Technical Adviser to the Vice President on Women and Youth Engagement and Impact, Hajia Hauwa Liman, has charged Nigerian youth to seize responsibility for their future, cultivate opportunities with deliberate action, and position themselves as catalysts of national transformation.
Speaking as convener of the Youth Opportunity Summit 2025 held at Trenchard Hall, University of Ibadan on Saturday, December 6, she declared that opportunities rarely arrive completed—they begin as seeds that require vision, effort, and preparation.
“Opportunities do not come fully formed; they come as seeds. This summit should be your soil. You are the farmer—plant something today,” she urged thousands of young attendees.
The summit, themed “Leveraging Opportunity: Building a Future-Ready Youth,” brought together policymakers, captains of industry, academics, development partners, tech innovators, corps members, student leaders, and youth advocates, in collaboration with the Presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Oyo State Government, and the Inspire for Impact Initiative.
Liman expressed profound joy as she announced that this was the first edition of the summit in the South-West region, marking a major expansion in the national youth-engagement movement she leads.
“It gives me great pleasure to stand before you today as we officially open the 6th edition of the Youth Opportunity Summit. This moment is special not just because we are in this city, but because every new location becomes a fresh chapter in our mission to empower, inspire, and elevate Nigerian youth.”
She affirmed that the Tinubu administration remains genuinely committed to youth inclusion, listening directly to young Nigerians across regions. “Mr President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has your interest at heart. Government no longer plans policies for young people blindly—we now have the statistics, the data, and the insight. And we are going to do our part.”
Reflecting on the journey since the summit was launched in May 2024 at Bayero University, Kano, Liman highlighted the rapid evolution of the initiative into one of Nigeria’s most influential youth platforms.
“In just one year, we have directly engaged over 15,000 young people across five states—with Oyo being the sixth. We have supported over 80 entrepreneurs with mentorship, capacity building, and small grants. We have cultivated over 225 young volunteers, strengthening the culture of service and leadership across communities.”
She emphasized that the Youth Opportunity Summit has become a launchpad for dreams, with many participants now winning national and international placements due to the visibility and support the platform offers.
“Young innovators from our host states have won national and global opportunities. Our data reveals clear trends—most business ideas fall within agriculture, followed by the creative economy and technology. This proves Nigerian youth are not waiting for the future; they are already building it.”
Positioning the summit as both a civic and national development tool, Liman described it as a vital platform through which policymakers can observe youth realities directly.
“Beyond empowering individuals, this summit has become a listening room for policymakers—a space where government can engage and gain grounded insight. Youth empowerment is not just a program; it is a development strategy, a nation-building tool, and a pathway to shared prosperity.”
She announced a landmark milestone achieved this year: “On July 22, 2025, we signed an MoU with the Federal University of Dutse, Jigawa State, to launch Impact Hubs in Jigawa and Katsina. These hubs will focus on personal development, employability pathways, and community service. This is not just an intervention—it is an investment in the next generation of change-makers.”
Speaking from personal experience, Liman delivered one of the most powerful segments of her address as she reflected on her own rise.
“The opportunities I have had—from the Washington Fellowship to being named among the British Council Top 50 Future Policy Leaders, to becoming a Sustainable Development Goalkeeper did not happen by chance. A door opened, a platform existed, and I was prepared.”
She emphasized that young people must take the initiative instead of waiting for government. “I tell people that opportunities made me. I am where I am because I leveraged opportunities—I did not wait for government to open a door for me. I searched, I prepared, I served, and when the government opportunity came, I was pulled in. You must do the same.”
Concluding powerfully, Liman delivered a clear mandate to the youth across the hall: “My message is simple yet profound: 'network intentionally' before you leave here today. Believe in the power of your story. Look at how you can impact your community—everything must not always be about what you will gain.”
She then declared the summit open, calling it "the place where potentials become reality.”
Her address set the tone for a summit aimed at equipping thousands of young Nigerians with the tools, platforms, and mindset to build a future-ready generation.
