The Confederation of West African Youths (CWAY) has called on Nigerian youths to take a more active role in shaping the country’s political future, saying effective governance must translate into tangible improvements in the lives of citizens.
The organisation also expressed support for the presidential campaign of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, while advocating stronger public-private partnerships, greater accountability and increased opportunities for young Nigerians.
Regional President of CWAY, Ambassador Israel Akinola, stated this in Abuja when a delegation of the organisation paid a courtesy visit to the SDP National Secretariat.
Akinola said CWAY, which he described as a platform of African youths committed to driving change, had members across West African countries and was focused on promoting good governance, effective leadership and opportunities for young people.
He said Nigeria needed a different approach to governance in which public policies would be reflected in the daily experiences of ordinary citizens.
“We are a confederation of West African youths, an organisation of caring African youths for change. We have membership across all West African countries.
“We want every African country to experience leadership and governance at its peak. Looking at some countries that are given as examples of excellent governance, we discovered that Nigeria needs to chart a new course,” he said.
Akinola said CWAY was particularly interested in issues affecting young people, including education, technology, access to finance, employment and grassroots development.
He said the organisation had been impressed by Adebayo’s message during the 2023 presidential election and his continued advocacy for political and institutional reforms.
“I was quite impressed by the message of hope you came to give to the people,” Akinola told Adebayo.
“We have come to discover that you are not just any conventional type of politician. You are someone who has come to pioneer and ensure that change is driven.”
The CWAY leader, who identified himself as a software engineer, said Nigeria needed an environment where the ideas and innovations of young people could develop into sustainable businesses.
He cited the progress made by young innovators in countries such as China, Japan and the United States, arguing that government support and an enabling environment could help Nigerian youths turn their ideas into enterprises.
“I built apps and software that I believe, with the required government backing, could become a conglomerate in the nearest future. But with the frustrating envirRegional President of CWAY, Ambassador Israel Akinolaonment we have, that does not let our ideas and intellect thrive, it is frustrating,” he said.
Akinola also urged young Nigerians to become more conscious of their civic responsibilities, noting that youths constitute a significant segment of the electorate.
He said the delegation’s visit was aimed at facilitating intellectual engagement with the SDP and exploring areas of cooperation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Responding, Adebayo thanked the delegation and recalled the historical contribution of young people to Nigeria’s independence struggle, particularly the role of the West African Students’ Union.
He said the younger generation had a responsibility to contribute to the country’s political development, urging the youths to take their message beyond political meetings and into local communities.
“Politics is done in the neighbourhoods,” he said, stressing that national political influence would have limited practical effect without sustained engagement at the grassroots.
Adebayo also encouraged the youths to build what he described as a “society of purpose”, arguing that commitment to country and a clear vision for the future were essential to sustained political participation.
“Politics is not a game of the mouth. It is a game of the heart. Because the burden of politics is not easy. The love for your country and the vision of the future will be what will make you last long in politics,” he said.
The SDP candidate asked the group to identify areas where it could collaborate with the party, assuring the delegation that its contributions would be considered in the party’s wider political engagement.
Also speaking, the SDP Deputy National Chairman, Senator Ugochukwu Uba, who represented the National Chairman, Professor Sadiq Gombe, said the party was developing its policies around the welfare and security provisions contained in Chapter Two of the 1999 Constitution.
Uba said the growing interest of young people in the party reflected the reach of its message, adding that the SDP’s recently unveiled 2027–2031 blueprint, titled Farewell to Poverty and Insecurity, outlines its proposed approach to security, economic productivity, social welfare, governance and institutional reform.
He said Nigeria possessed the human and material resources required for development but had been constrained by leadership challenges, urging young Nigerians to engage with political programmes and participate in efforts to strengthen the country’s democratic process.
The party’s Director of Contact and Mobilisation, Prof. Ifedi Okwenna, similarly urged youths to move beyond attending political meetings and voting to sustained grassroots engagement.
Okwenna said the party wanted young Nigerians to participate actively in mobilisation and engagement at the polling-unit level ahead of the 2027 elections.
Nigeria currently has 176,846 polling units across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), underscoring the scale of grassroots organisation required by political parties and civic groups.
The visit came shortly after the SDP presented its 2027–2031 policy blueprint in Abuja, outlining proposed measures on security, poverty reduction, jobs, education, healthcare, infrastructure, technology and governance.
