In recognition of his outstanding commitment to building bridges between the Police and young people, the Lagos State Police Command has decorated the Chairman of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Lagos State Chapter, Engr. Adigun Ibrahim Olalekan, as a Police-Youth Ambassador.
The decoration took place on the sidelines of the launch of the Command’s National Campaign Against Political and Digital Thuggery and Police-Youth Dialogue, held at the POWA Secretariat, GRA, Ikeja, on Thursday.
The 2-in-1 programme was part of the activities organised by the Command to commemorate this year’s International Youth Day, themed “Different Contexts, Common Aspirations.”
Decorating the youth leader, the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Fatai Tijani, described Adigun as an illustrious young Nigerian whose contributions to youth development, human capital development, and mobilisation are laudable.
The Commissioner commended his consistent efforts towards fostering constructive engagement between young people and the Nigeria Police Force, urging him to double down on his efforts to bridge the communication gap between the youth and the Force.
He noted that stronger police-youth relations are essential to building trust, promoting mutual understanding, and creating a safer society, particularly as the nation approaches the 2027 General Elections.
CP Tijani further charged the newly decorated Police-Youth Ambassador to use his position, influence and NYCN platform to encourage young people to reject political violence, thuggery, cyberbullying, and other forms of criminality, while promoting peaceful participation and responsible citizenship.
Speaking after the decoration, Engr. Adigun Ibrahim Olalekan who had attended the event as a panelist expressed appreciation to the Lagos State Police Command for the recognition, describing the honour as both a privilege and a responsibility.
He reaffirmed the commitment of the NYCN Lagos State Chapter to strengthening the relationship between the Police and young people across the state, noting that the Council would continue to leverage its structures across the 57 Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas to promote dialogue, peace, responsible citizenship, and positive youth engagement.
He also pledged that the youth umbrella body would work closely with the Police and other relevant stakeholders to discourage young people from being used as instruments of political violence and digital thuggery, particularly as the 2027 elections approach.
The event brought together senior police officers, top officials of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigerian Army, among other security agencies as well as youths from across the state under the platform of NYCN among other stakeholders, with participants reiterating the need for sustained collaboration between law enforcement agencies and young people in safeguarding peace, strengthening democratic values and reducing crime and criminality.
