By Felix Kuyinu
The Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development has trained members of the Lagos State Youth Parliament on effective performance.
The 2-day capacity building workshop for the members who make up the 5th Legislative Youth Assembly, held at the STO Resource Centre in Alausa, Ikeja, was staged to mark the beginning of a journey to empower youth parliamentarism and also sharpen their minds to drive legislative functions for the state and country in the future.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Toyin Oke-Osanyitolu, while delivering her keynote address on Monday, said that the Youth Parliament was established to impart knowledge on robust representation of young people to ensure that their voices are being heard through a legislative platform.
Oke-Osanyitolu noted that the members, who were numbered 40, were engaged in democratic processes in developing their leadership skills so as to contribute meaningfully to policy development.
While advising the members who were inaugurated in February 2024 to represent the 20 local governments in the state, the Permanent Secretary said, “Your role as youth Parliamentarians is not only to represent the voices of your peers but also to act as catalysts for positive change in your communities.
“This is to urge you to embrace the opportunities presented at this workshop in order to acquire knowledge and skills as valuable tools that would help you navigate the complexities of governance, advocacy and leadership in the process of engaging with experienced professionals and leaders”.
