The Vice-Chancellor of the Ondo State-owned University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, Adesegun Fatusi, said Nigerian youths have a critical role to play in shaping the future of the country for growth and development.

Mr Fatusi, who also explained that the youth represented a larger percentage of the country’s population, observed that they needed to be equipped with the necessary tools and opportunities to thrive in an increasingly complex society like Nigeria for self-reliance. 

Speaking at the launch of the Nigeria National Youth Index held in Port Harcourt, River State on Wednesday, the university lecturer said the country must invest heavily in the youth for a meaningful development to take place and for prosperity.  

“Nigerian young people are not just beneficiaries of development; they are active participants in shaping the future. It is, therefore, imperative that we equip them with the necessary tools, opportunities, and support systems to thrive in an increasingly complex world. The insights from the Nigeria National Youth Index will guide stakeholders in identifying gaps, leveraging strengths and ensuring that no young person is left behind in our pursuit of national growth and prosperity,” Mr Fatusi was quoted in a release by the institution’s spokesman, Isaacs Oluyi to Peoples Gazette, on Thursday.

According to him, the NNYI is a policy-driven, practical, and cost-effective approach to measuring and monitoring various dimensions of youth development in Nigeria, using available secondary data sets. 

The project coordinator, Olorunfemi Ogundele, explained that the development of the first NNYI with its associated reports was the result of the collaborative efforts of several stakeholders within the youth development space in Nigeria. 

Identifying academic institutions, researchers, and other stakeholders as parts of the development space in the project, Mr Ogundele said the NNYI offers an analysis of youth development in some of the critical areas specified in Nigeria’s National Youth Policy, including education, employment, health and well-being, as well as  gender and social inclusion.

“By providing an overview of the state of youth in Nigeria, this report seeks to illuminate the path towards ensuring periodic and objective monitoring of youth development in Nigeria and to serve as a basis for advocating evidence-informed advocacy for more targeted and effective youth development interventions,” he added in his presentation of the Nigeria National Youth Index.

The Gazette reports that the event was organised by the Strengthening Programming for Adolescents and Youths through Resource and Knowledge Generation and Link to Evidence (SPARKLE)

It also witnessed the unveiling of the logo for the fourth Nigeria Conference on Adolescent and Young People’s Health and Development organised by the Society for Adolescent and Young People’s Health in Nigeria.