A member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Bamidele Salam, has pledged to facilitate the presentation of the Osun Youth Development Charter (2026–2030) to the state Governor, Ademola Adeleke, following an engagement with youth stakeholders in Osogbo.
The engagement, held on Friday, in Osogbo focused on the recommendations contained in the charter and how they could align with the government’s development agenda.
The charter, according to its conveners, was developed through consultations with young people across Osun State, including surveys, memoranda and stakeholder roundtables. It is built around eight key areas of youth development, including jobs and MSMEs, digital economy, education and skills, health and wellbeing, peace and security, agribusiness, green economy and inclusive governance.
Speaking after the meeting, one of the project conveners and Team Lead of SEAD Africa Initiative, Semiu Abidemi Adabanija, said the meeting provided an opportunity to place the priorities of Osun youths before a political stakeholder who could help facilitate engagement with government.
He said Salam expressed support for most of the recommendations and proposed a more technical roundtable to examine their alignment with existing government policies and determine possible areas of implementation.
Adabanija said, “The charter contains the priorities of Osun young people, which we have taken through survey, submission of memoranda and stakeholder roundtables that we have done in the last couple of months.
“We are also asking him to look at those draft recommendations and their alignment with the government of the day. We are very glad that he loves most of the recommendations that are put forward.”
He added that the proposed technical engagement would also help expand some of the recommendations and explore ways of taking them to the grassroots.
Also speaking, the co-convenor of the charter and co-founder of Oroki Innovation Hub, Lukman Adeoti, said the meeting was aimed at securing stakeholders’ buy-in and ensuring that the recommendations were presented in a way that could be translated into government action.
Adeoti identified youth employment, education and peace and security as some of the major concerns the charter seeks to address.
He said, “One of the most critical things that we are expecting from this meeting is that more jobs will be accessible for more Osun youths.
“We are also looking to revamp the Osun State education quality, and finally, the issue of peace and security. We are looking to proffer some solutions to the arising matters when it comes to security and peace.”
The Chairman of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Osun State Chapter, Olusegun Akinbode, described the meeting as part of the consultative process aimed at obtaining validation from relevant stakeholders.
Akinbode said the discussion focused on the eight pillars of the charter, including employment opportunities, education, health, peace and security, agribusiness and youth participation in technology.
He said Salam had demonstrated interest in youth development and had committed to facilitating the presentation of the document to both the Governor and the Speaker of the state House of Assembly.
“We want to appreciate him for giving us his time, the privilege to meet with him and also to discuss the need for youth development in Osun State,”he said.
During the discussions, Salam acknowledged the challenges surrounding the management and utilisation of public assets, as well as gaps in the public service.
He said, “There is a very huge capacity gap in public service, local, state and federal. It’s the truth.”
Salam also discussed the need to properly utilise government facilities and ensure that investments in infrastructure benefit the people for whom they were provided.
He further recounted his experience with an ICT laboratory he established in a primary school, noting that the absence of fencing and ICT teachers had affected the use of the facility.
According to him, “There are no ICT teachers in the school. There is no fence in the school. So what the community did, because of fear of the building being looted, was to take all the computers and put them to the king’s palace.”
Salam said the issue demonstrated the need for government and stakeholders to address gaps that could prevent infrastructure and equipment from being effectively utilised.
He added that government should consider practical measures to address such gaps, including the provision of ICT teachers in schools.
The lawmaker also stressed the importance of collective responsibility in the development of Osun State, telling the stakeholders that government and citizens share responsibility for the state’s progress.
“Government, we are all our own government,” Salam said. “We are all equal stakeholders in Osun. In Nigeria, we are all equal stakeholders.”
The meeting also emphasised the role of young people in monitoring government programmes and proposing solutions rather than merely criticising government.
The Osun Youth Development Charter is a non-partisan policy initiative aimed at reflecting the priorities of young people in the state and securing commitments around youth-focused governance for 2026–2030.
Also present was Sodiq Yusuf, the Senior Communications Officer of Insight Initiative for Community and Social Development – a partner in the project.