Shettima seeks new framework for youth leadership development
• ‘Nigeria’s demographic strength must translate into strategic advantage’ Vice President Kashim Shettima has called for a deliberate and forward-looking national framework for youth leadership development. He warned that Nigeria’s
• ‘Nigeria’s demographic strength must translate into strategic advantage’
Vice President Kashim Shettima has called for a deliberate and forward-looking national framework for youth leadership development.
He warned that Nigeria’s demographic advantage could become a liability without strategic planning and institutional investment.
Shettima said this yesterday at the Abuja Dialogue 2026, convened by the Office of the Vice President in collaboration with the Lateef Jakande Leadership Academy.
The Vice President said the country’s status as one of the youngest nations in the world must be treated as a “strategic reality” rather than a rhetorical talking point.
He said: “We are one of the youngest nations on earth. That fact should not be treated as a line for conferences or a statistic for brochures. It is a national condition with profound consequences.”
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Shettima stressed that sustainable national progress would depend not merely on natural resources or government programmes but on systems deliberately designed to ensure leadership continuity and development.
According to him, leadership in the modern era cannot be accidental but must be cultivated through structured pathways that prepare young people for responsibility within governance and other critical sectors.
“Youth leadership must be understood with clarity. It is not a ceremonial handover waiting for age to perform its arithmetic. It is a structured process through which young men and women are prepared, trusted, integrated, and supported within the institutions that shape our future,” he added.
Shettima stressed that the proposed framework must go beyond slogans to fundamentally reshape education, public service, enterprise and civic institutions, creating gradual pathways for young Nigerians to assume responsibility.
“Leadership grows when young people are given room to learn, to contribute, to make decisions, and to be held accountable for results. Responsibility is the workshop where capacity is refined,” he said.
Addressing the youths directly, the Vice President described the moment as an invitation and an obligation to participate in nation-building.
“Leadership is not defined by age. It is defined by readiness to bear consequences, to choose the long view over easy applause, and to place the common good above private comfort,” Shettima said.
He praised the Lateef Jakande Leadership Academy and Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for convening the dialogue, describing it as a significant contribution to national discourse on leadership renewal.
Governor Sanwo-Olu said the dialogue signalled the Federal Government’s recognition of youth leadership as a strategic priority.
He said Lagos has institutionalised youth development through initiatives anchored by the academy.
The governor explained that the academy serves as a talent incubator, offering young Nigerians hands-on public sector experience, policy exposure, mentorship and opportunities to execute impactful projects addressing real societal challenges.
He added that the initiative was part of a broader ecosystem that includes youth academies, employment trust funds, skills development programmes, digital innovation initiatives, and support for entrepreneurship and MSMEs.
The Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, said the dialogue underscored the need to approach youth leadership as critical infrastructure that shapes institutions and national development outcomes.
The Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, described the timing of the dialogue as apt.
The minister said Nigerian youths were ready to take on leadership roles, reaffirming the Federal Government’s commitment to creating enabling platforms for their advancement.
Also, the Executive Secretary of the Lateef Jakande Leadership Academy, Ayisat Agbaje-Okunade, said the dialogue provided an opportunity to build national consensus and reposition youth leadership development at the centre of governance and economic growth.
She said the initiative seeks to move youth-focused policies from mere pronouncements to actionable programmes capable of strengthening institutions and driving long-term national resilience.
