President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to youth empowerment, skills development, and innovation, describing investment in young people as critical to Nigeria’s economic growth and future prosperity.
Speaking on Saturday at the foundation-laying ceremony of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Centre for Youth Empowerment and Intercultural Dialogue at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, as part of activities marking the university’s 65th anniversary, Tinubu said the Centre would provide a platform for young Nigerians to acquire relevant skills, develop innovative ideas, establish businesses, and collaborate with their counterparts across Africa and beyond.
The President, who was represented by the Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat (who is also the All Progressives Congress Gubernatorial Candidate in Lagos), noted that Nigeria’s youthful population presented enormous opportunities for economic growth, technological advancement, and global competitiveness. He stressed the need to equip young people not only to seek employment but also to create jobs and develop home-grown solutions to national challenges.
He said, “Our young people must be equipped with the knowledge, skills, and opportunities to drive innovation, create jobs, and contribute meaningfully to Nigeria’s economic growth and future prosperity. This is part of our Renewed Hope Agenda for the youth. Our responsibility is to ensure that this great demographic strength becomes an engine of production rather than a source of despair.”
Describing the Centre as a strategic investment in Nigeria’s future, Tinubu emphasised the importance of translating training into practical opportunities through partnerships with universities, the private sector, investors, and development institutions.
He also urged the university community to ensure that the Centre promotes mutual understanding among young people from diverse ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds.
According to him, the Centre would serve as a hub for youth empowerment, skills development, innovation, and intercultural dialogue, providing young people with opportunities to develop their potential, transform ideas into enterprises, and contribute to national development.
Tinubu urged the university’s management, alumni, and other stakeholders to sustain the vision behind the project, expressing optimism that the Centre would become a hub for entrepreneurship, innovation, and international cooperation, producing a new generation of skilled, confident, and responsible leaders committed to Nigeria’s development.
In her address, the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who was represented by Hon. Wahab Alawiye-King, said the Centre would contribute meaningfully to youth empowerment, engagement, and inclusion, which she described as central to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s agenda for the country.
She noted that the university’s decision to establish the Centre reflected its commitment to youth development, cultural preservation, and intercultural dialogue, providing a platform for young people to engage, learn, and collaborate across cultural divides.
The First Lady said the decision to name the International Centre for Youth Empowerment and Intercultural Dialogue after President Tinubu reflected her desire to recognise and complement the President’s efforts in advancing youth empowerment and national development.
In his remarks, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Rt. Hon. Rafiu Adejare Bello, commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for efforts to improve access to university education and empower Nigerian youths, noting that the administration’s interventions had renewed public confidence in public universities.
He said the Centre would provide a platform for young people from Nigeria, Africa, and other parts of the world to acquire relevant skills, develop entrepreneurial ideas, collaborate on research, and participate in cultural exchanges.
He added that the initiative would help address challenges such as unemployment, limited access to skills development, economic inequality, and social exclusion, while fostering mutual understanding and peaceful coexistence across cultural, religious, and ethnic divides.
Prof. Bamire said the Centre aligned with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly its commitment to equipping young people with relevant skills and opportunities to compete effectively with their global counterparts.
He reaffirmed the university’s commitment to the Centre’s sustainability through strategic partnerships, skills-development programmes, research, and innovation, with a focus on producing entrepreneurs, responsible citizens, peacebuilders, and future leaders who would contribute to national and global development.
