Daniel Ogoloma Delivers Opening Address at Renewed Hope National Youth Tour South-South Edition

At the South-South edition of the Renewed Hope National Youth Tour held recently, youth representative Daniel Ogoloma delivered the opening address, positioning young Nigerians at the centre of national development conversations while highlighting ongoing government-led interventions aimed at expanding access to opportunity.

Opening the programme, Ogoloma welcomed dignitaries, stakeholders, and young participants, while setting an energetic tone for the engagement with a call-and-response segment that reflected strong youth participation across the South-South states.

Addressing the gathering, he described the South-South region as a critical driver of Nigeria’s national development, while shifting focus toward the lived experiences of young people within the region.

“The South-South is not just a region; it is a major driver of Nigeria’s economic strength. But tonight is about something deeper, the human story,” he said.

Ogoloma emphasised that the purpose of the Renewed Hope National Youth Tour is to bridge the gap between policy formulation and citizen access, particularly for young people across the country.

According to him, the initiative is designed to ensure that national programmes are not only announced but understood, accessed, and experienced by the intended beneficiaries.

He noted that the tour is anchored on three core pillars: informing young Nigerians about available opportunities, engaging them directly with relevant institutions, and empowering them with practical access to resources and support systems.

“This tour is not just a programme moving from state to state. It is designed to close the gap between policy and people,” he stated.

Highlighting key federal and regional interventions, Ogoloma referenced initiatives such as Credicorp, the Presidential Amnesty Programme, and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) interventions, noting their role in expanding access to credit, skills, infrastructure, and economic participation for young Nigerians.

He further stressed that the central question guiding the engagement is not the existence of programmes, but accessibility and accountability.

“Who is actually benefiting? What can you access today? And if you cannot access it, who is accountable?” he asked.

The youth representative concluded by urging participants to actively engage with the session, noting that the programme provides a direct platform for interaction with agencies responsible for delivering youth-focused interventions.

The Renewed Hope National Youth Tour continues across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones as part of broader efforts to deepen youth inclusion in governance and national development discourse, in line with the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.