FG Opens Registration For Nigerians Aged 15 To 35 In New Youth Database

(Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande. Photo by Federal Ministry of Youth Development)
The Federal Government has started registering Nigerians between 15 and 35 years old under the National Youth Data Bank to build a full database of the country's youth and link them with jobs, skills and other opportunities.

Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande, announced this in Abuja while launching the project.

He said it will cover youths in both formal and informal sectors, including those in agriculture, sports, creative industries and technology.

With reliable data, government will better understand what young people need, what skills they have and where they live, which will help in planning youth programmes.

He said the database will show who the youths are, where they are, what they can do and what opportunities they need.

He stressed that it is a continuous government programme and not an electoral exercise.

Managing Director of POGMA Nigeria Limited, the technical partner, Otunba Oluyinka Akerele, said registration points have been set up in secondary schools, polytechnics, universities and colleges of education, and will later reach local governments and wards across the country.

Enumerators will be sent to all 774 local government areas, including hard to reach communities, to register youths in informal jobs and rural areas.

Akerele urged young Nigerians to come out in large numbers and register, saying it is the only way government can know who they are and how they can benefit.

He said the 15 to 35 age range follows the Nigerian Youth Policy, and that the database will be updated regularly so those who reach 15 can be captured, just like INEC registration.