Involve Africa’s dialogue: Stakeholders seek active youth participation in governance, civic responsibility

Stakeholders have called for greater youth participation and influence in governance, urging young Nigerians to move beyond criticism and take active roles in civic engagement, community development and decision-making.

The call was made on Tuesday at a youth-focused roundtable dialogue in Lagos organised by Involve Africa, where speakers examined the theme: ‘Youth in a Complex and Evolving Governance Landscape.’

In his welcome address, the Managing Director at Slingstone LP, Abimbola Ojenike, said young people must be allowed to organise themselves and develop leadership capacity from an early stage, including through students’ unions.

Ojenike, who reflected on his experience at the University of Ibadan, recalled the struggles surrounding students’ union autonomy and the legal battle involving the institution.
He said, “It’s not a privilege for young people to organise themselves.

According to him, restrictions on students’ unions could affect the political socialisation of young people who are expected to become responsible leaders in society.

He said when leadership at the university level becomes intimidated by young people organising themselves, “then we have a problem.”

During the first panel session, Ms Ekemini Akpakpan, Executive Secretary, Women in Successful Careers (WISCAR), who also reflected on youth leadership, said young people must develop an ownership mindset and learn how to engage decision-makers constructively rather than merely criticising existing systems.

She said advocacy should be treated as a skill involving stakeholder engagement, understanding decision-making processes, and identifying those with interest and influence.

“A key capability is stakeholder engagement. The other one is change management,” she said.

Ekemini urged young people to understand how institutions work and recognise that meaningful change is often incremental.

Responding to questions as a panellist, Ojenike said young Nigerians seeking to influence governance must first understand their environment and begin by solving problems at the grassroots.

The Managing Director of Slingstone LP cautioned against what he described as “demographic entitlement,” stressing that being young does not automatically make someone capable of solving society’s problems.

“We need to learn the humility to go back and do the small things,” Ojenike said.

He challenged young people to volunteer actively, mentor others, support children and contribute to their communities before aspiring to tackle problems on a national scale.

“You criticise better when you have learned to do. If you have never done anything before and you are talking, then that talk is just talk,” he added.

On women’s participation, Ekemini called for constructive engagement with institutions rather than placing the entire responsibility for change on women.

She said women should understand where decisions are made and engage decision-makers to ensure their experiences are reflected in policies and organisational practices. She added that women should “engage, but also engage in a way that is constructive.”

Speaking to journalists during the event, the Executive Director of Involve Africa, Ibrahim Owolabi, highlighted the organisation’s social audit initiative in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State as an example of how young people can use civic tools to demand accountability.

He recalled that young volunteers monitored the renovation of Rauf Aregbesola Primary School in Shasha, Alimosho, after concerns arose over the project’s implementation.

According to Owolabi, the volunteers used the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act to request information about the project and engaged relevant authorities, which led to the eventual completion of the school.

The Executive Director described the development as an example of how young people can combine civic engagement with available government accountability mechanisms.

Owolabi said Involve Africa focuses on “governance process, social progress, and peacebuilding,” while its youth programmes have also produced participants who have gone on to contest legislative elections, serve in government and work in the private sector.

While speaking, the National Vice Chairman of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Comrade Abubakar Asoro, said the country should move beyond merely discussing youth participation to ensuring that young people have meaningful influence in decision-making.

“What we need now is not youth participation; we must now migrate to what we call youth influence,” Asoro said.

He argued that with young people making up a significant proportion of Nigeria’s population, they should have representation in spaces where policies affecting their future are made.

Asoro also outlined the NYCN’s work in advocacy, employment, empowerment and skills development, including digital skills training and partnerships aimed at preparing young people for changing labour markets.

In another panel session, the Lagos State Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Hon. Mobolaji Ogunlende, said effective youth leadership in a complex and evolving governance environment required accountability, responsibility, hard work and consistency.

Ogunlende, who shared the panel with the Deputy Majority Leader of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Adedamola Kasumu, said young people must understand that governance was complex and required more than criticism without solutions.

Kasumu, while contributing to the discussion, emphasised the importance of moving from advocacy to active participation in governance, drawing from his own transition from political activism to public office.

He recalled how he had previously campaigned for good governance from outside government before eventually becoming part of the decision-making process.

“I was part of the complaint, and I became part of the decision. That was a major transition for me,” he said, urging young people to understand their civic responsibilities by knowing their wards, local governments, political representatives and participating in community and stakeholder meetings.

Closing the event, Senior Director of Programmes, Involve Africa, Ademola Elemoro, said the discussions had demonstrated the importance of creating platforms where young people could exchange ideas and develop new perspectives.

He noted that the organisation hoped to convene more such gatherings, adding that participants should leave with renewed understanding and a stronger commitment to civic and governance engagement.