The UNESCO Read and Earn Federation (UNESCO REF) has called for youth engagement in national security as Nigeria celebrates International Youth Day.
Abdulsalami Ladigbolu, the National President of UNESCO REF, made the call while speaking at the Nigeria Police Youth Summit in Abuja on Monday.
The event, held in collaboration with UNESCO REF, had the theme, “Enhancing Nigerian Youth Value for National Security Intelligence”.
Ladigbolu emphasised the importance of recognising the pivotal role of young people in shaping the future of the country.
“Today’s event serves a dual purpose. Firstly, it aims to celebrate the energy, creativity, and potential of Nigerian youth.
“Secondly, it seeks to inspire and empower them to see themselves as essential agents of change in the realm of national security.”
He explained that it was time to acknowledge the role of young people as change agents in transforming the country.
According to him, it is crucial that young people understand their potential to influence and drive positive change.
He called for collaboration between security agencies and young people, stating that this would lead to fresh perspectives and solutions in tackling security issues.
He added that this would strategically lead to more effective community policing, improved intelligence gathering, and enhanced crisis response.
“They are the ones who can bridge the gap between traditional and modern methods, innovative approaches to national security, due to their familiarity with social media and contemporary communication tools.”
He urged young people to work towards purposeful unity while mending the gaps to fast-track the transformation of the country.
Also, Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun, the Former Vice Chancellor of Lagos State University, urged leaders to leverage the population of young people as an instrument of change to advance the fortunes of the country.
Fagbohun, in a keynote address, spoke on the topic “Nigeria’s Untapped Talent Group: Building a Meaningful Security Partnership with Youths”.
He identified challenges faced by young people, saying that coming together to manage these challenges would go a long way in proffering solutions.
He identified economic challenges, trust gap, erosion of traditional African values, and failure of the justice system, among others, as some of the challenges faced by young people.
He stated that the coming together of young people and stakeholders would go a long way in addressing these challenges.
The event, the inaugural Nigeria Police Youth Summit, was attended by various youth groups from across the country.(NAN)