*Summit produces new youth leadership
-11 receive new laptops, others Industrial sowing machines to boost skills, entrepreneurship
–Fun, talent display at summit
By Olawale Lamina
The 2026 Youth Leaders Summit, YLS, has come to an end with a call on the participants to brace up for the challenges the digital world will pose to them and take advantage of opportunities in the space to forge ahead in life.
The Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Parent Intercession Initiative, PII, Pastor Ayo Osinlu dropped the charge for participants on Saturday at closing of the annual event, held at the auditorium of Rhema Chapel International Churches Abuja on Saturday.
He seized the opportunity to restate the confidence reposed in the convener of the programme, Dr. Bolatito Sure-Olufe, while commending her for the initiative put together to better the lot of the youth participants in their numbers.
Osinlu expressed the believe that the effects of efforts injected into the programme will transcend the moment and positively influence the beneficiaries.
Earlier, in her brief closing remarks, the YLS convener thanked participants from across the federal capital territory and other states for their trust in the initiative. She acknowledged that their belief in the programme has helped to sustain it in the last eight years.
Meanwhile, the grand finale of the programme culminated in the election of the President and the Vice President of the YLS in a free and fair process. For instance, four parties vying for the two slots had six representatives each serving as retuning and collation officers. The outcome of the election was made open through open vote counting and subsequent declaration of the winners.
Earlier on Friday, which marked the day-2 of the youth centered forum, speakers, resource persons and entrepreneurs among participants explored the theme of the event – digital citizens:… in a shared conversation that spoke to commitment, future hopes and robust exchange of ideas, the participants drew from the rich experiences of resource persons who provided necessary guides and directions.
Also, the YLS entrepreneurs took time out to sell their businesses with others showcasing their creativity in diverse areas like the spoken word, sowing, sharing of experiences in digital and tech skills, among others. Vendors were equally given a slot at the galley to do business in sales of goods and services.
And, in a renewed effort to instill leadership with responsibility, the youths were thought what Civic responsibility meant and how leadership and influencing could start from individual efforts at community level.
The youth participants went through the electoral process of voting representatives to pilot the affairs of the Summit by voting table by table for their choice candidates.
To ensure a free and fair election, six representatives of the 4 political parties acted as returning and collection of results, which were counted before the participating Electorate
Before then, organizers had put in place as part of the process, the expression.of interest forms for the available position. Nomination for the slots was N100 per candidate, before the screening.
But the election day was preceded by campaign whereby candidates shared their manifestos to the electorate, mainly participants across organized party lines. Total vote cast from the exercise was 475, while 15 were declared invalid by electoral officers in the presence of returning and collation officers.
At the end of the day, the exercise produced the President and the Vice President, in a manner that reminded the youth that a free and fair election is possible even on a lager scale with citizens active participation in the process.
Highpoint of the occasion included the presentation of laptops and industrial sowing machines to the deserving members of YLS, who had demonstrated hard work, commitment and creativity in different areas of skills.
Meanwhile, the Director of Welfare, representing the Students Union Government, SUG, University of Abuja, now Yakubu Gowon University, presented an award of recognition to the convener , who accepted the award with appreciation.
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