Florence Joshua- ABUJA
Plan International Nigeria has called for greater accountability in the allocation and utilisation of funds earmarked for youth development, warning that inadequate financing and misplaced budgetary priorities continue to limit opportunities for young Nigerians.
The Country Director of Plan International Nigeria, Dr. Charles Usie represented by Tunde Aremu, made the call in Abuja at the High-Level National Youth Dialogue on Financing Youth Development, organised by the organisation in collaboration with the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Youth Initiative, Delivery and Monitoring and UN Women.
With Nigeria’s young population representing a significant share of the country’s population, participants maintained that sustainable investment in education, employment, skills, health, innovation and economic opportunities is critical to unlocking the potential of the country’s youth and securing Nigeria’s future.
Aremu said Nigeria’s challenge was not only the availability of resources but also how funds allocated for young people were being prioritised and utilised.
He raised concerns over inadequate funding of core government ministries and institutions responsible for youth development, noting that budgetary allocations must translate into tangible opportunities for young people.
According to him, there was a need to strengthen coordination, transparency and accountability in youth-focused spending to ensure that resources actually reach the people they are intended to benefit.
Speaking earlier, the UN Women Country Representative, Beatrice Eyong, emphasised the importance of young people to Nigeria’s development, describing them as critical partners in shaping the country’s economic, social and democratic future.
Eyong stressed that investment in young people should go beyond rhetoric, saying young Nigerians must be given the resources, skills and opportunities required to contribute meaningfully to national development.
Also speaking at the dialogue, the Special Adviser to the Gombe State Governor on Students Affairs, Elizabeth Ankana, said young people were demanding more than symbolic inclusion in decision-making spaces.
Ankana said young people did not merely want “a seat at the table”, but wanted meaningful investment and access to the resources required to turn their ideas and aspirations into reality.
She argued that youth participation in governance should be matched with adequate financing, particularly in education, entrepreneurship, skills development and employment.
Meanwhile, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Youth Initiative, Delivery and Monitoring, Titilope Gbadamosi, highlighted some of the Federal Government’s interventions targeting young Nigerians.
Gbadamosi pointed to projects and programmes documented on the government’s youth initiatives website, noting that the platform provides information on interventions being implemented for young people.
The dialogue brought together government officials, legislators, development partners, civil society organisations, private-sector representatives and young people to examine Nigeria’s approach to financing youth development.
Participants called for stronger youth participation across the public-finance cycle, including budget formulation, implementation, monitoring and accountability.
The organisers stressed that young people should not be treated merely as beneficiaries of government programmes but as partners whose experiences and priorities should influence decisions on public resources.
The dialogue is expected to generate practical recommendations and institutional commitments towards strengthening youth-centred budgeting and accountability at national and sub-national levels.
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