4TH NATIONAL COUNCIL ON YOUTH DEVELOPMENT: OSUN 2010

The National Council on Youth Development (NCYD) is the apex decision making body to the Federal Government of Nigeria on the issues that have direct or indirect impacts on youth development and empowerment of Nigerian youth. The body was created in year 2007. Since its inception, it has held its yearly Meetings in Kastina (2007), Calabar (2008) and Abuja (2009). This year’s edition will be held at the heart of the Osun State Capital city, Osogbo.

This year’s Council Meeting which is expected to be held from July 12th – 16th, 2010 has the theme: “Nigerian Youth: Challenges of Unemployment and Restiveness: The Way Forward.” Its features include Technical Sessions, Review of the Implementation of the past Meetings, Submission of new memoranda and release of a Communiqué at the end of the Meeting.

The expected delegates are “who are who” in Nigeria’s youth development sector. The categories of these people include: The Honourable Minister of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development; the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development; the States’ Honourable Commissioners and Permanent Secretaries in-charge of youth development; UNFPA; National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) Executive Members; the leadership of the Nigerian Youth Parliament (NYP) and; all other invited participants.

As an adage says, “Youth cannot be side-lined when the issues on nation building are being discussed.” It is on this note that the three distinguished Honourable Members Representing Osun State at the NYP (Hon. Isiaka O. Popoola – Osun Central, Hon. Jimoh Abiola – Osun West and Hon. Tinuola Awosemo – Osun East) welcome all the delegates to the State of the Living Spring. Particularly, we humbly welcome His Excellency, Comrade O.J. Ajani, a son of the land and the President-Elect of NYCN, on his first working visit to Osun State. Likewise, Hon. Luke Onofiok, the Speaker of the NYP.


As over 70million Nigerian Youth are eagerly awaiting the Meeting’s “implementable” Communiqué, We wish the participants fruitful and interesting deliberations as they apply their various fields of learning, expertise and wisdom in championing a new cause for the great Nigerian youths.

Long live Nigerian Youth
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria

SIGNED: Hon. Isiaka Olamilekan Popola,
Member, House Committee on International Relations & Conflict Resolution, NYP On behalf of the Osun State Representatives at the Nigerian Youth Parliament

4TH NATIONAL COUNCIL ON YOUTH DEVELOPMENT: OSUN 2010

The National Council on Youth Development (NCYD) is the apex decision making body to the Federal Government of Nigeria on the issues that have direct or indirect impacts on youth development and empowerment of Nigerian youth. The body was created in year 2007. Since its inception, it has held its yearly Meetings in Kastina (2007), Calabar (2008) and Abuja (2009). This year’s edition will be held at the heart of the Osun State Capital city, Osogbo.

This year’s Council Meeting which is expected to be held from July 12th – 16th, 2010 has the theme: “Nigerian Youth: Challenges of Unemployment and Restiveness: The Way Forward.” Its features include Technical Sessions, Review of the Implementation of the past Meetings, Submission of new memoranda and release of a Communiqué at the end of the Meeting.

The expected delegates are “who are who” in Nigeria’s youth development sector. The categories of these people include: The Honourable Minister of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development; the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development; the States’ Honourable Commissioners and Permanent Secretaries in-charge of youth development; UNFPA; National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) Executive Members; the leadership of the Nigerian Youth Parliament (NYP) and; all other invited participants.

As an adage says, “Youth cannot be side-lined when the issues on nation building are being discussed.” It is on this note that the three distinguished Honourable Members Representing Osun State at the NYP (Hon. Isiaka O. Popoola – Osun Central, Hon. Jimoh Abiola – Osun West and Hon. Tinuola Awosemo – Osun East) welcome all the delegates to the State of the Living Spring. Particularly, we humbly welcome His Excellency, Comrade O.J. Ajani, a son of the land and the President-Elect of NYCN, on his first working visit to Osun State. Likewise, Hon. Luke Onofiok, the Speaker of the NYP.


As over 70million Nigerian Youth are eagerly awaiting the Meeting’s “implementable” Communiqué, We wish the participants fruitful and interesting deliberations as they apply their various fields of learning, expertise and wisdom in championing a new cause for the great Nigerian youths.

Long live Nigerian Youth
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria

SIGNED: Hon. Isiaka Olamilekan Popola,
Member, House Committee on International Relations & Conflict Resolution, NYP On behalf of the Osun State Representatives at the Nigerian Youth Parliament

TRIBUTE TO PRESIDENT UMARU MUSA YAR’ADUA

It is God’s ordainment that every living soul shall one day taste death. And after death, the journey to eternity commences.

On May 5th, 2010 Nigerians woke up with the news of the demise of the Immediate Past President and Commander-in-Chief of the Army Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Late Alh. Umaru Musa Yar’adua. The news was traumatized and its effects gripped all the four corners of Nigeria. To quench the effects, the Federal Government of Nigeria instantaneously announced a public holiday for the same day and a seven-day mourning in a dignified honour of the departed soul.

It is on this note that the Honourable Speaker, leadership of the Parliament and all the 109 distinguished Honourable Members of the Nigerian Youth Parliament are sympathising with his family, the Nigerian youths and all Nigerians, both at home and in diasporas, on the sudden death of our amiable former President. His true-to-the-heart and historic efforts towards repositioning our dear country among comity of nations on the pedigree of sustainable political and socio-economic developments of Nigeria will ever be remembered down the memory lane. The man was known for the rule of laws, institutionalisation of a process in the direction of credible Electoral Reforms in Nigeria, restoration of a lasting peace throughout the country (especially, the once troubled Niger-Delta region), establishment of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Vision 2020-20, Seven Point Agenda, etc. Notwithstanding the political “cabal”, games and stories surrounding his health conditions until his death, we still uphold the impeccable records of the achievements of the former President of the multi-ethnics, multi-religious and over 140 million Nigerians.
As a man like every one of us, he was bound to make some mistakes in discharge of his duties to his Creator and his fellow human beings. We pray to The Almighty Lord to forgive him of his inaccuracies and accept him to His most rewarding status in the Paradise. Amen and amen.

Farewell, His Excellency, Late Alh. Umaru Musa Yar’adua, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (GCFR) of Nigeria. Nigerians really lost you!!!

MY EXPERIENCES WITH ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES, YOUTH WORK AND PROFESSIONAL OBJECTIVES

Any successful man is being motivated with his passion on what he believes is of utmost importance to him. Thus, he sets a SMART goal for himself and equips himself with guiding principles that will sail him through the journey to his destination. As a young man, I am of the opinion that through my professional career, development can co-exist with environmental sustainability. Hence, my professional objective is defined as: “to establish a team-work relationship with reputable corporate organisations and contribute my strengths and skills in attaining the organisation’s golden goals and objectives towards achieving sustainable development.”

Professionally, I am a trained Mining Engineer. The profession is multi-disciplinary, including elements of civil and mechanical engineering, geology, metallurgy, economics, environmental management and, health & safety. During my internship, while as an undergraduate in university, I had opportunity to work with a quarry company in areas of mine design, mine ventilation and environment. As mining engineering relates to extraction of minerals from Earth, its cycles of operations directly affect the mine environment, climate, and its in-habitants. My experiences as a graduate trainee have really afforded me opportunities to develop my knowledge, understanding, and interest in environment and sustainability.

In addition, through the Nigeria’s National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme, I am currently working with the Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources, Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State, Nigeria. My department deals with supervision of the operations of oil & gas companies within the state, in relation to their environments. Akwa-Ibom State falls within oil & gas rich Niger-Delta region of Nigeria where petroleum drilling operations are conducted almost all hours of days. I use to be part of ministry’s teams that pay site visitations or field inspections to the environmentally affected areas during the petroleum explorations. Such issues we deal with include oil spillages, harmful and wasteful gas flaring, energy renewal, etc. All these contribute to the Climate Change problems! In fact, my passion in this area of study has made me to make up my mind to do my post-graduate studies on any Climate Change related areas of specialisation, such as remote sensing, environmental resources management, renewal energy, etc.

On youth matters, I was the General Secretary to the Akwa-Ibom State NYSC-MDGs Awareness Creation Club. As we all know, MDGs has eight goals and I have personally initiated a development programme on goal seven: Ensure Environmental Sustainability. The initiative has to do with the grassroots sensitisation of people on the challenges of Climate Change. Likewise, as a member of the Nigerian Youth Climate Change Coalition, I am one of the Nigerian youths that attended Nigeria’s policy dialogue conference on the road map to Copenhagen Conference in Denmark, later this year. It was organised by the Special Climate Change Unit of the Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Environment, in collaboration with Heinrich Boll Stiftung (HBS). It was held in Abuja, Nigeria, from August 20th – 21st, 2009. As a member of the Nigerian Youth Parliament, the parliament is also doing its best towards educating the Nigerian youths on why we have to stand against the present and future challenges and consequences posed by the Climate Change.