GCNY Award Recipient Congratulates NYAC on 2026 International Youth Day
By Roy Ofori, African Heritage Global Affairs Editor
As Nigeria joins the global community in commemorating the 2026 International Youth Day, Hon. (Dr.) Kenneth Chibuogwu Gbandi has congratulated the Nigeria Youth Alternative Council (NYAC) for its outstanding work as a vanguard, mobilising force and courageous voice for Nigerian youths.
Gbandi, Chairman of the African Democratic Congress–Diaspora Network (ADC-DN), recently received NYAC’s prestigious Award of Grand Commander of Nigerian Youth (GCNY) in recognition of his commitment to youth empowerment, inclusive leadership, diaspora engagement and national development.
Reflecting on the honour, Gbandi described the award as more than a personal recognition. He called it a renewed responsibility to stand with Nigerian youths in their struggle for opportunity, representation, economic security and a meaningful place in national leadership.
“This honour belongs to every young Nigerian who continues to dream, innovate and persevere despite the enormous obstacles confronting our nation,” Gbandi said. “I accept it as a call to deepen my commitment to the emergence of a new generation of competent, courageous and patriotic Nigerian leaders.”
He commended the leadership and members of NYAC for building a credible platform through which young Nigerians can organize, engage public institutions and participate more effectively in shaping the future of the country.
“On the occasion of the 2026 International Youth Day, I congratulate the Nigeria Youth Alternative Council for being undoubtedly one of the most vibrant vanguards and voices of Nigerian youths,” he stated. “NYAC’s growing commitment to youth mobilisation, political awareness, leadership development and national inclusion deserves the support of every Nigerian who genuinely believes in the future of our country.”
A Generation Confronted by a National Emergency
According to Gbandi, the 2026 International Youth Day comes at a critical moment in Nigeria’s history. Young Nigerians constitute the majority of the population, yet they carry a disproportionate share of the country’s economic and social burdens.
Millions of young people are unemployed or underemployed. Many graduates struggle for years without meaningful opportunities, while students contend with inadequate educational infrastructure and families face the rising costs of food, transportation, housing and basic services.
Young entrepreneurs are constrained by poor electricity supply, limited access to credit, excessive taxation and an unstable business environment. Insecurity has also devastated communities, disrupted agriculture and exposed millions of young Nigerians to crime, violence, trafficking and political exploitation.
For many, migration has become a survival strategy rather than a free choice.
“This is the tragic contradiction of today’s Nigeria,” Gbandi observed. “We have one of the youngest and most talented populations in the world, yet our leadership and institutions continue to treat youths as an afterthought. Our young people are celebrated in speeches but excluded from the rooms where the decisions affecting their lives are made.”
He warned that no country can achieve sustainable development while marginalising the majority of its population.
Nigeria’s youths, he argued, are not a burden to be managed or merely a voting population to be mobilised during elections. They are innovators, entrepreneurs, farmers, professionals, creators, community organisers and potential public leaders whose talents must become the driving force of national renewal.
Youth Inclusion Must Go Beyond Slogans
Gbandi maintained that genuine youth inclusion must go beyond appointing a few politically connected individuals or offering temporary empowerment programmes.
It must include quality and affordable education, vocational and digital training, access to finance, support for youth-led enterprises, modern agricultural opportunities, political representation and transparent pathways into public leadership.
“Youth inclusion cannot remain a campaign slogan,” he declared. “It must become a measurable national policy reflected in appointments, party structures, economic planning, education, technology, agriculture and public-sector reforms.”
He referenced the ADC’s commitment to youth inclusion, including its policy of allocating 35 per cent representation to young people across party structures. Such policies, he noted, are necessary to ensure that young Nigerians are not merely invited to political rallies but are empowered to participate in decision-making.
“Youths cannot continually be described as the leaders of tomorrow while being denied the opportunity to lead today,” Gbandi said. “The future we speak about is already here, and Nigeria can no longer afford to postpone the emergence of a new generation of leadership.”
Leadership Requires Preparation and Responsibility
While challenging political leaders and institutions to open the space for greater youth participation, Gbandi also called on young Nigerians to prepare themselves for leadership.
He urged them to reject political thuggery, ethnic hatred, religious manipulation, cybercrime, misinformation and the temptation to sell their votes. Leadership, he stressed, requires knowledge, discipline, competence, integrity and the courage to defend the public interest.
“Young Nigerians must not allow themselves to be reduced to social-media spectators, praise singers or instruments of electoral violence,” he cautioned. “They must organise, register to vote, understand the issues, participate in political parties, demand accountability and present themselves for leadership.”
Gbandi added that youthful age alone does not guarantee progressive leadership. Nigeria needs young leaders who are guided by values, prepared for responsibility and committed to service rather than personal enrichment.
He therefore challenged NYAC and other youth organisations to intensify political education, leadership mentoring, entrepreneurship development and grassroots mobilisation across Nigeria’s communities.
Building a National Youth Coalition
Gbandi called for stronger collaboration among youth organisations, political parties, civil society, the private sector, traditional institutions and the Nigerian diaspora.
He noted that the diaspora possesses valuable knowledge, professional networks, capital and global exposure that can support youth-led innovation and enterprise at home. However, such partnerships must be properly structured and connected to the realities of young people in local communities.
“Investing in Nigerian youths is not charity,” he said. “It is an investment in our national survival, economic prosperity and security. A nation that empowers its youths builds stability; a nation that abandons them creates the conditions for frustration, insecurity and decline.”
He urged the government to create an enabling environment in which youth-led small and medium-sized enterprises, technology start-ups, creative industries, agriculture, sports and manufacturing can thrive.
A Call to National Renewal
As Nigeria looks towards the 2027 general elections, Gbandi challenged young people to recognise the power of their numbers and use it responsibly.
He stressed that Nigerian youths must move beyond lamentation and become an organised democratic force capable of influencing policies, electing credible leaders and holding public officials accountable.
“The Nigerian youth must move from the sidelines to the centre of leadership,” he declared. “The ballot must become an instrument of peaceful national renewal. Young Nigerians must refuse to surrender their future to the same patterns of failed leadership that created the present crisis.”
Concluding his message, Gbandi once again congratulated Icon Nixon Chukwuka Odimbu FIAP, CNY, MNI President, Nigeria Youth Alternative Council NYAC and the entire members of NYAC on the 2026 International Youth Day and expressed gratitude for the GCNY honour.
“To the leadership and entire membership of the Nigeria Youth Alternative Council, I salute your courage, vision and vibrant mobilisation of Nigerian youths,” he said. “Continue to speak, organise and build bridges across our nation. Nigeria’s future will not be secured by wishful thinking. It will be secured by a prepared, united and courageous generation willing to lead.”
The message of the 2026 International Youth Day is therefore clear: Nigeria must stop treating its youths merely as leaders waiting for tomorrow. They are the energy, intelligence and human capital required to rebuild the country today.
The time for youth leadership is not tomorrow. The time is now.
