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Worried by the growing rate of drug abuse and other social maladies among the youths, the Lagos State governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu yesterday said that the state government would collaborate with over 1,000 celebrities, social change advocates on the campaign against drug abuse and other societal ills prevalent among the Nigerians.
Speaking through his Special Adviser to the Governor on Stainable Development Goals and Investments, Mrs Solape Hammond, Governor Sanwo-Olu who disclosed this while briefing journalists on the initiative to drive the social change through the youths, said that the partnership would be carried out under the Lagos SDG Youth Alliance Initiative.
The governor added that the state government was also planning to build the biggest youth rehabilitation centers to serve as a venue for the rehabilitation and re-orientation of the younger generation.
According to him, the birth of the initiative – the Lagos SDGs Youth Alliance emerged from the conviction that youth represent a formidable and potent force through which positive impact could be made in all spheres of human endeavors, adding that meaningful engagements with them is a prerequisite for achieving the Greater Lagos Agenda and by extension the Global Sustainable Development Goals.
She said: “As a Government that recognizes the value of collaboration and engagement, we are establishing a clear and enduring pathway for meaningful youth participation in governance and in shaping the future they so much desire while at the same time providing them with the required support and enabling environment to thrive.
“Far from addressing them as mere beneficiaries of the 2030 Agenda, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has demonstrated his passion to position young people as active architects in the State’s developmental pursuits and he has continued to engage them in the frameworks and processes that support implementation, follow-up and review of development initiatives.”
Hammond said that the state government is poised to make the movement a special purpose vehicle that will drive a society of resourceful youth whose potentials are to be harnessed to drive the Greater Lagos ambition by channeling their energy, education, intellect and resourcefulness towards positive engagement for a better future.
The Special Adviser, who urged corporate institutions and other good-spirited bodies to renew their efforts towards the advancement of the society and to drive impact in achieving the SDGs in Lagos State, charged the youths to utilize the countless opportunities to accelerate outcomes.
He said: “We see you express this in music, fashion, social media engagement…in your protests. You have shown you can be captains of your own destiny – and boldly ask for what you want. We encourage you to maximize the advantages of invaluable networking, priceless contacts, profound deliberations, quality mentorship, exchange of brilliant ideas and collaborative action that are available through your participation in this noble cause. We are highly optimistic as we see some notable Champions of this fellowship already committing resources and efforts to solve some emerging challenges in our communities.”
She said that the administration is not oblivious of the unique challenges of today’s world. Nonetheless, having an active and substantive engagement with young women and men of great potential and deploying their competence into planning, articulation and implementation of development priorities will improve the efforts of the government and establish a positive influence on society.
“To the Youth, you are the native speakers of the global language of this decade; you are the most tech-savvy, digitally enabled and media-driven generation of all time. You are fiercely creative, incredibly innovative, amazingly resourceful and very vocal; instigators of movements that speed through our digital and physical worlds and shift culture and attitudes in a manner and pace never before seen, ” she said.
