The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has urged the youth in Bayelsa to shun drug abuse, cultism, other related crimes, and criminality prevalent in the Niger Delta region.

Cheikh Toure, UNODC’s country representative, stated this on Tuesday, during the 2025 International Youth Day Celebration.

Bayelsa Youths Peace Champions was also inaugurated as an advocate for peace among Bayelsa youths.

Mr Toure said that since 2016, UNODC had championed the message of hope to the youth and the entire people of the Niger Delta region.

He urged young people to reject drug abuse, cultism, criminality, violence, and other related matters and instead embrace what was good and legal for a better tomorrow.

The country representative stated that UNODC had selected 25 individuals to be trained and provided with platforms to offer solutions for inclusive leadership.

He commended the state’s Commissioner for Youth Development, Alfred Kemepadei, for his support in ensuring the programme’s success.

Robert Igali, director-general of the Centre for Youth Development, said today was a day set aside to move beyond euphoric symbolic support. He said it was a day to take concrete steps to empower the youth, whom he described as “the most critical asset of society.”

Mr Igali stated that without the youth as partners, the nation’s development process would remain stagnant in all spheres.

“This is a day for amplifying the voice of young people and acknowledging the vital role they play as agents of change.

Olomiete Enekpemi, the permanent secretary at the Bayelsa Ministry of Youth Development, said the day was set aside to empower young people in Nigeria to become better citizens in society.

He said that the current administration in the state had empowered the youth through various programmes, leadership trainings, as well as local and foreign scholarships. Mr Enekpemi stated that the UNODC, in partnership with the state government, had developed new ways to empower the youth.

He said that it was always important to engage the youth by creating platforms to exchange ideas and share a vision for a better tomorrow.

The Commissioner for Youth Development, Alfred Kemepadei, lauded the UNODC for its partnership in celebrating International Youth Day in Bayelsa. He stated that the state government had trained over 180 Bayelsa youths in various agricultural programs and was prepared to empower them to become self-reliant.

(NAN)