President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Tuesday in Abuja, urged Nigerian youths to pursue their dreams of national and global relevance with courage and resilience, assuring that the Federal Government will support innovative endeavours.
The President gave the charge during the unveiling of the Nigerian Youth Academy (NIYA GIGS) Platform and Grant Award Ceremony organised by the Federal Ministry of Youth Development under the theme: “One Youth, Two Skills.” The programme is designed to support 300 young Nigerians by providing grants to 200 from the formal sector and 100 from the informal sector of the economy.
He said creativity and innovation will give the youths a competitive advantage in a fast-changing world, primarily driven by digital and emerging technologies.
The president, represented by his Chief of Staff, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, emphasised that youths are central to his administration’s developmental agenda, restating the commitment to ensuring the younger generation continues the task of nation-building, promoting innovation, skills acquisition, and talent nurturing.
“Build boldly, innovate courageously, scale fearlessly. You are the generation that will continue the task of building this nation. I am particularly happy to hear about the potential partnership with the UAE. I therefore urge you to continue to deploy your youthful ideas, creativity, and energy to drive the growth and development of this country,” he said.
President Tinubu affirmed his administration’s commitment to youth empowerment, stating that the government will continue to prioritise efforts to create and expand job opportunities.
“From the early days of this administration, I have made a firm decision; the Nigerian youth will not stand on the margins of our national development. This commitment is not political; it is personal. Throughout our nation’s journey, every major leap—from innovation to civic renewal—has been driven by the boundless energy, intelligence, and boldness of young Nigerians.
“Alongside these reforms, we have expanded support programmes across technology, agriculture, manufacturing, the creative industry, and green energy skills to ensure that young innovators have multiple pathways to succeed.
“Everything we do is part of a broader ecosystem of empowerment that this administration has intentionally designed,” the president said.
President Tinubu informed the gathering that his administration had carried out extensive regulatory reforms to remove bottlenecks for small businesses and streamlined the tax regime to ease compliance for young entrepreneurs.
He highlighted government-provided incentives for the digital and creative economy, as well as the expansion of access to consumer credit and enterprise financing for millions of young Nigerians.
“All these interventions are shaped by one goal: to build an economy where the ambition of a young Nigerian is never limited by bureaucracy or lack of opportunity,” he said.
Reaffirming his commitment to advancing digital skills, innovation, and enterprise, the President declared that Nigeria cannot afford to leave its youth behind.
“As we build the next generation of Nigerian founders, we are also opening a new frontier of opportunity through business outsourcing and the gig economy. With the official launch of NIYA GIGS, we are introducing a national platform for freelancing and digital services that connects young Nigerians to paid work locally and globally.
“Nigeria cannot afford to stand aside; our young people have the talent, the digital fluency, and creativity to become global service providers, exporting Nigerian services worldwide.
“Through NIYA Academy, NIYA Startup, NIYA Gigs, and NIYA Jobs, we are linking skills to markets, ideas to capital, and young people to real prosperity… Note that the grant you are getting today is not a prize; it is a vote of confidence from your nation,” he said.
The Minister of Youth Development, Mr Ayodele Olawande, described the launch as a deliberate effort by the Ministry to ensure that the brilliance, creativity and resourcefulness of Nigerian youths in both the formal and informal sectors are recognised, celebrated, and integrated into national development, affirming that NIYA is now an ecosystem.
He commended the collaborative efforts of several public and private institutions towards its realisation.
“We are here, for the first time in the history of this country, to build the informal sector and ensure that we provide a tool and a living way for them. Over 200 youth-led startups will receive One Million Naira each to start up their businesses.
“And for the first time, we are extending this directly to support young people in the informal sector, whereby over one hundred of them will receive N500,000 each to support their businesses.
“The NIYA GIG will open up the doors for all Nigerian youths, not just to beg for the crumbs, but to learn and compete at the global scale and to make sure that they make income for themselves,” he said.
In a goodwill message, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, said the launch is a testament to the nation’s collective resolve to place young Nigerians at the centre of the development agenda.
“The Startup Grant Award Ceremony and the official flag-off of the NIYA GIGS mark an important milestone in our ongoing efforts to nurture youth-led businesses and to accelerate skill development across the country. These initiatives are practical and forward-looking. They are deliberately designed to stimulate entrepreneurship, strengthen digital and vocational competencies, as well as deepen the creativity and resilience that have always defined the Nigerian people,” he said.
