TITLE:
Positioning Youth Development Agenda in Public Discourse in Nigeria: An Advocacy Imperative
AUTHORS:
Adebayo Fayoyin
KEYWORDS:
Issue Attention, Advocacy, Public Communication, Framing, Youth
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.2 No.9,
September
23,
2015
ABSTRACT:
Nigeria is currently undergoing what demographers describe as a “youth
bulge”, which requires significant attention for sound policies in the area of
health, education, economy and good governance. Although development agencies
have utilised a multitude of tactics to promote youth and children issues in
the country, the level of media and public attention is still insufficient.
Children and youth advocates confront significant challenges in attracting
sustainable public, policy and media attention to the youth development agenda.
Thus, the paper advocates for a more effective positioning of youth development
in the country through a robust use of big data, appropriate framing of issues,
creative networking among advocates to coordinate public influence interventions,
and constructive response to counter framing by opposition groups. Advocates
also need to be more politically-savvy in navigating the complexities of domestic
politics that shape public and policy response to social development while
harnessing the power of transnational obligations, norms and institutions in
leveraging political support for children and youth.