National Youth Confab : Aggrieved Youths Stage Protest, Alleged Osun Commissioner Of Politicizing Delegate List

Some youths in Osun State under the aegis of the Coalition of Concerned Nigerian Citizens (CCNC) on Tuesday staged a protest against the state Commissioner for Youth Development, Moshood Olagunju, over the alleged politicization of the National Youth Conference delegate list.

The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Youth Development, had earlier announced its readiness to host the National Youth Conference (NYC), also known as the National Youth Confab 2025, aimed at uniting young Nigerians from all communities, states, and the diaspora to co-create the country’s future.

It would be recalled that in August 2024, youths across the federation, including Osun, staged peaceful protests over issues such as insecurity, economic hardship, inflation, and unemployment.

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The protesting youths expressed concerns over the alleged exclusion of key activists from Osun who played significant roles in the August #EndbadGivernance protest. They accused the commissioner of allocating delegate slots only to individuals aligned with government interests.

The protesters, who stormed the Ministry of Youth Affairs on Tuesday, described the exclusion as unfair and an attempt to silence those who initiated the call for the confab.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Comrade Oluomo Success said the Commissioner allocated only one slot to their group out of nine, and even mandated that the representative must be a female.

“The Commissioner for Youth Development offered us one slot and then insisted that it must be a female. That raises questions about his real agenda. Why should he dictate who we send?” Oluomo queried.

He continued: “Last July, CCNC leaders deliberated on the country’s economic hardship, inequality, insecurity, and inflation, and decided to demand answers from President Bola Tinubu. One of our ten demands was the hosting of a national confab. Now that the president has listened, it is unfair that those who made the demand are being excluded.”

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Oluomo further recalled how CCNC ensured a peaceful protest in Osun, even after informing security agencies beforehand: “We were responsible and law-abiding. Osun was ranked the best state in terms of peaceful protest. Now that the benefits are here, why are the real actors sidelined?”

He accused the commissioner of including NYSC corps members, some of whom are indigenes of the state, as part of the state’s representation at the confab without consulting relevant stakeholders.

“This isn’t a privilege or political favour. This is a right. We are not fighting for relevance — we are fighting for fairness. We demand transparency, inclusivity, and accountability,” he stated.

The group warned that they would continue to protest and revisit the Ministry if their concerns are not addressed.

“We led the August protest under CCNC, a coalition of over 53 youth organizations. If this continues, we are prepared to mobilize again.”

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In response, Commissioner Moshood Olagunju told the protesters that the directive to include corps members came from the federal level.

“What you are seeing is a directive from Abuja, not Osun. We were told to include corps members. I used my initiative to select from your organization. Your grievances should be directed to the federal level,” he said.

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Olagunju added, “Some of the corps members are indigenes of Osun and are serving in the state. They fall under my ministry, and I acted based on that.”