Nigeria’s Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande, has urged the Ministry of Youth Development to measure its success by the number of lives transformed through its interventions rather than the volume of programmes and events it organises.
Olawande made the call while declaring open the 2026 Annual Ministerial Retreat of the Ministry in Abuja. The retreat had the theme, “Consolidating Youth Development Priorities: Delivering Results, Strengthening Partnerships and Expanding Impact.”
The Minister said the gathering provided an opportunity to assess the ministry’s performance, identify areas requiring improvement and agree on practical measures to strengthen youth development outcomes across the country.
He stressed that government interventions should be evaluated based on their ability to create jobs, equip young people with skills, expand business opportunities and improve access to funding and markets.
“Instead, we should assess ourselves by the lives we’ve changed,” Olawande emphasised.
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The minister explained that the ministry’s policies, programmes, expenditure and partnerships should ultimately demonstrate tangible benefits for Nigerian youths.
“And the Ministry of Youth Development exists for one major reason, to serve the Nigerian youth,” he reiterated.
Olawande also linked the ministry’s focus on measurable outcomes to the National Youth Data Bank, noting that reliable data would support evidence-based policymaking and programme implementation.
“When the ministry has the right information, we can make better decisions, because better information gives us better policy. But policy gives us better programs, and better programs should improve the lives of our young people,” he stated.
The minister called for stronger collaboration with government agencies, development partners and other stakeholders, stressing that partnerships should deliver tangible results rather than merely produce meetings and agreements.
He further urged officials participating in the retreat to develop clear priorities, timelines and performance indicators that would guide the ministry’s activities.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Maryam Ismaila Keshinro, represented by the Director of Human Resources, Mr. Akin Olanipekun, said the retreat offered an opportunity to objectively review the ministry’s achievements, challenges and overall performance.
Dr. Keshinro stressed the need to distinguish between activities undertaken and the actual outcomes achieved through interventions.
“A retreat such as this should not become an occasion for merely presenting activities and achievements. We should distinguish between activities’ output and actual outcomes,” she noted.
The Permanent Secretary also called for measurable deliverables, verifiable evidence and timely reporting across the ministry and its agencies.
“Our deliverables should be measurable. Our evidence should be very, very verifiable. Our reporting must be timely,” Dr. Keshinro added.
In a goodwill message, the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Olakunle Nafiu, described the retreat as an opportunity for stakeholders to review progress and align their activities with the ministry’s strategic direction.
Brigadier General Nafiu reaffirmed the NYSC’s commitment to implementing youth development policies and advocated sustained collaboration with the ministry and relevant agencies.
He also highlighted skills acquisition and entrepreneurship development as critical to preparing young Nigerians for productive participation in the economy and society.
The annual retreat brought together officials of the Ministry of Youth Development, its agencies and other stakeholders to review youth development priorities and develop strategies for improving results and expanding impact.