirmed the October 2026 timeline in mid-September.
The process begins with nationwide virtual consultations, followed by a physical conference in Abuja expected to feature one delegate from each of Nigeria’s 360 federal constituencies plus diaspora representatives.
Discussions will focus on six pillars: governance and political participation, economic transformation and job creation, education and skills, technology and innovation, climate and energy transition, and security and social cohesion.
Officials have stressed that recommendations will be channelled for action by the executive, legislature and judiciary rather than left as unused reports.
The initiative forms part of Tinubu’s broader Renewed Hope Agenda emphasis on youth inclusion.
