In an effort to empower young people across the state, Lagos State Youth Parliament, 5th Assembly, has partnered with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Nigeria, Generation Unlimited 9ja, and the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development to launch a youth development initiative.
The initiative aims to train and equip 15,000 young people with critical digital and community-building skills. The initiative, unveiled at the Lagos State House of Assembly Complex, saw the induction of 75 young leaders, including 40 honourable members of the Lagos Youth Parliament and 35 youth representatives from diverse organisations as Youth Agency Marketplace Ambassadors (YOMA).
The YOMA platform, backed by UNICEF, is designed to foster digital entrepreneurship, promote community development, and drive youth-led impact.
UNICEF Nigeria’s Skill Development and Youth Empowerment Specialist, Mr. Bharat Kumar Kundra.
Explained that the YOMA training programme will provide the youth with access to transformative tools and opportunities.”This initiative is focused on enabling young people in Lagos and Nigeria to become impactful agents of change in their local communities,” he stated.
Speaking at the launch, Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Pharm. Toyin Oke-Osanyintolu, said: “This is more than a training; it’s a launchpad for leadership, innovation, and sustainable transformation across all 40 constituencies of Lagos State.”
Speaker of the Lagos State Youth Parliament (5th Assembly), Itunuoluwa Maria Soniregun, described the programme as a bold commitment to raising a new generation of leaders. She expressed optimism that the 75 newly inaugurated YOMA Ambassadors would positively impact at least 15,000 youths.
“We are unlocking potential and preparing Lagos youths for active roles in the global economy,” she said. Leader of the House and Chairman of the Youth Parliament’s Committee on Public-Private Partnership, Olasupo Jubril Adedimeji, hailed the partnership with UNICEF as a landmark for youth organizations in Nigeria.
“This is the first successful collaboration of its kind, and it reflects our parliament’s unwavering commitment to youth representation and capacity building,” he said, aligning the effort with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and Governor Sanwo-Olu’s THEMES+ Agenda.
The YOMA training launch coincided with the Parliament’s fourth sitting, which was hailed as one of the most impactful in its history. During the session, members adopted a 56-page Standing Order, passed eight youth-focused motions, presented three critical reports, swore in new members, and inaugurated a new Deputy Speaker.
The sitting also commemorated the International Day of Parliamentarism with the Lagos State House of Assembly, represented by Deputy Majority Leader and Chairman, House Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Relations, Adedamola Richard Kasunmu.
Key motions passed during the session included calls for action on rising criminal activity, the drug abuse crisis, mental health awareness, and school dropout rates. There were also proposals to empower Youth Parliamentarians to engage with local council legislatures and to institutionalise youth participation in governance.
The session drew the participation of several top government officials, including the SSA to the Lagos State Governor on Youth Mobilisation, SSA on Special Duties, and senior officials from the Ministry of Youth and Social Development and the Lagos State House of Assembly.
