ABUJA, Nigeria, 12 August 2024. On United Nations International Youth Day, the Nigeria Police Force and the Read and Earn Federation for UNESCO (UNESCO REF) convened the UNESCO REF Nigeria Police Youths Summit at the Nigeria Police Force Resource Centre, Abuja. More than 400 delegates, among them youth leaders, police officers, civil society representatives and government officials from the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory, gathered to reimagine the relationship between young Nigerians and the institutions charged with their security.

The Summit convened only days after the #EndBadGovernance protests of August 2024, in which young Nigerians across several States voiced grievances over economic hardship and governance. That context gave the gathering an urgency beyond ceremony. Young people were invited to put their questions directly to the Inspector-General of Police and to two federal Ministers, and to help shape a common agenda for trust.

The President’s message

Le message du Président

The Honourable Minister of Youth Development, Dr Jamila Bio Ibrahim, delivered the message of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, which opened: “Together, we can build a nation that is not only prosperous…” The message set out his administration’s agenda for young Nigerians, including:

• NYSC enterprise funding of up to N10 million per beneficiary.
• Support for 5,000 targeted corps ventures.
• The National Youth Skills Programme.
• A commitment by the Federal Executive Council to 30 per cent youth inclusion.
• A planned Young Leaders Institute.

Speakers

Intervenants

• Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, PhD, NPM: keynote address.
• Prince Abdulsalami Ladigbolu-Oranmiyan, President, UNESCO REF: presidential address.
• Senator Ibrahim Gaidam, Honourable Minister of Police Affairs: ministerial address.
• Professor Olanrewaju Fagbohun, SAN, former Vice-Chancellor, Lagos State University: guest keynote on trust and accountability.
• Dr Jamila Bio Ibrahim, Honourable Minister of Youth Development: closing address.

Voices from the Summit

Les voix du Sommet

A frank exchange

Un échange franc

In an open session, delegates questioned the Inspector-General directly on the policing of protests, misconduct within the Force and the protection of farmers in insecure areas. The candour of the exchange, and the willingness of the Force’s leadership to engage it in public, set the tone for the Summit. Breakout sessions followed on crime prevention, conflict resolution, social media engagement and community policing.

Why it matters

Les enjeux

The relationship between young people and security institutions is a question of national stability. A 2023 study by the United Nations Development Programme found that about a quarter of voluntary recruits to violent extremist groups in sub-Saharan Africa cited job opportunities as their main reason for joining. Trust, inclusion and economic opportunity for the young are therefore not peripheral concerns of security policy but central to it.

Recommendations

Recommandations

The Summit closed with five recommendations for a new compact between Nigeria’s youth and its security institutions:

1. Youth advisory councils at federal, state and local levels with real influence over security policy, beginning with State pilots.
2. Secure digital platforms through which young people can share community intelligence, with anonymity, encryption and due process.
3. Trust rebuilt through independent oversight, accessible complaint procedures and public reporting.
4. Economic empowerment treated as a security measure, through skills, employment and entrepreneurship in high-risk communities.
5. Regular youth and security summits, with quarterly national dialogues and more frequent regional ones.

As the Summit report observes, the true worth of the gathering will lie in the implementation of these recommendations. Read the full Summit report.

ENDS