To drive a new narrative for a better Nigeria and ensure young people are active participants in the national development, PressPayNG recently assembled over 200 Nigerian students across the geopolitical zones in Abuja for a critical intervention in Nigeria’s evolving social architecture.
In a statement by the organisers, the forum, convened by PressPayNG and supported by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) under its Intercultural Leadership Programme, was held in Abuja.
Founder/CEO of PressPayNG, Abiola Metilelu, said: “The forum brought together over 200 students from across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. But beyond the numbers, what mattered was the composition, as young Nigerians positioned not as passive participants in national discourse but as active architects of peace, championing the narrative for a better Nigeria.
“Nigeria’s challenge is no longer just policy; it is perception. And perception, when left unmanaged, becomes conflict. What this forum achieved was a deliberate intervention at the level of narrative formation.”
Head of Government Strategic Partnerships, and former Chief Press Secretary to the former Governor of Kogi State, Petra Akinti Onyegbule, in her keynote, said: “This was not a one-day gathering but the culmination of a deliberate, three-month engagement model built on depth. The initiative began with a structured virtual boot camp involving 50 students drawn from campuses nationwide. This was followed by a closed-door, in-person leadership and peace building session for 25 participants on the morning of the forum, which I co-facilitated with Senior Special Assistant on Gender Matters to the Honourable Minister of Youth Development, Kehinde Charity Awujoola.”
