Self-Development, Peace and the Power of Youth: Why Akwa Ibom’s Future Is Being Built Today
By Lucy Daniel
Every society that has leapt from promise to prosperity has done so on the shoulders of its young people, trained, hopeful and anchored in peace. This truth framed Governor Pastor Umo Bassey Eno’s recent engagement with the leadership of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) in Akwa Ibom State, where his message was simple but profound: invest in yourself, protect the peace, and the future will take care of itself.
In a country often tested by economic pressures and political anxiety, Akwa Ibom is quietly advancing a different model, one that treats youth development not as a slogan but as a strategy. The creation of a dedicated Ministry of Youth Development is not bureaucratic symbolism; it is policy clarity. It signals intent. It allows the government to design programmes that speak directly to the needs of young people, track outcomes, and scale what works.
Under Governor Eno’s leadership, that intent has translated into action. Through institutions like the Dakkada Skills Acquisition Centre (DASAC) and the Ibom Leadership and Entrepreneurial Development Centre (Ibom-LED), thousands of young people are being equipped with employable skills, entrepreneurial capacity and leadership confidence. These are not handouts; they are ladders.
Self-development is often framed as a personal journey. In truth, it is public good. When youths gain skills, productivity rises. When productivity rises, businesses grow. When businesses grow, jobs are created, revenues expand, and social tensions ease. This is how economies stabilize and societies cohere.
The global evidence is clear. Germany’s apprenticeship system has long linked youth skills to industrial strength, helping the country maintain one of the lowest youth unemployment rates in Europe. Singapore’s SkillsFuture programme has turned lifelong learning into a national ethic, ensuring its workforce remains competitive in a fast-changing global economy. Rwanda’s post-conflict investment in youth innovation hubs and civic education has not only boosted entrepreneurship but entrenched peace in a once-fractured society.
Akwa Ibom’s path mirrors these lessons: skills before slogans, opportunity before agitation, peace before politics.
Eno’s call for youths to shun violence and resist political manipulation ahead of the 2027 elections is not a plea for passivity; it is an appeal to wisdom. Peace is not merely the absence of conflict, it is an economic asset. Investors seek stability. Tourists follow safety. Innovation thrives where fear does not.
States that descend into political violence pay a heavy price: stalled projects, lost jobs, broken trust. By urging young people to be guardians of peace, the administration is protecting livelihoods today and prospects tomorrow.
What also stands out is inclusion. From youth-friendly appointments to empowerment programmes spread across the 31 local government areas, the administration has treated youths not as foot soldiers but as stakeholders. As the Secretary to the State Government, Prince Enobong Uwah, rightly noted, youth platforms are schools of leadership. When young people are trusted with responsibility, they rise to it.
The testimonies from lawmakers, commissioners and youth leaders themselves reflect a shared reality: this is an administration that listens, builds and delivers.
Elections are moments of choice, and memory. They ask voters to weigh promises against performance and rhetoric against results. For Akwa Ibom youths, the case for continuity is grounded in lived experience: institutions built, skills gained, opportunities opened, peace preserved.
A second term for Pastor Umo Bassey Eno PhD, is not about politics as usual; it is about protecting a development arc that is working. It is about giving policies time to mature, programmes room to scale, and a generation of the consistency it needs to thrive.
The future of Akwa Ibom, and indeed Nigeria, will be decided by how well we prepare our youths today. With deliberate self-development, sustained peace and leadership that understands both, that future looks not just hopeful, but achievable.
#YouthDevelopment #PeaceFirst #AkwaIbomFuture #SkillsForGrowth #UmoEno #Continuity2027 #NigeriaRising
Daniel, SA to the Governor on Media
Writes from Uyo, Akwa Ibom State
providencemaga@yahoo.com
