Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, alongside a member of the House of Representatives, Ifeoluwa Ehindero, and the Asiwaju Mandate Group (AMG), has supported the 2026 edition of the DevMe Future Proof boot camp aimed at helping teenagers discover and develop their potential.
The initiative, held in Akure, Ondo State capital, brought together 80 boys and girls aged between 13 and 19 who were selected from more than 400 applicants.
Tunji-Ojo provided financial assistance to the organisers to support the execution of the programme, while Ehindero, who represents Akoko North-East/Akoko North-West Federal Constituency, also contributed to the initiative. AMG, a group campaigning for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, equally supported the boot camp.
At the grand finale and award presentation held at St. Louis Girls’ Grammar School, Akure, on Saturday, founder of DevMe, Temiloluwa Oladele Asagunla, said the programme was established to encourage young people to begin preparing for their future before leaving school.
Asagunla said many young Nigerians wait until after university or the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) before discovering their interests and preparing for the future.
She said the programme was therefore designed to catch teenagers at their formative years and expose them to opportunities beyond the classroom.
According to her, the boot camp focuses on self-discovery, leadership, digital skills, management, entrepreneurship and other areas that could prepare participants for the changing world.
She said: “A lot of young people wait till when they are done with NYSC or university before they begin to prepare for the future. So, who are the people that we can catch young and begin to build them for the future?
“Apart from academics, they are the teenagers because they are in their formative years. Future Proof is all about taking teenagers and exposing them beyond the classroom in different skills: self-discovery, mastering themselves, leadership, digital skills and management.
“Because the world is moving into AI, social media and a lot of that, you need to know how to manage those tools for productivity, as well as being entrepreneurs, searching for problems and becoming solution providers.”
Explaining the selection process, Asagunla said applicants were required to pitch their ideas in creative, business and technology categories, after which participants were selected based on their submissions and potential.
She disclosed that the teenagers were trained by researchers and experts from different fields during the boot camp.
At the ceremony, Tunji-Ojo, Ehindero and the Director-General of AMG, Olumuyiwa Asagunla, received awards for their contributions to the programme.
Four participants also received cash prizes ranging from N100,000 to N300,000 for their outstanding performances during the boot camp.
Tunji-Ojo was represented at the event by Kunle Omogunwa, while Asagunla was represented by Dr Ayodeji Ologun.
Ologun described DevMe as a non-governmental initiative established to broaden teenagers’ perspectives and prepare them for future opportunities.
He said the programme had exposed participants to new experiences, friendships, knowledge and opportunities across entertainment, science, technology and the arts.
Ologun said AMG and the Interior Minister had invested millions of naira in supporting the initiative, adding that the sponsors hoped to do more in subsequent editions.
He also called on government to establish larger holiday programmes capable of bringing together thousands of young Nigerians to develop their skills and broaden their exposure.
Ondo State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Igbekele Ajibefun, commended the organisers for the initiative, describing it as inspiring.
Ajibefun assured that the state government would continue to support programmes aimed at positively impacting and shaping the future of school pupils in the state.
The founder subsequently announced the third edition of the programme, DevMe Future Proof 3.0, scheduled for August 2027.
