Dimeji Sodeke: Moving Youth from the Audience to the Decision-Making Table

For years, young people in Ogun State have featured in political speeches, rallies and government programmes. But how much influence do they have in decisions shaping their future?

As the state approaches another political transition, attention is turning to how the next administration could place young people at the centre of governance.

Ogun has many young entrepreneurs, students, artisans and professionals with ideas. What is missing is a durable framework connecting their aspirations with government policy.

According to Dimeji Sodeke, youth development must move beyond programmes designed for young people to systems designed with them.

“Ogun State does not lack young people. What it lacks is a system that consistently treats them as partners in shaping their own future rather than as an audience,” he said.

From Rallies to Real Conversations
Sodeke proposed a Statewide Youth Conference and Symposium where young people could engage policymakers, present ideas, discuss policies and track government responses.

But he emphasised the importance of creating a sustained platform where discussions lead to clear outcomes and follow-up.
“The real value will be measured after the microphones are switched off,” he said.

The key questions, he argued, are: What recommendations emerged? Which ministries received them? What changed because young people participated?

“That is the difference between consultation and participation,” he said.
Recognition Beyond Political Connections
Sodeke also proposed annual Government Excellence Youth Awards to recognise measurable contributions in innovation, social enterprise, public service and academics across the state.

“Not every young Ogun resident who deserves to be celebrated carries a political surname, commands a large social-media following or moves in government circles,” he said.

Recognition, he added, would show that achievement can be based on merit, service and impact.

A Permanent Voice for Young People
Sodeke believes Ogun needs a permanent mechanism for youth participation in policymaking.

He proposed an Inter-Institutional Youth Advisory Committee representing universities, polytechnics, secondary schools and vocational centres.

“Let them research. Let them consult their peers. Let them scrutinise policies that affect young people,” he said.

The committee could produce evidence-based policy papers and forward recommendations to relevant ministries.

Building Tomorrow’s Leaders Today
Sodeke also views youth development as a long-term investment in leadership.
“Leadership does not appear the day an appointment letter is signed. It is cultivated over time,” he said.

He cited the Kashim Ibrahim Fellows and Lateef Jakande Leadership Academy as examples of programmes exposing young people to governance, policy and mentorship.

Ogun, he suggested, could establish its own fellowship programme for promising young people from diverse backgrounds.

“Years later, some of those fellows will become civil servants, entrepreneurs, legislators, policy experts or governors,” Sodeke said.

“When they do, they will not be learning governance for the first time.”

Sodeke believes youth development should be protected from partisan politics and changes in government.

He proposed a Non-Partisan Advisory Council comprising credible citizens, civil society organisations, professionals, elder statesmen and sector leaders.

The council could provide institutional memory, independent review and constructive feedback while monitoring youth policies.

“Government does not always need more people willing to say, ‘Your Excellency, everything is perfect.’ Sometimes it needs people prepared to say, with respect, ‘This is not working,’” he said.

“That counsel is not opposition. It is good governance.”

The Bigger Question
For Sodeke, the issue is bigger than launching another youth programme. It is about building institutions that survive beyond one administration.

“The real tragedy would be creating good programmes without the institutions strong enough to keep them alive,” he said.

Young people, he argued, must also move beyond requests for appointments, handouts and campaign invitations. They should seek measurable commitments and a genuine role in policymaking.

Sodeke believes the next administration’s first year could reveal whether its youth agenda is serious.
He proposed establishing the statewide youth conference, advisory committee, leadership fellowship and non-partisan council within that period.

But announcements would not be enough. Mandates must be clear, membership transparent, responsibilities measurable and reports public.

At the centre of the proposal is a simple accountability framework: “What did government promise? What has been delivered? What remains outstanding? And why?”
As the next political contest approaches, candidates may engage with a more informed youth constituency—one interested not only in what politicians promise to do for young people, but what they will build with them.

“Youth development cannot be left solely to government. It requires citizens who keep asking questions, institutions that keep records and young people who keep showing up,” Sodeke said.

Ultimately, youth policy should be measured not by empowerment ceremonies or photographs, but by whether young people gain the skills, opportunities, institutional access and leadership experience to shape Ogun’s future.

“Do not simply promise the youth a future. Give them a mechanism to help build it,” Sodeke said.
Create the platforms.
Institutionalise the dialogue.

Protect the process.
Publish the results.
Then allow Ogun’s young people to assess government not by how often they were invited to clap, but by how often they were invited to contribute—and what government did with their contributions.

The next generation is not asking for a ceremonial seat at the table. It is asking whether the table was designed with them in mind.