The Federal Government has announced plans to hold the National Youth Confab in October 2026, nearly two years after President Bola Tinubu first announced plans for the initiative.
The Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, disclosed this on Thursday while addressing State House correspondents during a Meet the Press session organised by the Presidential Communications Team at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
Olawande said the conference would be convened by the Federal Ministry of Youth Development in partnership with youth networks and other stakeholders.
“It is my pleasure to address you today on an initiative of great importance to the present and future of our nation: the National Youth Confab 2026,” he said.
According to the minister, the conference, themed ‘Next Gen Nigeria: Crafting Solutions, Owning the Future’, is intended to move young Nigerians from participation in national discussions to developing practical solutions and taking greater ownership of the country’s future.
Olawande said the confab would not be another gathering where speeches were delivered and reports produced without follow-up action.
“It is an opportunity to listen, engage, cooperate and move from conversation to concrete action,” he said.
He explained that the two-week exercise would begin with a virtual consultation before a physical conference in Abuja.
The physical meeting is expected to bring together one delegate from each of the 360 federal constituencies, alongside six delegates from the Nigerian diaspora.
The discussions will focus on six areas: governance, the economy, education, technology, climate and security.
Government promises implementation
Addressing concerns over the fate of the confab’s recommendations, particularly in light of the more than 600 recommendations produced by the 2014 National Conference that were not implemented after the change of administration in 2015, Olawande said the government had designed a different approach.
He said members of the current administration, including himself and Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, Segun Dada, had participated in the 2014 conference and were therefore familiar with its outcome.
Olawande said recommendations from the 2026 confab would be divided among the executive, legislature and judiciary according to their respective areas of responsibility.
“We want the Federal Executive Council to pass resolutions. We want the National Assembly to pass a bill on most of the resolutions that concern them. We want the judiciary to act and implement what is ironed out for them,” he said.
He added that a task force would be established after the conference to organise the recommendations and oversee their progression.
The minister said the government had set November as the starting point for submitting the recommendations and moving towards implementation.
“Enough of documentation. We are not going back to filing reports,” he said.
Minister rejects concerns over politicisation
Olawande also dismissed concerns that the selection of delegates could be influenced by political interests ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He said young Nigerians had previously registered through an online portal and that the platform had reopened in September for revalidation.
According to him, delegates representing the 360 federal constituencies would be selected through the platform.
“There is going to be no influence from anybody; that is why we call it a non-monetary confab,” he said.
Olawande added that his position as Minister of Youth Development would not give him a role in personally determining who participated.
“I’m the Minister of Youth, but I have a boss, the President. I have teams handling this. You don’t need to know me to get in,” he said.
Presidency explains timing
Dada defended the time taken between Tinubu’s initial announcement and the planned 2026 conference, saying the administration had studied previous national conferences to identify weaknesses and avoid repeating them.
“What we did was look at the past confabs, the mistakes that were made, and how to ensure we don’t repeat them,” Dada said.
He also argued that the delegate structure was designed to ensure broad representation, with one participant selected from each of the 360 federal constituencies.
He said the arrangement was intended to reflect the principle of representation underpinning the National Assembly and include young people from different ethnic groups and people living with disabilities.
Dada said the process would also transcend political party affiliations.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Digital and New Media, Otega Ogra, also defended the timing of the conference, citing several youth-focused initiatives undertaken by the administration during the period.
Ogra listed the revamp of the National Youth Service Corps, increased participation in the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, employment initiatives through MSME centres, and enrolment in technical and vocational education programmes.
He said the government had taken time to examine previous conferences and assess ongoing programmes before proceeding with the youth confab.
Confab dates back to 2024 pledge
Tinubu first announced plans for a 30-day National Youth Confab during his Independence Day broadcast on 1 October 2024.
The President subsequently inaugurated the planning committee at the State House on 10 March 2025 and urged its members to be candid in identifying challenges facing young Nigerians.
In June 2025, Olawande launched a registration portal for the proposed Youth Confab 2025 under the same theme, with an initial target of 36,000 participants drawn from the 360 federal constituencies.
The registration deadline was later extended from 30 June to 14 July 2025 to allow for wider grassroots participation.
The Federal Government has now fixed October 2026 for the physical National Youth Confab, with the administration promising that its recommendations will be channelled towards implementation rather than simply documented.
