THE Lagos State Government, under the leadership of Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, has reiterated its commitment to eradicating youth restiveness, child marriage, and other practices negatively affecting youth development in the State.
This determination was declared by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Pharm (Mrs) Toyin Oke-Osanyintolu, on Wednesday, June 14, 2023, at the inauguration of the 17-Member Technical Working Group (TWG) for the review of the Lagos State Youth Policy in Ikeja.
The Permanent Secretary said that Lagos State, with a population made up of 60 per cent youth, could not afford to fold its hands and watch the potential in the segment being wasted by vices prevalent among the young ones.
Speaking further, Oke-Osanyintolu stated that the review of the Youth Policy was aimed at ensuring that the current document is per the present-day realities and broader implementation of youth development services, adding that the review process, being supported by Youth Alive Foundation (an NGO that is funded by USAID), would concentrate on Five-Pillars and other new concepts considering the peculiarities of the State.
According to her, the Five-Pillars of the Youth Policy are a Productive Workforce and Sustainable Economic Engagement of Youth; Health and Health-Promoting Lifestyle; Participation, Inclusiveness and Equitable Opportunities for Youths; Promotive and Protective Environment for Youth Development and Partnership Building and Effective Collaboration.
Meanwhile, the Programme Coordinator of the Youth Alive Foundation, Nigeria, Mr Chamberlain Efukudoh, said that one of the objectives of the review was to strengthen social justice while ensuring that the review committee would come up with an implementable document that addresses the needs of the young ones.
The 17-Member Technical Working Group, selected from Ministries, Agencies and Departments, Voluntary Youth Organisations, the National Youth Council of Nigeria, and the Lagos State Youth Ambassadors, is saddled with the mandate and responsibilities to participate, organise, and facilitate the holistic review of the Lagos State Youth Policy within a time frame of six months.
It should be noted that the last review of the Lagos State Youth Policy, designed to operate for five years, was in October 2016.
