By Aderogba George
Organisers of the 2026 International Adolescent Health Week (IAHW) have adopted an adolescent-led approach, allowing young people to identify and discuss issues affecting their health, wellbeing and development across Nigeria.
Mrs Oyeyemi Pitan, Executive Director, Gem Hub Initiative and Co-Chair, School Visitation and Outreach Subcommittee, said this at the third planning meeting for the 2026 IAHW in Abuja on Thursday.
Pitan said the approach was consistent with the theme of the 2026 observance, “Nothing for Us Without Us”, emphasising meaningful participation by adolescents in programmes directly affecting their lives and futures.
She said the school outreach subcommittee planned to engage all six Area Councils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), ensuring wider adolescent participation across schools during the weeklong observance in 2026.
According to her, the committee plans to reach 30 schools through debates, quizzes and other activities that would provide adolescents platforms to express concerns affecting their health and education needs directly.
“We want to engage them in a fun way while ensuring that their participation remains impactful,” she said.
She added that the committee wanted adolescents to identify issues themselves and confidently directly.
“We want to know the issues they have identified in their schools, their health concerns and what they want government to know,” she said, emphasising the importance of listening closely directly.
Pitan said the initiative would provide adolescents opportunities to express concerns about health, education and personal development, while strengthening dialogue between young people, government and other stakeholders across Nigeria locally effectively.
She commended the Federal Ministries of Health and Education for commencing preparations early, saying the early planning would contribute to better outcomes and effective implementation of planned activities across communities.
She said lessons from activities in the FCT could be replicated in other parts of the country, helping stakeholders strengthen adolescent-focused programmes and interventions based on local experiences and feedback nationally.
Also speaking, Mrs Aderonke Olisa, Executive Director, Omidan Health and Empowerment Initiative and Chair, Media and Communications Subcommittee, said adolescents would lead media engagements across media platforms nationwide during IAHW annually.
Olisa said the committee planned podcasts, videos and vox pops to enable adolescents speak directly about their needs and concerns, while promoting wider understanding of their priorities among stakeholders further effectively.
She said the engagements would also explore how government, parents, stakeholders and society could better support adolescents, particularly by listening to their experiences and responding to identified needs effectively and appropriately more.
“Some of the time, we assume the needs of these adolescents without hearing from them,” she said.
She also explained why direct adolescent participation was essential for effective planning, programming and interventions appropriately overall.
“If we allow adolescents to speak, we are going to know what they need and help our organisations plan better,” she said, urging stakeholders to listen carefully and respond appropriately directly.
Olisa said the initiative would extend beyond the health week by using adolescents’ views to inform programmes and interventions, ensuring their perspectives remained central to future planning and implementation sustainably.
She said that adolescents were not only beneficiaries of programmes but also had rights that should be recognised and respected, with their voices reflected in decisions affecting them directly and meaningfully processes.
Miss Seyi Bolaji, Communication Manager, Stand With a Girl Initiative (SWAG) and Co-Chair, Media and Communications Subcommittee, said the committee was working to ensure adolescents were involved in content creation.
Bolaji said adolescents would be engaged in developing ideas, identifying solutions and communicating their priorities to government and development partners nationwide and stakeholders, ensuring their perspectives influence policies and programmes effectively.
She said the approach would ensure that adolescents were active participants in the 2026 IAHW rather than mere beneficiaries, strengthening ownership and relevance of the observance nationwide and sustainably for adolescents.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Abiemwense Moru