The Executive Director, Marine and Operations at the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, Engr. Olalekan Badmus has advised Nigerian youths to take active roles in shaping the nation’s future, saying they must no longer be spectators of their own history.
Badmus gave the advice on Saturday in Osogbo while delivering the keynote lecture at the Osogbo National Students’ Union Annual Personality Lecture in Osogbo. The lecture was themed “The Future of Youth Leadership in Nigeria: Opportunities, Challenges and Responsibilities.”
Addressing a hall filled with young people with ancestral ties to Osogbo town, the NPA boss said over 70 per cent of Nigeria’s population is under 30, describing it as the single most important truth about who we are as a nation.
He celebrated Nigerian youths who built global tech brands like Flutterwave, Paystack, and Moniepoint from “dorm rooms and small offices,” and those who projected Nollywood and Afrobeats to the world “without waiting for anyone’s permission.”
However, he also spoke about the challenges facing young people, including unemployment, the japa exodus, insecurity, and what he called a leadership culture that still treats youth as apprentices rather than partners.
The NPA boss acknowledged government efforts such as NELFUND and the 3MTT programme as youth-focused initiatives, but insisted that more must be done to properly position Nigeria’s youthful population.
Badmus said he has supported thousands of Osogbo youths with UTME sponsorship and job placements, and pledged to extend that support to the National Students’ Union annually.
He was joined at the event by the APC candidate for Osogbo Federal Constituency, Hon. Ibrahim Taofeek Kayode; Osogbo State House of Assembly candidate, Hon. Ayodeji Olaiya; Prince Oyeniyi Oyewale; Mr Kareem Consul; and the Olohunda State Constituency candidate.
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