Vision
An Ejigbo Local Government where young people are organised, informed and influential, able to hold leaders accountable and to shape the decisions that affect their education, livelihoods and future.
Inaugural Ejigbo Youth Summit, 2026
Beyond the Crumbs
Education, Jobs and a Seat at the Table
The Ejigbo Youth Network is a permanent, non-partisan civic platform uniting young people across the eleven wards of Ejigbo Local Government, Osun State, organised to convert their numbers into collective bargaining power and sustained demand for development.
Date
Wednesday,
5 August 2026
Venue
Ejigbo Town Hall,
Ejigbo, Osun State
1954
Council established
60+
Villages
11
Wards
502 km²
Land area
About the Network
A heritage worth organising for
Our history
Ejigbo Local Government of Osun State was created as Ejigbo District Council on 25 March 1954 by the Western Region Government, vide Public Notice No. 147 of 1953, with its headquarters in Ejigbo town. It comprises over 60 villages across eleven wards, spanning approximately 502 square kilometres.
At independence, the late Chief D.A. Ogunleye became the first indigenous chairman of the council, a position he occupied for more than four consecutive years.
Our present challenge
Ejigbo is rich in young people but poor in the structures that turn their energy into opportunity. Too often, the relationship between our youths and the political class is reduced to a single transaction at election time, accepted without any demand that leaders invest in schools, skills, jobs or infrastructure.
"That cash is real and immediate, but it is a crumb. It buys a day; it costs a generation."
Founding Statement, Ejigbo Youth Network
A strictly non-partisan commitment
The Ejigbo Youth Network is open to youths across all political leanings, and the Summit extends invitations to representatives of all candidates, across all parties. It holds during an election season, but it is not a campaign event. Our loyalty is to Ejigbo: its schools, its livelihoods, and its future.
Vision & Mission
What we are building
Mission
To build a permanent, non-partisan platform that unites the youths of Ejigbo across all eleven wards, converts their numbers into collective bargaining power, and drives sustained demand for substantial investment in education, jobs and genuine youth participation in governance.
Objectives
Five commitments to Ejigbo's young people
Reframe the relationship between leaders and young people through sustained youth advocacy, so that vote-buying is understood as the surrender of long-term leverage, not a gift.
Promote evidence-based discussion on the state of education, employment and infrastructure in Ejigbo Local Government, using local data to support accountability.
Produce a Youth Charter of Demands to be presented to every candidate, and used to hold whoever wins accountable after polling day.
Encourage credible and competent young people to participate actively in the politics of Ejigbo Local Government, so that leadership reflects the best of our community.
Establish a lasting platform for youths from across Ejigbo to network and engage in peer-to-peer mentoring.
The Inaugural Summit, 5 August 2026
Three pillars, one table
A civic and developmental gathering at Ejigbo Town Hall, bringing young people, community leaders and candidates' representatives into one honest conversation about the future of our Local Government.
Pillar I
Education
The state of our schools, scholarship and vocational pathways, and digital skills for a modern economy.
Pillar II
Jobs & Enterprise
Enterprise, skills, agriculture and access to capital. An honest conversation that goes beyond "government will employ you."
Pillar III
A Seat at the Table
Named youth representatives, a Charter of Demands, and a mechanism to keep leaders accountable after polling day.
Participants
- Young people from across the eleven wards of Ejigbo LGA
- Student and artisan groups
- Faith and community leaders
- Educators and entrepreneurs
- Representatives of political candidates, invited across all parties
Expected outcomes
- A published Youth Charter of Demands, endorsed by attendees
- Public responses to the Charter from candidates or their representatives, across parties
- A registered Ejigbo Youth Network with named representatives and a plan to keep meeting
- A shift in the local narrative: from collecting crumbs to demanding development
Membership & Governance
Open, structured, accountable
Membership is open to all young indigenes and residents of Ejigbo Local Government, without regard to political affiliation, ward, faith or occupation. Members may join as individuals or through existing student, artisan, professional, faith and community associations.
The Network is coordinated by a Steering Committee led by the Convener, supported by representatives drawn from each of the eleven wards and coordinators for education, jobs and enterprise, mobilisation, and communications. The Steering Committee meets regularly, keeps proper records, and accounts to members for its activities.
Formal registration of the Network and the adoption of a constitution will follow the inaugural Summit, ensuring the platform outlives any single election cycle.
The Convener
Faruq Olanrewaju Abbas
Lawyer
The Ejigbo Youth Network is convened by Faruq Olanrewaju Abbas, a lawyer and an indigene of Afaake in Ejigbo Local Government, Osun State.
The Network was established out of the recognition of the urgent need for the youths of Ejigbo to come together and form a dedicated, patriotic and formidable front that will mobilise all indigenes of Ejigbo Local Government against neglect. It is only when such a formidable front exists that the voice of Ejigbo's young people will carry its proper and expected weight.
Membership Sign-Up
Join the Ejigbo Youth Network
Membership is free and open to all young indigenes and residents of Ejigbo Local Government. To register, provide the following details:
- Name
- Email Address
- WhatsApp Number
- Name of Community in Ejigbo
- Occupation
- Current Location
Sign up to join the Network
Your details go directly to the Steering Committee. Registration is free of charge. Personal data is handled in accordance with our Privacy Notice below.
Partnership
Stand with Ejigbo's next generation
The Summit welcomes partnership from organisations, associations and public-spirited individuals who share the Network's commitment to the education, livelihoods and future of Ejigbo's young people.
All enquiries regarding participation, partnership or media are welcome through the contact details below.
Privacy Notice
How we handle your personal data
The details provided through the membership sign-up form are collected with your consent and used by the Steering Committee solely for membership registration and the Network's communications, in accordance with the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023. They are stored securely, will not be shared with any political party, candidate or other third party, and are retained only for as long as necessary. You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of your details at any time by writing to ejigboyouthnetwork@gmail.com.