A dispute is unfolding in Osun State between Commissioner for Youth Affairs, Moshood Olagunju, and the Coalition of Concerned Nigerian Citizens (CCNC), following disagreements about how representatives were picked for the upcoming National Youth Conference committee.
CCNC has come forward with serious claims, accusing the Commissioner of handling the nomination process unfairly.
In a statement issued by its Chairman, Akinkunmi Musa Abdulsalam, the group said the process lacked transparency, sidelined key youth voices, and showed signs of favouritism.
They believe youth groups that played vital roles in the protests that led to the Federal Government’s decision to convene the National Youth Confab are now being pushed aside.
The group claims their male nominee was unjustly removed from the list and replaced with someone loyal to the Commissioner’s inner circle.
“The Commissioner’s selection process was done behind closed doors, without consultation, transparency or fairness. Genuine comrades who fought for this cause were deliberately left out. The Commissioner’s actions suggest a clear attempt to hijack the process for personal or political gain,” Abdulsalam said.
“Instead of recognising those who engaged the public and stakeholders in the state’s interest, the Commissioner is forcing individuals who never participated in the advocacy process onto the committee.”
CCNC also accused Olagunju of teaming up with a Personal Assistant to the NYSC State Coordinator who, according to them, has been in office far beyond the legal time frame.
They alleged that this alliance is being used to maintain control over decisions in the Ministry.
In their words: “The Ministry is fast becoming a personal empire where only loyalists are considered for opportunities, to the detriment of the wider youth constituency.”
The coalition believes the issue is not about gender inclusion, but about erasing the contributions of those who pushed for the conference in the first place. They urged Governor Ademola Adeleke to step in before the crisis deepens.
“The Governor must act now. The youths are becoming restless, and the situation must be managed before it escalates.
“Any representative who did not participate in advocacy would lack the moral authority to speak on behalf of Osun youth at the national level,” the group added.
They are asking for full transparency in the process and want to be involved in every stage of the planning.
In response, Commissioner Olagunju rejected the allegations. He said the Ministry simply followed a directive from the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports, which introduced a 50/50 gender rule, affecting how nominations were structured in Osun and other states.
“I was instructed to submit eight names, with the ninth slot being an automatic inclusion. This is not a list of beneficiaries but committee members to guide the Confab.
“During a Zoom meeting with all 36 state Commissioners of Youths, I challenged the sudden change to the 70/30 gender ratio arrangement.
“We were told it was a ministerial directive. The Osun State chapter of the National Youth Council of Nigeria and the National Association of Nigerian Students submitted female names accordingly,” Olagunju stated.
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The Commissioner explained that CCNC was informed of the requirement and asked to nominate a female representative. Instead, they stood by their original nominee.
“To convince them, I sent them Ekiti State’s list as proof that other states complied. Instead of complying, they started threatening me and claimed I was manipulating the process.
“They said they had no female members. I told them to nominate anyone, even if it was a girlfriend. I needed to fulfil and meet up with the Federal Ministry of Youths and Sports’ directive,” he stated.
He insisted that CCNC’s resistance would not disrupt the state’s participation.
“Another group will be picked if necessary,” he maintained.
Olagunju further claimed that CCNC has tried to blackmail him and that security agencies have been notified after threats of a protest targeting his office surfaced.
He stressed that the selection was done fairly and that the exclusion of CCNC stemmed only from their refusal to meet the required gender guidelines.
“Let them contact the Minister of Youth directly to confirm the directive,” he said.