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Denmark, UNODC Partner Bayelsa State Government to Launch Youth Empowerment Programme
Denmark, UNODC Partner Bayelsa State Government to Launch Youth Empowerment Programme
By: Michael Mike
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in partnership with the Bayelsa State Government and with support from the Government of Denmark has launched the Youth Peace Champions programme in Bayelsa State.
The programme, which marks a significant stride in empowering young Nigerians as drivers of sustainable peace, is a strategic expansion that brings a proven, youth-led peacebuilding model, celebrated for its impact in North-East Nigeria, and now extended to the Niger Delta region for the first time.
Rooted in the conviction that sustainable peace must be people-led and youth-powered, the Youth Peace Champions initiative is a grassroots movement. It equips young people with essential tools, specialized training, mentorship, and influential platforms to become effective peacebuilders and positive changemakers within their own communities.
The programme now launched in Bayelsa, which is implemented under the project “Strengthening the Niger Delta Peace Architecture using Community-based Crime and Violence Prevention Strategies” (funded by Denmark), directly aligns with the state’s pioneering youth policy. It stands as a potential blueprint for youth-led transformation across Nigeria: Investing in Youth, Building Resilient Communities.
Building on documented successes in the North-East, where 32 Youth Peace Champions reached over 9 million people with campaigns like #SeeTheChild, UNODC is adapting its methodology to Bayelsa’s unique context. A diverse cohort of 25 young leaders has been meticulously selected from five communities: Otuan, Ekeremor, Ikebiri 1, Ekowe, and Ayamasa. This group, representing both formal and informal sectors, includes 13 females (one with a disability) and 12 males.
These champions will undergo intensive training in peacebuilding, crime and drug use prevention, future-forward skills, creative communication, and emerging trends. Crucially, they will be mentored by established leaders across various sectors who share UNODC’s core belief: peace must be youth-led and locally driven. Beyond advocacy, they will serve as visible community role models, fostering social cohesion, driving positive change, and promoting self-reliance through inclusive, sustainable, community-owned actions.
The programme was inaugurated during the International Youth Day commemoration jointly hosted by UNODC and the Bayelsa State Government in Yenagoa.
UNODC Country Representative for Nigeria, Mr. Cheikh Toure, stated at the launch, that: “The theme for this year’s International Youth Day, ‘Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond,’ underscores the perfect timing of this inauguration. We are equipping these young people not merely with skills but with a powerful platform to amplify their voices, propose solutions, and stand as beacons of hope for their peers. This is not charity. It is not tokenism. It is a vital investment in leadership, in resilient communities, and in the peaceful, prosperous Nigeria we collectively envision. The Bayelsa Youth Peace Champions now join a growing national movement, spanning geopolitical zones and cultures, united by a common purpose: to reclaim peace and rebuild futures.”
On his part, the Commissioner for Youth, Bayelsa State, Hon Alfred Kemepado emphasized: “On this International Youth Day, we stand united with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to ignite a movement, one that empowers our young people to become torchbearers of peace and leadership. The inauguration of the Youth Peace Champions is more than a program; it is a call to action. It is a bold statement that the voices, courage, and vision of our youth will shape the destiny of Bayelsa, of Nigeria, and of the world. Together, we are raising a generation that will not only dream of peace but will defend it, live it, and lead it.”
According to a statement: This initiative directly supports the implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace, and Security, emphasizing the critical need for inclusive, localized approaches in fragile contexts.
With rising interest from other Nigerian states, UNODC extends an invitation to strategic partners. Supporting the scaling of this transformative, evidence-based model offers an opportunity to promote peace, prevent crime, foster youth livelihoods, and create a powerful ripple effect of hope across Nigeria, Champion by Champion.
Denmark, UNODC Partner Bayelsa State Government to Launch Youth Empowerment Programme
How Nigeria’s Ancient Storytelling Traditions Shape Modern Identity.
By Fathia Adenike
The heartbeat of Nigeria’s bustling cities and quiet villages lies ìtàn a Yoruba word meaning “story” or “history” a powerful force shaping cultural identity. Across Nigeria’s diverse ethnic landscapes Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa,and beyond. Storytelling isn’t just tradition; it’s a living bridge connecting past, present, and future.It’s an Oral Threads of Heritage,From moonlit Yoruba folktales whispering òrìṣà deeds to Igbo elders recounting ancestral proverbs, Nigeria’s oral traditions transmit values, wisdom, and belongings. These stories embed moral codes, communal bonds, and cosmological maps that ground Nigerians amid rapid change. Ancient myths seep into contemporary Nigerian life. Olókun’s oceanic power meets Lagos’ tech-driven streets; Ọṣun’s fertility echoes in art exploring feminine resilience. Writers like Chinua Achebe Things Fall Apart and Ben Okri The Famished Road weave such mythic threads into explorations of identity, disrupting colonial ruptures.
Today, Nigerian storytelling leaps into digital realms. Podcasts like “The Nairaland Podcast and Twitter threads” retelling folklore showcase ìtàn’s adaptability. Social media becomes a virtual àbù̀ (drumbeat), amplifying voices across Nigeria’s youthful diaspora.
Ìtàn fosters cultural resilience. As Nigeria navigates urbanization, migration, and tech disruption, these stories offer anchors. They articulate collective memory, mediate conflict, and nurture belonging across ethnic lines Igbo, Yoruba.
Hausa in a nation of profound diversity.In Nigeria’s mosaic, ìtàn remains a vital pulse reminding Nigerians, globally, of roots nourishing identity’s complex, beautiful branches. ìtàn remains an irreducible heartbeat reminding Nigerians globally of identity’s deep, branching roots nourishing complex beauty. As Nigeria braids tradition with cutting edge innovation, these stories transmute into luminescent beacons, diachronistic continuity. Resonating poignantly in diaspora conversations spanning oceans.
Echoing vibrantly in Nigeria’s creative expressions celebrating Ultimately, ìtàn transcends mere retrospection; it dynamically sculpts Nigeria’s unfolding narrative vectors. These andaren’t antiquarian tales; they’re heritage-infused blueprints propelling Nigeria’s stories into uncharted tomorrows narratives carrying ancestral essence into modernity’s unspooling scroll. ìtàn brings identity filaments, affirming storytelling as Nigeria’s quintessential cultural DNA.
How Nigeria’s Ancient Storytelling Traditions Shape Modern Identity
ShightVault X Èkó Runners Club: Running Through Lagos, Redefining African Performance Culture
LAGOS, NIGERIA – October 11, 2025 — Nigerian sportswear brand, ShightVault is making bold strides in redefining the culture of movement and style in Africa. The brand recently led a major collaboration with the Èkó Runners Club, hosting a vibrant community event themed “RUNWITHLAGOS” at The Finery, Ikoyi.
The activation brought together over 280 guests, including more than 140 runners who took part in a 5KM morning run through the heart of Lagos. The day unfolded into a full lifestyle experience, from yoga sessions and high-intensity training classes to ice baths, networking, food, drinks, and friendly competitions, blending wellness and urban culture in one energetic celebration.
At the center of it all was ShightVault, showcasing its limited-edition collaborative run-fit, a sleek performance line that sold out quickly at the venue.
Speaking at the event, Riches Efe Arhiakpore, Executive Director of ShightVault, described the collaboration as a reflection of the brand’s growing vision:
ShightVault is more than a sportswear label, it’s a movement. This collaboration with Èkó Runners Club represents how we want to connect fashion, fitness, and community. We’re open to working with more run clubs across the country and internationally as we expand our reach in both the sports and fashion industries.
The event was powered by key sponsors including KNGSMN, Pocari Sweat, ZoneX, Red Bull, and Glacee Table Water, alongside partners who helped deliver one of Lagos’ most engaging fitness activations of the year.
As ShightVault continues to grow beyond Nigeria’s borders, the brand is positioning itself as a global voice for African sportswear innovation, bridging performance, design, and cultural expression in every stride.
ShightVault X Èkó Runners Club: Running Through Lagos, Redefining African Performance Culture
Breaking: Kanu fails to open defence, cites former counsel’s retention of case file
By: Zagazola Makama
The detained leader of the proscribed separatist group, Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, on Friday failed to open his defence in his ongoing terrorism trial before a Federal High Court in Abuja.
Kanu attributed his inability to present his defence to the failure of his former legal team, led by former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) Kanu Agabi, to hand over his case file, preventing him from adequately preparing.
The defendant was initially slated to open his defence on Thursday but instead announced the sacking of his legal team and requested a short adjournment until Friday.
On Friday, the prosecuting counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), informed the court that the case was scheduled for Kanu to open his defence. When called, Kanu informed the court he could not proceed as those responsible for delivering his case file to the Department of State Services (DSS) facility, where he is being held, had failed to do so.
Kanu prayed for an adjournment until Monday, October 27, to access the case file and familiarise himself with its contents. He further stated he was expecting witnesses from the United Kingdom, the United States, Kenya, and Ethiopia, and requested an order allowing him to meet with them over the weekend for preparation.
The court granted his request, instructing the DSS to allow Kanu receive visitors on Saturday and Sunday. Justice James Omotosho adjourned the trial till October 27 for Kanu to open his defence, warning that the six days initially granted for his defence, which began on October 23, will not be extended.
Breaking: Kanu fails to open defence, cites former counsel’s retention of case file
How Nigeria’s Ancient Storytelling Traditions Shape Modern Identity
ShightVault X Èkó Runners Club: Running Through Lagos, Redefining African Performance Culture
Breaking: Kanu fails to open defence, cites former counsel’s retention of case file
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