The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has urged young people in Bayelsa State to steer clear of drug abuse, cultism, violence, and other criminal activities that threaten peace and development in the Niger Delta.
UNODC Country Representative, Cheikh Toure, made the appeal during the 2025 International Youth Day celebration in Yenagoa, which also saw the inauguration of the Bayelsa Youths Peace Champions as advocates for peace. He said the agency had, since 2016, been promoting hope and positive engagement among youths in the region, and had selected 25 young people for training in inclusive leadership and solution-driven initiatives.
Toure commended the Bayelsa State Commissioner for Youth Development, Alfred Kemepadei, for supporting the programme.
Speaking at the event, Director General of the Centre for Youth Development, Robert Igali, described youths as the nation’s most critical asset, stressing that development would stagnate without their active involvement. He called for concrete steps to empower young people beyond symbolic gestures, noting that this year’s theme, “Local Youth Action for the SDGs and Beyond,” recognised their central role in advancing grassroots sustainable development.
Permanent Secretary of the state Ministry of Youth Development, Olomiete Enekpemi, said the government had rolled out programmes, leadership trainings, and scholarships to equip youths for meaningful contributions to society. Commissioner Kemepadei added that over 180 youths had been trained in agriculture and were being supported to become self-reliant, urging them to embrace discipline and positive choices to secure their future.
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