Nigeria: #BeingYounginNaija campaign
The #BeingYounginNaija campaign recently started and highlights the challenges that young Nigerians are facing from unemployment to gender violence. The main policy ask is for the Nigerian Government to fully implement the National Youth Policy.
In October 2020, the Work in Progress project teams from Oxfam Novib in Nigeria teamed up with young activists in Nigeria to launch the #BeingYounginNaija campaign.
Naija is a word in Nigerian pidgin and stands for Nigeria. The most spoken language in Nigeria is Nigerian pigdgin and that is why the campaign decided on the name Naija instead of Nigeria.
Sharing challenges and dreams
In collaboration with young social media influencers the campaign aims to raise awareness in the community about the challenges young people face. They lack social and educational support and the unemployment rates are rising. The campaign also wants to shows the hopes and dreams of young Nigerians, wishing for more equality, fair chances and more safety in their country. The campaign posts short films and invites young people in Nigeria to share 30 seconds videos of themselves speaking about their dreams for the country.
Animation about norms and barriers
An animation co-created with youth activists adresses the social norms and barriers young Nigerians face, when they dream about having a career. Especially women and young girls who are for example interested in sports, or have technical or digital skills. The animation shows how the community can be a positive force in young people’s lives.
Implementation of Nigerian National Youth Policy
Apart from this the campaign encourages young people to sign a petition that calls for the Nigerian Government to fully implement the Nigerian National Youth Policy. The petition states that the objectives of the Youth Policy have been unfulfilled and forgotten by the Nigerian Government. Every young Nigerian deserves a safe and supportive environment to follow their dream career paths – with dignity and respect.
“We ask the Government of Nigeria to fully implement the policy as a matter of national urgency. The Government needs to prioritise investing in and supporting Nigeria’s youth population who are the future of the nation.”