Sanwo Olu to Young Nigerians: Stop Waiting, Create Your Own Opportunities

Kehinde Adeleye

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo Olu, has challenged young Nigerians to stop waiting for opportunities to come to them and instead use their skills, creativity and determination to create solutions to the challenges around them.

Sanwo Olu gave the charge to members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) as they completed their 3 week orientation programme at the NYSC Orientation Camp in Iyana Ipaja, Lagos.

Speaking to the 2026 Batch ‘B’ Stream II corps members, the governor said Nigeria’s future would depend largely on what young people were able to do with the opportunities available to them.

He urged the corps members to see their service year as more than a compulsory national assignment, but as an opportunity to gain experience, build relationships, discover their strengths and make an impact in the communities where they serve.

“Government can create opportunities but young people must seize them, because Nigeria needs your ideas, courage, creativity, resilience and belief in a better future built through collective action,” Sanwo Olu said.

The governor also challenged the corps members to move beyond complaining about the problems confronting the country.

Instead, he urged them to become young people who identify problems and develop practical solutions, regardless of where they find themselves.

“Do not merely complain about the challenges confronting our society; ask yourselves what you can do about them and become innovative, resourceful and solution driven wherever you serve,” he said.

Sanwo Olu encouraged the corps members to take the Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme seriously, saying acquiring practical skills could open doors beyond their primary assignments and prepare them for life after NYSC.

With many young Nigerians looking beyond traditional employment, he urged the corps members to explore entrepreneurship and other opportunities that could allow them to become job creators rather than only job seekers.

He also assured them that the Lagos State Government would continue to work with NYSC authorities and security agencies to protect their welfare and safety throughout their service year.

But beyond security and welfare, the governor urged the young people to think about the kind of legacy they would leave behind.

“When this service year is over, I want you to look back and say: I served, I contributed, I made a difference, and that is your legacy. Endeavour to leave every community better than you met it,” he said.

Sanwo Olu was represented at the ceremony by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Pharm. Toyin Oke Osanyitolu.

The NYSC Lagos State Coordinator, Christiana Salmwang, also reminded the corps members that the next stage of their service required discipline, maturity and responsibility.

She urged them to approach their Places of Primary Assignment with commitment and respect for the communities they would be serving.

“I urge you to accept your postings with humility and patriotism, settle down promptly, and serve with dedication, commitment, integrity, and a deep sense of responsibility to Nigeria,” Salmwang said.

She cautioned the corps members against taking unnecessary risks, particularly unauthorised and night journeys.

She also advised them to protect their personal information and obtain appropriate permission whenever travelling becomes unavoidable during their service year.

For the young Nigerians beginning the next phase of their service, the message from the Lagos Government was clear: the service year should not simply be something to complete and forget.

It should be a period to learn, build, contribute and discover what they can bring to a country that needs the energy and ideas of its young population.