The need for Nigerian youths to get more involved in development and activism that holds the leadership accountable, was the focus during the final convening of the Speak Up, Stand Out (SUSO) campaign via a webinar that brought activists and the project team together to share experiences.
“My idea is to see young people channel the energy I saw during the EndSars, into the development sector,” Ijeoma Okwor, country lead Voice Program in Nigeria said.
SUSO as an initiative seeks to equip young people with the media and information literacy and grassroots mobilization skills, in creating campaigns to address issues that are relevant to them and influence policies that have an impact on them and to meaningfully participate in the socio-political development of their communities.
“The biggest picture is the impact we want to make in the lives of every young Nigerians that come in contact with this project,” said Okwor.
Additionally, according to Adenike Bamigbade, teacher training coordinator of SUSO, it’s important to identify community members who are passionate about bringing about change since they are the best social agents and can make the most of the resources that are made available to them.
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“They understand the community better, and they are better equipped with the local tools to support their communities with the limited resources,” Bamigbade said.
She gave an instance where an activist had successfully attracted a large audience by urging others to obtain PVC.
“We were able to get 17 activists who were able to deliver amazing results and we didn’t lose anyone and they were the easiest to work with.” Bamigbade said. “It’s been a journey in the past and I’m excited for the impact we have made.”
Kemi Gbadamosi, AHF Director of Advocacy, Policy and Marketing, African Bureau, expressed gratitude to the Nigeria Youth SDGs team for their voice and support, noting that when young people are given the chance to not only participate but also lead and contribute their knowledge, so much is possible.
” There’s so much going on in the world and not enough NGO but even with the few ones I interacted with, I can see a lot of hunger and passion and a lot of drive to want to make change happen,”
She urged the activists and supporters to build on the momentum and reminded them that everyone who had taken part in the program still had work to do.
“It’s one thing to start, but where the work really is in development is in the continuation, the beginning is the easiest, it’s building on the momentum, the success but there will always be so much to do,” Gbadamosi said.
“The young ones in the SUSO program have shown that with the right support, there’s no limit to how much change they can drive across the different sectors, ” Gbadamosi added.
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