UNODC Urges Bayelsa Youth to Shun Crime, Embrace Positive Change

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has called on young people in Bayelsa State to reject drug abuse, cultism, violence, and other crimes common in the Niger Delta, and instead embrace lawful and productive lifestyles.

UNODC Country Representative, Mr. Cheikh Toure, made the appeal on Tuesday during the 2025 International Youth Day celebration in Yenagoa, themed “Local Youth Action for the SDGs and Beyond.” The event also saw the inauguration of the Bayelsa Youth Peace Champions as advocates for peace in the state.

Toure said that since 2016, UNODC had been promoting a message of hope in the region and had selected 25 young people for training to develop solutions for inclusive leadership. He commended Bayelsa’s Commissioner for Youth Development, Alfred Kemepadei, for supporting the programme’s success.

Director General of the Centre for Youth Development, Mr. Robert Igali, stressed that International Youth Day should go beyond symbolic gestures, calling for concrete actions to empower young people as “the most critical asset of society.” He emphasised that youth participation was essential to national progress.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Youth Development, Mr. Olomiete Enekpemi, highlighted state efforts to empower young people through leadership training, skill acquisition, and local and foreign scholarships, in partnership with UNODC.

Commissioner Kemepadei noted that the state had trained over 180 youths in agriculture and aimed to make them self-reliant. He urged young people to take their lives seriously, avoid actions that tarnish their image, and prepare themselves to become leaders of tomorrow.