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Dr Jamila Bio Ibrahim, Honourable Minister of Youth Development, representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, at the UNESCO REF Nigeria Police Youths Summit

UNESCO REF Media Centre Releases New In-Depth and Special Report on the Nigeria Police and Nigerian Youth

Author UNESCO REF (SCEA) Posted on

UNESCO REF Media Centre Releases New In-Depth and Special Report on the Nigeria Police and Nigerian Youth

The DispatchUNESCO REF Media Centre · EISSN 3156-55575 min read

UNESCO REF Media Centre | In-Depth and Special Reports

The latest In-Depth and Special Report of the UNESCO REF Media Centre is now open to the public. It documents how the UNESCO REF Nigeria Police Youths Summit brought the Nigeria Police Force and the young people of Nigeria into a shared commitment to national security, and what was promised on the record when they met.

UNESCO REF Media Centre | The Dispatch | Abuja, Nigeria | 1 November 2026

Pictured. Dr Jamila Bio Ibrahim, Honourable Minister of Youth Development, representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, at the UNESCO REF Nigeria Police Youths Summit, Abuja, 12 August 2024. Photograph: Nigeria Police Force.

ABUJA, Nigeria, 1 November 2026. The UNESCO REF Media Centre has released a new file in its In-Depth and Special Reports series. The report examines the UNESCO REF Nigeria Police Youths Summit, convened with the Nigeria Police Force at the Police Resource Centre, Jabi, Abuja, on 12 August 2024, the United Nations International Youth Day, together with the national conditions that brought the summit into being and the commitments made to young Nigerians on that day.

Global alignmentAlignement mondialThe global commitments this report documents. Open to see how.
  • SDG16

    SDG 16, Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

    ProvisionTarget 16.7: responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels

    How the report respondsDocuments the direct dialogue between youth delegates and the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force

  • SDG8

    SDG 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth

    ProvisionTarget 8.6: reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training

    How the report respondsRecords the federal commitments made to young Nigerians on the day of the summit

  • SDG2

    SDG 2, Zero Hunger

    ProvisionTarget 2.1: end hunger and ensure access to sufficient food

    How the report respondsSets the summit against record food inflation and notes the announcement of farm patrols to protect food production

  • SDG17

    SDG 17, Partnerships for the Goals

    ProvisionTarget 17.17: effective public and civil society partnerships

    How the report respondsTraces the partnership between UNESCO REF and the Nigeria Police Force from working visit to summit

  • 2250

    UN Security Council Resolution 2250

    ProvisionYouth, Peace and Security: participation, protection and partnerships

    How the report respondsTreats young people as partners in national security rather than as its subjects

  • AU

    African Union Agenda 2063

    ProvisionAspiration 3: good governance, respect for human rights and the rule of law

    How the report respondsRecords the commitment to rights protection within police training

  • AYC

    African Youth Charter

    ProvisionArticle 11: youth participation in decision-making

    How the report respondsGives young Nigerians a recorded voice before the national security leadership

More than four hundred delegates attended the summit, held under the theme Enhancing the Nigerian Youth’s Value for National Security Intelligence. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, addressed the gathering through the Honourable Minister of Youth Development, Dr Jamila Bio Ibrahim. The Inspector-General of Police, Dr Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, attended in person, and the Honourable Minister of Police Affairs, Senator Ibrahim Gaidam, and the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, were represented. Every tier of the national security architecture was present in a single room with the young people it serves.

Why this report matters

Pourquoi ce rapport compte

The report covers the four hundred and forty-one days between the inauguration of 29 May 2023 and the summit of 12 August 2024. In that period the price of petrol nearly tripled within days, the naira fell sharply after the unification of the exchange rate, and food inflation reached a record 40.87 percent in June 2024. The #EndBadGovernance protests of 1 to 10 August 2024 followed.

Against that background, the Nigeria Police Force and UNESCO REF chose dialogue. The report shows how a working visit by the President of UNESCO REF to Louis Edet House, Nigeria Police Force Headquarters, during the protests became, within days, a national summit between the police leadership and the young. It is the first full account of that sequence on the public record.

Inside the report

Au cœur du rapport

The file is presented in six parts, preceded by a statement of Key Judgements and followed by indicators, an exhibit register and a graded source annex.

  • The Shock. The reforms of May and June 2023 and their immediate effect on prices across five Nigerian cities.
  • The Gathering Storm. The responses of the State, fourteen months of accumulated grievance, and the field work of UNESCO REF in the South-West before the streets filled.
  • The Streets. The ten days of protest, the presidential broadcast of 4 August 2024 and the toll that followed.
  • The Bridge. The working visit to Louis Edet House and the statement of the Force on partnership with young people.
  • The Summit. The addresses delivered on 12 August 2024 on behalf of the President, the Minister of Police Affairs and the National Security Adviser, and by the Inspector-General and the keynote speaker.
  • The Covenant. The open dialogue with the Inspector-General, the written resolutions of youth delegates and the commitments made on the record.

Voices on the record

Les voix au dossier

“Our youths are partners of today.”

Dr Jamila Bio Ibrahim, Honourable Minister of Youth Development, on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, as reported by PRNigeria

“The message of the peaceful protesters was heard by the Government loud and clear.”

Ministry of Police Affairs, summary of the address of the Honourable Minister, 12 August 2024

“The UNESCO REF Nigeria Police Youths Summit is not merely an event, but a national platform for reconciliation and partnership, a covenant between the Police and our youth to build trust, respect, and shared responsibility.”

Prince Abdulsalami Ladigbolu-Oranmiyan, President, UNESCO REF, Convener

How the report was prepared

Méthode du rapport

The report draws on three classes of evidence: official statistics and official statements of government bodies; independent national and international press, including the Voice of America, The Guardian, ThisDay, Leadership, BusinessDay, PRNigeria and Arise News; and the first-hand documentation of the UNESCO REF Media Centre. Each key judgement carries a stated level of confidence that reflects the quality and independence of the evidence behind it.

The report makes no judgement on the durability of the commitments made at the summit. Where a commitment has not yet been independently reported as fulfilled, it is listed as an indicator to watch, and the UNESCO REF Media Centre will revise the file as each becomes measurable.

Read the full report

Lire le rapport complet

The report is published in full, with its exhibits, source annex and a ready citation. Policymakers, security and youth institutions, researchers, journalists and young Nigerians are invited to read it in full and to share it within their networks.

Read the In-Depth and Special Report →
Lire le rapport approfondi et spécial

How to cite

Comment citer

UNESCO REF Media Centre, In-Depth and Special Reports, The Dispatch, EISSN 3156-5557, Abuja, Federal Republic of Nigeria. The full citation for the report appears on its closing page.

ENDS

Notes to editorsNotes aux rédactions

About the In-Depth and Special Reports. The In-Depth and Special Reports are the long-form investigative files of the UNESCO REF Media Centre, published in The Dispatch (EISSN 3156-5557). Each file sets out its key judgements, evidence, exhibits and graded sources in full.

About the summit. The UNESCO REF Nigeria Police Youths Summit was convened by UNESCO REF with the Nigeria Police Force at the Police Resource Centre, Jabi, Abuja, on 12 August 2024, the United Nations International Youth Day, under the theme Enhancing the Nigerian Youth’s Value for National Security Intelligence.

About UNESCO REF. The Read and Earn Federation for UNESCO (UNESCO REF) works to strengthen human and institutional capacity across Nigeria and Africa through education, research and professional development, in alignment with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Photographs. All photographs of the summit are credited to the Nigeria Police Force.

Media enquiries. UNESCO REF Media Centre, info@unescoref.org

SourcesSources

UNESCO REF and Osun State Open Nominations for 3,000 Osun Indigenes to Fully Funded AI Research Programme, ARDAI TIER I

Author UNESCO REF (SCEA) Posted on
The DispatchUNESCO REF Media Centre · EISSN 3156-55575 min read

UNESCO REF Media Centre | News

UNESCO REF and Osun State Open Nominations for Three Thousand Osun Indigenes to a Fully Funded Artificial Intelligence Research Programme, ARDAI TIER I

The Government of Osun State and the Read and Earn Federation for UNESCO have opened nominations for three thousand indigenes of the State to undertake the Advanced Research Diploma in Artificial Intelligence (ARDAI TIER I), a fully funded professional programme of thirteen weeks commencing in December 2026.

UNESCO REF Media Centre | Osogbo, Nigeria | 28 October 2026

OSOGBO, Nigeria, 28 October 2026. The Government of Osun State, under the leadership of His Excellency, Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke, Executive Governor of the State, and the Read and Earn Federation for UNESCO (UNESCO REF) have jointly opened nominations for three thousand indigenes of Osun State to undertake the Advanced Research Diploma in Artificial Intelligence (ARDAI TIER I). The programme is fully funded, extends over thirteen weeks and commences in December 2026. It represents one of the most substantial single commitments yet made by a Nigerian State to the preparation of its young people for an economy increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.

Global alignmentAlignement mondialThe global commitments this story advances. Open to see how.

The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 finds that employers expect 39 per cent of workers’ core skills to change by 2030, with artificial intelligence and big data among the fastest-growing skills. ARDAI TIER I responds to the international and national commitments that address this transition.

  • SDG4

    SDG 4, Quality Education (primary)

    ProvisionTarget 4.4: increase the number of youth and adults with relevant skills, including technical skills, for employment and entrepreneurship

    How ARDAI TIER I respondsA fully funded professional diploma in artificial intelligence for three thousand indigenes of Osun State

  • SDG8

    SDG 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth

    ProvisionTarget 8.6: reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training

    How ARDAI TIER I respondsPrepares participants for better-remunerated work and technology-driven enterprise

  • SDG9

    SDG 9, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

    ProvisionTarget 9.5: enhance scientific research and upgrade technological capabilities

    How ARDAI TIER I respondsApplied artificial intelligence for health, agriculture, finance and governance

  • SDG17

    SDG 17, Partnerships for the Goals

    ProvisionTarget 17.17: effective public and civil society partnerships

    How ARDAI TIER I respondsA State Government and UNESCO REF partnership, financed through the EFFS

  • AU

    African Union Agenda 2063

    ProvisionAspiration 1: well-educated citizens and a skills revolution underpinned by science, technology and innovation

    How ARDAI TIER I respondsEquips young Africans to produce, not only consume, the new economy

  • NG

    National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy 2020 to 2030 (Nigeria)

    ProvisionDigital literacy and skills for the digital economy

    How ARDAI TIER I respondsAdvanced artificial intelligence skills delivered at State level

The nomination process is administered by the Office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on the Sustainable Development Goals, while the programme is financed through the Educational Financial Facility Scheme (EFFS) of UNESCO REF. Tuition, learning materials and certification are provided at no cost to participants. Candidates who satisfy the requirements of assessment will be conferred with the Advanced Research Diploma in Artificial Intelligence (ARDAI TIER I).

A deliberate investment in human capital

Un investissement délibéré dans le capital humain

Artificial intelligence, data science and automation are now reshaping the conduct of government, commerce, agriculture, health care and education. In this setting, the prosperity of a State depends less on the resources beneath its soil than on the knowledge, skills and enterprise of its people.

By resolving to prepare three thousand of its indigenes in a single cohort, the Government of Osun State positions its young people among the first in the Federation to be formally trained for this transition. The decision reflects the sustained priority the administration has accorded to youth empowerment and human capital development, and its considered view that the young people of Osun State should participate in the new economy as producers and innovators, and not merely as its users.

“Artificial intelligence is transforming virtually every sector. This programme will help our graduates compete globally, access better-paying jobs and build technology-driven businesses.”

Hon. Bankole Omisore, Special Adviser to the Governor of Osun State on the Sustainable Development Goals

About ARDAI TIER I

À propos de l’ARDAI TIER I

ARDAI TIER I is a programme of UNESCO REF delivered under its flagship framework, the Strategic Intervention Programme for Accelerated Learning and Productive Human Asset (SIP-ALPHA). It is a demanding professional programme which proceeds from the foundations of artificial intelligence to its applied use in the sectors of greatest consequence to Nigeria and to the African continent.

  • Structure. Thirteen weeks, 169 lessons and 169 laboratory work samples, ending in a capstone portfolio and a final examination.
  • Scope. Machine learning, natural language processing for African languages, computer vision, and the application of artificial intelligence to health, agriculture and climate, finance and economic development, and governance and public administration, together with AI safety, ethics and policy design.
  • Delivery. Fully online and self-paced, with narrated voice lectures on every lesson, so that participants can learn wherever they are.
  • Recognition. Distinction graduates are invited to submit their capstone work to The REF Review, the open-access journal of UNESCO REF.

A partnership in continuity

Un partenariat dans la continuité

The programme extends the cooperation already established between the Government of Osun State and UNESCO REF under The VOICE Initiative. It confirms the position of Osun State as a pioneer State in the delivery of UNESCO REF programmes, and as a State that has chosen to align its local development priorities with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations.

Eligibility and nomination

Conditions d’admission et procédure de nomination

  • Origin. Indigenes or residents of Osun State.
  • Qualification. At least a bachelor’s degree, a Higher National Diploma (HND) or a recognised equivalent.
  • Pre-qualification. Candidates must first complete the pre-qualification process of the Office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on the Sustainable Development Goals, which administers nominations on behalf of the State.
  • Application. Pre-qualified candidates then complete the UNESCO REF Programme Application, selecting ARDAI TIER I, and receive a reference number by email on submission.

Places are limited to three thousand, and eligible candidates are encouraged to complete the process without delay.

ENDS

Notes to editorsNotes aux rédactions

About ARDAI TIER I. The Advanced Research Diploma in Artificial Intelligence (ARDAI TIER I) is a 13-week professional programme of UNESCO REF, delivered under its SIP-ALPHA framework and financed through the Educational Financial Facility Scheme (EFFS).

About the Osun State Office of the SDGs. The Office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Sustainable Development Goals coordinates the State’s delivery of the 2030 Agenda and its partnerships for youth and human capital development.

About UNESCO REF. The Read and Earn Federation for UNESCO is a multidimensional and multisectoral development institution, established in 2009 within the provisions of UNESCO and constituted through the Nigerian National Commission for UNESCO. Its Educational Financial Facility Scheme (EFFS) finances access to higher learning and professional training for young Nigerians.

Media enquiries. UNESCO REF Media Centre, info@unescoref.org

SourcesSources
Emblem of the Nigeria Police Force

UNESCO REF to Train Teachers of Police Schools Nationwide

Author UNESCO REF (SCEA) Posted on

UNESCO REF to Train Teachers of Police Schools Nationwide, Beginning with 300 in Abuja

The DispatchUNESCO REF Media Centre · EISSN 3156-55574 min read

UNESCO REF Media Centre | Institutional Archives

At the commissioning of the new national headquarters of the Directorate of Police Force Education, the Inspector-General of Police commended the partnership under which UNESCO REF will train the teachers of Police schools in every State of the Federation, beginning with 300 teachers in Abuja, at no cost to the Nigeria Police.

UNESCO REF Media Centre | Institutional Archives | Abuja, Nigeria | 31 August 2019

ABUJA, Nigeria, 31 August 2019. The Read and Earn Federation for UNESCO (UNESCO REF) is to train the teachers of the Nigeria Police Force’s schools across the Federation, under a partnership with the Directorate of Police Force Education. The programme opens with a pilot cohort of 300 teachers in Abuja and will be delivered at no cost to the Nigeria Police. The partnership was commended by the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, as he commissioned the Directorate’s new national headquarters at Dei-Dei, Abuja.

Global alignmentAlignement mondialThe global commitments this story advances. Open to see how.
  • SDG4

    SDG 4, Quality Education

    ProvisionTarget 4.c: substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers

    How the partnership respondsProfessional training for the teachers of Police schools nationwide

  • SDG16

    SDG 16, Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

    ProvisionEffective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

    How the partnership respondsStrengthens the welfare and educational institutions of the Nigeria Police Force

  • SDG17

    SDG 17, Partnerships

    ProvisionTarget 17.17: effective public and civil society partnerships

    How the partnership respondsA national security institution and UNESCO REF in joint service to education

  • AU

    African Union Agenda 2063

    ProvisionAspiration 1: well-educated citizens and a skills revolution

    How the partnership respondsBetter-prepared teachers for the children of Police personnel

A new home for Police education

Un nouveau siège pour l’éducation policière

The Inspector-General commissioned the new office complex of the Directorate of Police Force Education, named the Mohammed Abubakar Adamu Force Education House. In his remarks he commended the Directorate for the progress recorded in Police secondary and primary schools across the country, welcomed its new partnership with UNESCO REF, and directed that the momentum be sustained.

The complex provides 24 offices sufficient to accommodate the entire staff of the Directorate. It was built by direct labour and financed from the internally generated revenue of the education unit. Present at the ceremony were the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Administration and Finance, Usman Tilli Abubakar; the Deputy Inspector-General in charge of Operations, Abdulmajid Ali; the Deputy Inspector-General in charge of Logistics and Supply, Frederick Lakanu; and the President of the Police Officers’ Wives Association (POWA), Hajia Fatimah Adamu.

The partnership

Le partenariat

Under the partnership, UNESCO REF will train the teachers of Police schools in all States of the Federation. The first phase brings 300 teachers in Abuja into the programme, and the training is offered without cost to the Nigeria Police.

The Director of Police Force Education, DCP Rabi L. Umar, set out the scope of the offer. UNESCO REF, she said, “offered to train our teachers all over the federation starting with 300 teachers here in Abuja.”

The Directorate oversees 13 Police Secondary Schools, with two more due to begin academic activities in the following session, alongside 70 standard Police Children Schools and some 30 annexes across the States. Its expansion, DCP Umar noted, proceeds “in line with the present government’s policy on compulsory education from primary to secondary schools.”

The President of UNESCO REF

Le Président de l’UNESCO REF

The President of UNESCO REF, Prince Abdulsalami Ladigbolu-Oranmiyan, said the Federation regarded the programme as a duty owed to those who serve the nation:

“The children of the men and women who keep this nation safe deserve classrooms worthy of that service. When the teacher is strengthened, the school is strengthened, and when the school is strengthened, the Force and the nation it protects are strengthened with it. UNESCO REF will carry this programme to every State of the Federation, to the highest standard, and without cost to the Nigeria Police.”

The Inspector-General on the record

L’Inspecteur général, de source officielle

Inspector-General Adamu later placed the new headquarters within the Police management’s wider commitment to the education of the children of Police personnel. “In order to ensure the effective coordination of the educational activities of the force,” he said in December 2020, “we have also completed the national headquarters of the Force Education Unit in Abuja.” He added that he had been “empowering and motivating the Force Education Office” to extend the educational facilities of the Nigeria Police to more locations across the country.

Why it matters

Pourquoi c’est important

Police schools educate the children of officers posted across the Federation, often far from their home States. The quality of those schools bears directly on the welfare and morale of the Force. By investing in the teachers who serve them, the partnership addresses one of the factors that most determine what a child learns in school.

The engagement also marked the beginning of a sustained relationship between UNESCO REF and the Nigeria Police community, which has since extended to the Police Officers’ Wives Association and to the Federation’s work on the Nigeria Police and Nigerian youth.

ENDS

Notes to editorsNotes aux rédactions

About the Directorate of Police Force Education. The Directorate administers the secondary schools, children schools and annexes of the Nigeria Police Force across the States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory.

About UNESCO REF. The Read and Earn Federation for UNESCO (UNESCO REF) works to strengthen human and institutional capacity across Nigeria and Africa through education, research and professional development, in alignment with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Media enquiries. UNESCO REF Media Centre, info@unescoref.org

SourcesSources

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