The Forum of National Youth Leaders of Political Parties in Nigeria (FNYLPPN) has called for increased youth participation in governance and political leadership as part of preparations for the 2027 general elections.
The demands were contained in a 10-point communiqué issued at the end of the National Youth Leaders Hangout with Journalists held on Saturday at Kapital Klub and Apartments, Asokoro, Abuja, under the theme: “The Place of Nigerian Youths in the 2027 Political Discussion and Beyond.”
The forum, which brought together youth stakeholders, political party youth leaders, media practitioners, policymakers and other stakeholders, urged presidential candidates and party chairmen to commit to a clear youth inclusion agenda and support a leadership transition to younger Nigerians by 2031.
Participants stressed the need for political parties to expand youth participation beyond the office of youth leader by involving young people in candidate selection and internal decision-making processes.
The forum also called for a reduction in the cost of nomination and expression of interest forms, demanding at least a 70 per cent discount for aspirants aged 35 years and below. According to the communiqué, democracy should not be reserved for the wealthy, while electoral reforms must address campaign financing, violence and intimidation affecting young aspirants.
On economic empowerment, the group expressed concern over rising unemployment and poverty among youths, urging the Federal Government to establish youth skills acquisition and empowerment centres in all the 774 local government areas and the six area councils of the FCT. It also advocated increased investment in job creation, enterprise funding, digital economy initiatives, grants and soft loans for young Nigerians.
The forum further demanded greater youth representation in governance, proposing a 70 per cent youth quota in appointive and elective positions at the federal, state and local government levels, while older politicians retain 30 per cent advisory roles.
It also called for the extension of the operational youth age bracket from 18–35 years to 18–45 years to accommodate Nigerians still struggling for economic and leadership opportunities in their late thirties and early forties.
On insecurity, the youth leaders condemned killings, kidnappings, terrorism, cultism and drug abuse across the country.
They urged the government to strengthen intelligence gathering, improve community policing and tackle the root causes of insecurity, including unemployment and poor access to education.
The communiqué also appealed to Nigerian youths to reject political violence, ethnic division and religious intolerance ahead of the 2027 elections, while calling on political elites to stop exploiting ethnic and regional sentiments for political gains.
The forum raised concerns over the decay of public schools across the country and urged President Bola Tinubu’s administration to urgently address deteriorating infrastructure in primary and secondary schools.
The communiqué was signed by Eze Onyebuchi Chukwu, who is also the National Youth Leader of All Progressives Grand Alliance.