By Sam Otuonye
The Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, has launched Dream Nigeria Youth Charter, a document that focuses on the essential innovation and policy framework that is youth-driven.
The document, supported by Policy and Innovation Centre, Nigeria, an international advocacy group, during its 2026 Gender and Inclusive Summit in Abuja, with the theme: ‘From Agenda to Action: Making Innovation count for the Last Mile’ aligned with the group’s mandate towards building a resilient youth population in Nigeria.
The Charter unveiled by the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, said the initiative represented the collective vision and aspirations of Nigerian youths.
She noted that the document was to the growth of Nigerian youth, not just as a dream, but “we want to see it translate into results that will impact every Nigerian youth, in fact, beyond Nigeria to West Africa, and to the world as a whole.”
“On behalf of the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, who would have loved to be here but due to work exigencies could not, we are launching this beautiful work put together by Nigerian youths themselves and supported over the years by the Policy and Innovation Centre,” she said.
“We are launching this beautiful work put together by Nigerian youth themselves, supported over the year by PIC. So please join me as we launch this.”
She then formally declared the Dream Nigeria Youth Charter launched and called on stakeholders to support its implementation.
The launch added a youth development dimension to the GS-26 conversations, as participants continued to examine how stronger institutions, inclusive policies and accountable governance could deliver development to Nigerians at the last mile.
The participants observed that Nigeria’s political culture of governance works in the opposite direction, from the imperatives of government that we desire to see, noting that the political culture fundamentally concentrated on the business of getting into office, and ensure that you can stay in office. Hence, a political imperatives that become the predominant feature of day-to-day governments.
They noted that the last mile is made up of human beings whose wellbeing are supposed to be addressed by the fantastic policies of the government.
“We are talking about the business of policy articulation. If you have a whole process of assurance that has been articulated, actually benefits those at the last minute.”
Speaking on tax reforms and the impact on the last mile, the Special Adviser on Revenue to the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Olarinde Michael Olufemi, said Nigeria must move beyond measuring the success of tax reforms merely by the volume of revenue collected.
He noted that the real test of fiscal reform should be how effectively public revenue is translated into improved healthcare, education, infrastructure, security, social protection and other essential services for Nigerians.
Olufemi stated that Nigeria’s tax-to-GDP ratio remained among the lowest globally and below the African average, stressing the urgent need to strengthen domestic resource mobilisation.
According to him, the government’s target is to raise the country’s tax-to-GDP ratio to 18 per cent by 2028, while ensuring efficiency, transparency and equity in the management and deployment of public resources.
He said Nigeria’s rapidly growing population, projected to reach about 400 million by 2050, would place increasing pressure on public services and infrastructure.
He identified healthcare, education, infrastructure, security and social protection as critical areas requiring sustainable financing.
He said rising debt obligations, infrastructure financing gaps, rapid urbanisation, unemployment and climate-related challenges had made it imperative for Nigeria to expand its domestic revenue base.
