By Emmanuel Daniji

The Lagos State Government has renewed its pledge to equip young people with the skills, opportunities and support needed to participate meaningfully in Nigeria’s economic future, as Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu urged youths to stop waiting for opportunities and start creating them.

Sanwo-Olu gave the charge on Wednesday while addressing young Nigerians at the 4th edition of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) Generation Next Forum at the Queens Park Event Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The forum was held under the theme, “Building Tomorrow Today: Youth as Catalysts of a Digital, Inclusive and Sustainable Economy.”

Represented by the Lagos State Commissioner for Finance, Abayomi Oluyomi, the governor said Nigeria’s rapidly changing economy had placed young people at the centre of the country’s transformation.

With technology, fintech, artificial intelligence and digital businesses reshaping the way people work and earn, Sanwo-Olu said young Nigerians must be prepared not just to participate in the changing economy but to help shape it.

“Do not wait for someone to hand you the future. Start building it,” he charged.

Beyond Waiting for Jobs

The governor encouraged young Nigerians to take initiative, learn from failure and focus on creating value rather than simply waiting for conventional employment opportunities.

He said technology alone would not guarantee meaningful economic transformation, stressing that digital skills must be accompanied by integrity, creativity, discipline and a commitment to solving real-world problems.

For young Nigerians navigating a difficult employment landscape, the message was both a challenge and an invitation: become creators, innovators and problem-solvers rather than remaining solely dependent on the search for jobs.

Lagos Highlights Youth Investment

Sanwo-Olu also used the occasion to highlight some of the youth-focused interventions implemented by his administration under the THEMES+ Development Agenda.

According to him, the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) has, over the past decade, disbursed more than ₦15 billion in affordable loans to over 20,000 micro, small and medium enterprises.

The initiative, he said, has supported the creation of more than 320,000 jobs.

The governor also pointed to the activities of Lagos Innovates, which he said had provided more than 750 workspace vouchers, supported over 240 startups and trained about 1,000 young people in areas including software development, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.

He added that the Lagos State Science, Research and Innovation Council had recently awarded ₦75 million in grants for research, innovation and STEM education.

‘Young People Are Partners, Not Just Job Seekers’

Sanwo-Olu also challenged financial institutions and businesses to rethink their relationship with young Nigerians.

Rather than seeing youths only as job seekers, he urged banks and business leaders to view them as potential partners capable of creating businesses, developing technologies and solving problems.

He called for greater opportunities for experimentation, mentorship and innovation.

But the governor also warned that Nigeria’s digital transformation must not create another form of inequality.

According to him, access to digital opportunities should not depend on where a young person lives within Lagos.

He specifically cited young people in Epe, Badagry and Ikorodu, saying they should have access to the same digital opportunities available to their counterparts in Ikeja and Victoria Island.

Building the Future With Young Nigerians

The governor commended CIBN for sustaining the Generation Next Forum, describing the platform as an important avenue for ensuring that young Nigerians have a voice in conversations about the country’s future.

He expressed confidence that with the right opportunities, skills and institutional support, young Nigerians could go beyond simply inheriting the future.

They could build it.

The event brought together stakeholders from the banking, government and youth development sectors, including CIBN President and Chairman of Council, Dr Dele Alabi, PhD, FCIB; Lagos State NYSC Coordinator, Mrs Christiana Sarah; Managing Director of Lotus Bank, Dr Isiaka Ajani-Lawal; past CIBN presidents and young Nigerians.

For a generation confronting unemployment, technological disruption and an increasingly competitive economy, the message from the Lagos government was clear: the future may belong to young people—but they must be equipped and empowered to build it.