Despite the announcement of a 30-day National Youth Conference slated for February 2025, the Federal Government has not allocated any funds for the event in the 2025 budget.
Although the Federal Ministry of Youth Development received N14.97bn in the budget, there is no specific provision for the youth conference, which President Bola Tinubu described as a platform for empowering young Nigerians to actively engage in nation-building.
Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, confirmed plans for the conference but stated it would not follow the traditional format.
“Three weeks of the conference will involve grassroots engagement, with only one week spent in Abuja,” he explained.
Responding to inquiries on the lack of budgetary allocation, Olawande said the ministry had developed a cost-effective strategy, emphasising that it would not be a “typical hotel confab” requiring significant expenditure.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has allocated N428.27m for other youth programmes in 2025, including N100m for Commonwealth Youth Programmes, N62m for the Local Youth Exchange Programme, and N80m for the World Youth Skills Day.
