The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Students Engagement, Comrade Sunday Asefon, has reaffirmed the commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to expanding access to quality education, promoting innovation and creating decent opportunities for Nigerian youths.

Asefon stated this on Wednesday in his message to Nigerian youths to mark the 2026 International Youth Day, themed, “Different Contexts, Common Aspirations.”

He said the theme underscored the shared aspirations of young people across different backgrounds and circumstances, including access to quality education, decent employment, innovation, inclusion, security and opportunities to translate their talents into meaningful impact.

According to him, his engagements with students and young people across universities and other institutions have reinforced his conviction that Nigerian youths should not be regarded merely as leaders of tomorrow, but as partners in building the Nigeria of today and the future.

He said the Tinubu administration was committed to creating an enabling environment for young Nigerians to acquire relevant skills, access education, take advantage of digital opportunities, develop entrepreneurial capacity and contribute meaningfully to national development.

Asefon said the administration was pursuing initiatives in education, skills development, digital acceleration, student support, entrepreneurship and innovation to ensure that no young Nigerian was left behind.

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He said: “Our different contexts should never become barriers to our common aspirations. Whether a young person is in Lagos or Lafia, Enugu or Ekiti, Kano or Calabar, our dreams remain connected by a desire for a better Nigeria.”

The presidential aide urged Nigerian youths to move beyond seeing themselves as beneficiaries of government programmes and embrace their role as co-creators of the Nigeria they desire.

He called on young Nigerians to embrace innovation, acquire new skills, promote peace, reject violence, support one another and deploy their collective energy towards solving the challenges confronting the country.

Asefon also reaffirmed his commitment, and that of his office, to continuous engagement with students and young people across the country.

He said Nigerian youths must transform their different circumstances into diverse strengths and turn their common aspirations into collective action.

“On this International Youth Day, I celebrate the courage, creativity, resilience and potential of Nigerian youths,” he said.

Asefon added, “Together, we can build a more inclusive, innovative and prosperous Nigeria.”

The presidential aide wished Nigerian youths a happy International Youth Day and urged them to remain committed to contributing to national development.