Coalition Hits Out At Tokenism, Urges Subnational Youth Inclusion In NDC 3.0

Some civil society organisations and youth climate advocates have faulted the exclusion of young Nigerians from the initial stages of national climate policy formulation, demanding direct inclusion in the execution of the country’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0).

The concern was expressed in Abuja during the official launch of the Nigeria NDC Youth Coalition, an initiative supported by ActionAid Nigeria and over 10 youth-led environmental organisations.
At the event, the president of the coalition, Ms Tolulope Gbenro, stated that young people were frequently shut out of technical decision-making and were only invited to validation meetings after policies have already been drafted by government officials.

Gbenro noted that despite massive local contributions in renewable energy, waste management and climate-smart agriculture, youth-led climate actions remain largely uncaptured in formal national frameworks.

“Young people should not only be invited to consultations after policies have been developed. Instead, young people must contribute evidence, propose priorities and hold institutions accountable from the early stages of policy development,” Gbenro said.

Supporting this position, the Programme Manager of ActionAid Nigeria, Ms. Blessing Ifemenam, urged government agencies to address the persistent awareness gap surrounding the NDC framework at state and local government levels.

In her response, the Head of Legal Services at the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC), Dr. Awele Ikobi-Anyali, acknowledged the need for subnational youth representation, stating that the council is open to integrating youth-generated data into Nigeria’s broader decarbonization agenda.

Stakeholders at the event, including representatives from the Yar’Adua Foundation and GreenFaith Nigeria, warned against using youth inclusion as a symbolic PR exercise, emphasizing that structural policy roles must be matched with technical support, funding, and direct access to climate finance.