This February, I attended an advocacy training held in Abuja, Nigeria, by Connected Development (CODE) and the Nigerian Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All (CSACEFA). The training was organized for members of the National Youth Coalition on Education and other youth activists.

The purpose of the training was to find solutions to the issues affecting the education sector in Nigeria. The training sessions focused on advocacy and the role we have to play as young people in ensuring education for every Nigerian child.

Learning how youth can advocate for education

Ojonwa Miachi of CODE led a training on the concept of advocacy, which helped me gain a better understanding of how to define an issue, how to bring the community along while advocating for them, how to find strategies for solving problems and the best approaches to meeting with and talking to the right individuals. 

I learned for example that language is very important and our choice of words must match the audience speaking with youth is different from speaking with adults, and speaking with local communities is different from speaking with government officials.

Young people like me came from different regions across Nigeria to share their experiences and knowledge in education advocacy. During the group session, we identified solutions to several problems affecting our country’s education system, including poor implementation of government policies, poor quality of education, limited enforcement of the Child Rights Act at local level, discriminatory social-cultural practices, underfunding of education, child marriage and early pregnancy, insecurity, poverty, religious barriers and limited community participation and awareness.

Spreading lessons from training to other youth

While deliberating as a group I was personally focused on the challenge of child marriage since it is a pressing issue that needs to be tackled, especially in most parts of Northern Nigeria. Some of the solutions suggested were increased advocacy, sensitization and enlightenment programs for women and girls in rural communities in northern Nigeria on the importance of education. The importance of empowering girls and women today will in turn make them more likely to send their future daughters to school.

After the training, I started working on building the capacity of youth through the use of social networks to inform them on the current state of education in Nigeria and of my role. I talked friends into signing the #UpForSchool petition, which appeals to governments to keep their promise made 2000 to ensure all out-of-school children access education before the end of 2015.

Together with other youth advocates, I also helped facilitate a workshop with civil society on addressing the problems of budget implementation in the education and health sector in Zamfara State, North West of Nigeria. We are also working to promote gender equality and improve literacy in schools in Kaduna state.

It was exciting to see other vibrant young people with the same goals as me and the vision of making sure all children are enrolled in school regardless of where they come from. Despite our differences, we have a lot in common and want to build a better, bigger and stronger nation where we all will be ambassadors and promoters of education in a safe environment for all.

A bright vision for the future: all children in school

I believe that youth involvement is paramount in the success of any development plan of any nation. Over the years, young people have shown their passion and capacity in bringing about change through different advocacy measures. Opportunities are beginning to arise for meaningful and effective youth engagement as multilateral organizations like the United Nations, the Global Partnership for Education, and national coalitions like the Civil Society Action Coalition on Education for All have taken measures to involve youth in their discussions.

More so, in the Nigerian context, the concluded elections further provides an avenue for young people to innovatively ensure education is a top priority in the agenda of political aspirants. In years to come, I strongly believe every child in Nigeria will have access to a quality education and improved learning facilities with the help of young people worldwide who follow up our commitment to ensure that this is a reality.