Tinubu fires important warning to youths

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called on Nigerian youths to pursue bold ideas, embrace innovation, and position themselves for global competitiveness in a rapidly evolving digital world.

The President made the call in Abuja on Tuesday during the unveiling of the Nigerian Youth Academy (NIYA GIGS) Platform and Grant Award Ceremony organised by the Federal Ministry of Youth Development.

Represented by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, President Tinubu said his administration is committed to ensuring that young people are equipped with the skills, opportunities, and support needed to drive national development. He emphasized that creativity and innovation are critical tools for success in today’s technology-driven economy.

The new initiative, themed “One Youth, Two Skills,” aims to support 300 young Nigerians through grants—200 beneficiaries from the formal sector and 100 from the informal sector.

“Youths are central to our developmental agenda,” Tinubu said. “Build boldly, innovate courageously, scale fearlessly. You are the generation that will continue the task of building this nation.”

The President highlighted reforms undertaken to expand opportunities for young people, including support programmes in technology, agriculture, manufacturing, the creative sector, and green energy. He added that his administration has streamlined taxes and removed business bottlenecks to boost young entrepreneurs’ participation in the economy.

“All our interventions are shaped by one goal: building an economy where the ambition of a young Nigerian is never limited by bureaucracy or lack of opportunity,” he said.

Tinubu described the NIYA GIGS platform as a new frontier for digital work and cross-border freelancing, connecting Nigerian youths to paid opportunities locally and globally.

“With NIYA Gigs, NIYA Academy, NIYA Startup and NIYA Jobs, we are linking skills to markets, ideas to capital, and young people to real prosperity,” he stated, adding that the grants awarded should be viewed as “a vote of confidence from the nation.”

Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, said the launch marks a historic step in empowering both the formal and informal segments of the youth population. He revealed that over 200 youth-led startups will each receive ₦1 million, while 100 beneficiaries from the informal sector will receive ₦500,000 to strengthen their businesses.

“This is the first time in our national history that we are deliberately building the informal sector and providing a sustainable support system for young entrepreneurs,” Olawande said. He also noted that the NIYA GIGS platform positions Nigerian youths to compete and earn at a global scale.

Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, described the NIYA initiatives as practical, forward-looking interventions designed to deepen entrepreneurship, strengthen digital and vocational skills, and enhance resilience among young people.

Members of the Federal Executive Council and senior government officials attended the ceremony.