Edo State Gov. Monday Okpebholo has urged young people in the state to embrace education, skills development, and entrepreneurship while rejecting criminality, cultism, and violence.
Governor Okpebholo addressing the occasion of the International Youth Day 2026 on Tuesday, acknowledged the challenges confronting young people, including unemployment, the rising cost of education, limited access to capital and the uncertainties associated with early adulthood.
He, however, urged youths not to allow those challenges to determine their future, saying, “Your present circumstances do not have to determine your future,” Okpebholo said.
The governor said his administration was committed to creating opportunities for young people through investments in education, healthcare, infrastructure, agriculture, security, and skills development.
He urged youths to complement government efforts with determination, discipline, and a commitment to legitimate means of livelihood.
“The government can not do this alone. The future of Edo must be built with our young people, not merely for them,” he said.
He warned young people against cultism, drug trafficking, cybercrime, kidnapping, and other forms of criminality, describing them as destructive paths rather than shortcuts to wealth.
“There is honor in honest work. There is dignity in learning a trade. There is power in education, and there is lasting success in integrity,” he said.
The governor said his administration had continued to pursue youth engagement and employment initiatives, including the appointment of 4,800 Special Assistants, with 25 drawn from each of the state’s 192 wards.
He said the initiative was designed to create opportunities for young people to participate in public service and grassroots governance.
Governor Okpebholo also said his administration was promoting youth employment through infrastructure projects, agricultural initiatives, and technology-driven ventures under its five development pillars of security, health, infrastructure, natural resources and agriculture, and education.
“You are not leaders only of tomorrow. You are stakeholders in Edo today,” the governor said, urging young people to channel their creativity, talents, and energy towards the development of the state.
He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to creating opportunities for young people to acquire skills, establish businesses, and contribute to Edo’s economic and social development.
