Minister urges Nigerian youths to start building future

Nigeria's Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, has called on the nation's youth to actively build their futures by taking advantage of existing government policies and programs. Speaking at the inauguration of a book titled, “No More Future: Why Waiting Is Over, What to Build Instead,” the minister stressed that the time for passive waiting is past.

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To young people in this room, and to the many more who will read this book: the Renewed Hope Agenda has opened a door that did not exist for the generation before you.

Olawande, represented by his Special Adviser on Special Duties, Dotun Omoleye, stated that young people should no longer wait for government intervention, the right connections, or permission to realize their potential. He asserted that Nigeria's most valuable asset is not its natural resources but the capabilities residing within its young population. The minister believes the country possesses immense potential, but sometimes lacks the collective courage among its youth to transition from waiting to active construction.

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What you do with that open door is the story that has not yet been written. Christopher has given you a framework. The Ministry of Youth Development will continue to give you platforms, capital, and training, but the actual building of your future remains yours to do.

The book, authored by Christopher Olusa, is seen as a call to action, encouraging this courage. Olawande affirmed that the government's investment in youth is a response to this call, expressing confidence that the current generation is prepared to answer it. He noted that the "Renewed Hope Agenda" has opened new doors for young people, and the responsibility now lies with them to write their own stories, using the framework provided by Olusa's book and the platforms, capital, and training offered by the Ministry of Youth Development.

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The book is a powerful call to action; it reminds us that the future is not something we should merely wait for; the future is something we must actively create.

Ifeoluwa Ehindero, Chairman of the House Committee on Nigerian Education Loan Fund, echoed these sentiments, noting that the book's title directly challenges the mindset of waiting that has hindered many. He urged young Nigerians to deliberately create the future they desire, rather than passively anticipating it. Ehindero emphasized that national transformation occurs when citizens shift from expectation to action, from dependency to enterprise, and from complaining about the future to actively building it.

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The reality is that nations are transformed when their citizens move from expectation to action, from dependency to enterprise, and from complaining about the future to building it.