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Lagos faces a growing waste management problem that affects public health and the environment. This policy idea proposes a state framework that makes waste sorting (separating plastics, organic waste, and recyclables) compulsory in schools, markets, and public spaces. To make it work, the state should offer small tax incentives and support to local recycling startups and young green entrepreneurs who turn waste into useful products. This will keep our streets cleaner, create local jobs, and build a sustainable environment

The purpose of the Bill is to prevent the use of torture, coercion, intimidation and other unlawful methods in obtaining confessional statements from suspects. It seeks to make video recording compulsory whenever a police officer takes a confessional statement from a suspect and to require the presence of the suspect’s legal practitioner or, where the suspect so chooses, a close relative during the process. The Bill will promote fairness in criminal investigations, protect the rights of suspects, and reduce disputes over the voluntariness and authenticity of confessional statements tendered in court.

Young women in Lagos cannot engage with laws they do not know exist. I propose HerLaw, HerVoice, a youth-focused legislative information initiative that helps young women in Lagos understand and influence laws affecting their lives.

The initiative would track bills and legislative decisions relating to women’s safety, education, employment, healthcare and economic opportunities. Working with the Lagos State House of Assembly, it would translate relevant legislative information into simple, accessible summaries shared through social media, WhatsApp and community organisations.

It would also create a quarterly Young Women’s Legislative Forum where participants can discuss proposed laws, identify gaps in existing protections and submit recommendations to relevant Assembly committees. Public hearing announcements and opportunities to contribute would be shared in advance, enabling more young women to participate.

By connecting legislative information with meaningful opportunities for public input, HerLaw, HerVoice would help young women move from being passive observers of governance to informed participants who can question decisions, influence legislation and demand accountability.

As there are many talented students and researchers spending their lives as currency to help solve health problems and increase people’s live span with longevity, lack of fund poses the highest threats to these enthusiastic researchers. More discoveries and answers would be gotten from nature if tuition, welfare and laboratory materials are taken care of by the Government.

Ogun State shares extensive and porous international borders that present both critical security challenges—such as smuggling and informal cross-border spillovers—and untapped economic potential for regional trade. Traditional border management approaches often lack institutional coordination and real-time data integration between state actors, local governments, and borderland communities.

Proposed Legislative Action:

A bill for a Law establishing the Ogun State Borderlands Governance and Security Data Framework. This initiative would:

1. Establish a Regional Security Data Clearinghouse: Deploy a centralized data-gathering platform to analyze security incidents, migration patterns, and informal trade flows across border local government areas, delivering actionable intelligence for state executive planning and legislative oversight.

2. Incentivize Borderland Economic Zones (BEZs): Pass legislation providing targeted tax incentives, infrastructure investments, and legal frameworks for light processing and trade hubs near border corridors, transforming high-risk transit points into formal economic hubs.

3. Institute Local Community Peace & Security Committees: Institutionalize statutory community-policing dialogue mechanisms within border constituencies to integrate traditional rulers, civil society, and security agencies in early-warning response networks.

OYO STATE FEED & POULTRY VALUE-CHAIN CLUSTER POLICY

Because Oyo is Nigeria's poultry capital, but farmers are collapsing due to feed cost.

The Problem in Oyo

Oyo State (especially Oke-Ogun, Ibarapa, Egbeda, Akinyele) produces maize, cassava, and soy, and has the largest concentration of poultry farms in Southwest Nigeria. Yet:

1. 60-70% of poultry production cost is feed, and most feed mills are in Lagos/Ogun

2. Maize price swings wipe out smallholders

3. Youth have land but no access to 2-3 year leases

4. Second-cycle layers are wasted (your research area) instead of being processed

The Policy Idea: 3-in-1

1. Oyo State Community Feed Mill Clusters

Government doesn't build mills. It provides:

- Land + power in 4 zones (Ogbomoso, Shaki, Iseyin, Ibarapa)

- 50% matching grant for cooperatives to buy small 1-ton/hr feed mills

- Guaranteed off-take of maize/cassava from Oyo farmers at floor price

Result: Feed price drops by 25-30% for farmers within 30km.

2. Youth Agribusiness Lease & Input Credit

- Create an Oyo State Agricultural Land Bank Map unused community land, negotiate 3-year renewable leases.

- Any graduate under 35 gets 1-3 hectares + input credit (day-old chicks, feed for 8 weeks) repayable after sales, not before.

- Repayment goes into revolving fund, managed via Oyo Agric Credit Corporation, not political sharing.

3. Second-Cycle & Waste-to-Value Mandate

- All state-licensed hatcheries/abattoirs must have cold-chain for spent layers.

- Train women/youth cooperatives on spent-layer processing, egg powder, and manure-to-fertilizer (turning waste to IGR).

Why This Is Necessary

- It solves cost, not just giving seed.

- It keeps value in Oyo: Oyo grows the maize, Oyo mills it, Oyo feeds it, Oyo sells chicken.

- It directly creates jobs for http://B.Agric graduates like you instead of pushing them to freelance 

Osun State has a large population of young people, including graduates and school leavers, who face challenges transitioning from education into sustainable employment. One major issue is the gap between the skills acquired through formal education and the practical skills demanded by employers. Existing skills-development initiatives can have limited impact when training is not connected to actual employment, apprenticeships, or access to finance.

The Osun Youth Skills-to-Work Programme (OYSP) would create a structured pathway from education → skills → work → income by combining skills training with internships, apprenticeships, entrepreneurship support, mentorship, and employment opportunities.

1. Lead Institution

The Osun State Government, through the relevant ministries responsible for youth development, education, employment, and economic planning, would coordinate the programme. A small programme management unit would be established to oversee implementation, partnerships, monitoring, and evaluation.

2. Target Beneficiaries

The programme would initially target young people aged approximately 18–35, prioritising unemployed and underemployed graduates, school leavers, women, and young people from underserved communities across the state's local government areas.

3. Skills and Sector Mapping

Before training begins, government would conduct a skills and labour-market assessment to identify sectors with actual or emerging demand. Training areas could include digital skills, accounting and finance, technology, agribusiness, renewable energy, healthcare support, creative industries, and other locally relevant sectors.

4. Training and Certification

Selected participants would receive practical, competency-based training delivered through accredited institutions, private-sector partners, professional bodies, and experienced practitioners. Training should combine technical skills with employability skills such as communication, problem-solving, financial literacy, and workplace ethics.

5. Work Placement and Apprenticeship

The key feature of the programme would be a mandatory transition from training to practical experience. Government would establish partnerships with businesses, professional firms, NGOs, farms, technology companies, and other employers to provide internships, apprenticeships, and entry-level employment opportunities.

6. Entrepreneurship Support

Participants who demonstrate an interest in entrepreneurship would receive business development training, mentorship, market access support, and competitive access to small start-up grants or low-interest financing. Funding should be tied to viable business plans and monitored milestones.

7. Youth Employment and Skills Database

The programme would establish a digital database containing participants' skills, qualifications, training records, and employment status. This would help match trained young people with employers and enable government to track outcomes after graduation.

8. Private-Sector and Development Partnerships

The government would work with private companies, financial institutions, universities, professional associations, development organisations, and civil society groups. Employers could help design curricula, provide trainers, offer placements, and identify the skills they require.

9. Phased Implementation

- Phase 1 – Preparation (0–6 months): Labour-market assessment, stakeholder consultation, programme design, partner recruitment, and beneficiary registration.

- Phase 2 – Pilot (6–12 months): Launch in selected local government areas and enrol an initial cohort to test the model.

- Phase 3 – Expansion (Year 2–3): Scale the programme across the state based on lessons from the pilot.

- Phase 4 – Institutionalisation (Year 3 onward): Integrate successful components into the state's long-term youth employment and economic development strategy.

The programme should be evaluated based on measurable outcomes rather than the number of people trained alone. Key indicators should include:

- Number of youths trained and certified.

- Percentage completing internships or apprenticeships.

- Percentage securing employment within 6–12 months.

- Number of businesses established and sustained.

- Changes in participants' income levels.

- Employer satisfaction with programme graduates.

- Number of participants retained in employment after 12 months.

An annual public report should publish these outcomes to promote transparency, accountability, and evidence-based improvement.

The policy would help reduce the gap between education and employment, improve youth employability, support entrepreneurship, and strengthen collaboration between government, educational institutions, and the private sector. More importantly, it would shift the focus of youth development from simply providing training to creating measurable pathways to sustainable livelihoods.

I believe Lagos State needs a comprehensive Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) reform policy that connects education directly to employability, entrepreneurship, and the state's economic priorities.

The policy should establish a clear vocational education pathway in partnership with the other components of the triple helix (industry and academia). This improved pathway should allow young people to progress from foundational skills training to advanced technical qualifications, professional certifications, and sustainable employment. It should integrate industry partnerships, apprenticeships, digital skills, and competency-based assessment, while recognising prior learning and practical experience so that people can earn qualifications without necessarily following conventional academic routes.

Beyond training, the government should establish a skills-to-jobs framework that connects accredited training providers with employers, tracks graduate employment outcomes, and provides targeted support for young people seeking to start businesses.

For me, the goal is simple: Lagos should not only educate its young people; it should systematically equip them to participate in, and contribute to, the state's economy. By making skills development more accessible, industry-relevant, and outcome-driven, the state can strengthen its human capital, address skills gaps, improve youth employment, and build a more productive and inclusive economy.

Strengthening Legislative Oversight and Citizen Access to Local Government Projects in Lagos State

Local governments are the closest level of government to the people. They are responsible for projects and services that directly affect communities, including roads, drainage, primary healthcare, markets and other public infrastructure. In Lagos State, with 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs), effective monitoring of these projects is essential to ensure that public funds translate into meaningful development.

Although government institutions already perform monitoring, evaluation and auditing functions, there is a need to strengthen coordination and make information about local-government projects more accessible to citizens. The major concern is not simply whether projects are being monitored, but whether citizens can easily verify what was approved, how much was allocated, who is executing the project, when it should be completed and whether it has been delivered as promised.

I propose the establishment of a Lagos Local Government Project Accountability and Citizen Information Framework to address this challenge. The framework would require LGAs and LCDAs to maintain standardised records of public projects, including their locations, budgets, contractors, completion timelines and implementation status. This information should be published through an accessible online platform, allowing citizens to check the progress of projects in their communities.

The Lagos State House of Assembly should strengthen its oversight role by requiring periodic project-performance reports and examining discrepancies between reported progress and actual conditions on the ground. Existing institutions responsible for project monitoring, planning and auditing should also coordinate their activities to support periodic physical verification. Citizens should be provided with a simple mechanism to report abandoned, delayed or poorly executed projects, with appropriate procedures for investigating complaints and communicating outcomes.

Implementation should begin with a pilot programme in selected LGAs and LCDAs before statewide expansion. Progress should be measured through indicators such as the percentage of projects publicly documented, the number of projects physically verified, the time taken to resolve complaints and the proportion of projects completed within their approved timelines.

The objective is not to create another layer of bureaucracy or witch-hunt public officials. It is to strengthen existing accountability mechanisms and ensure that public resources deliver real value. Local government is where citizens experience governance most directly. They know when a road remains unfinished, drainage is neglected or a promised health facility is abandoned. They should not have to depend on political announcements to understand what is happening to projects in their communities.

Ultimately, strengthening legislative oversight and citizen access to project information can improve transparency, encourage responsible use of public funds and rebuild public trust. Government projects should not only be approved and reported; they should be visible, verifiable and accountable to the people they are meant to serve.

The problem: Public boreholes and water points often stay broken for long periods because communities have no formal channel to report faults, no way to track repairs, and no clear office responsible for fixing them. In my NYSC posting in Akwa Ibom, I saw this firsthand. Residents in two communities had no defined route to their Local Government Works Department or the state water agency. The cause of the faults is still being independently assessed, but the missing reporting line was clear. I believe similar gaps may exist in Osun, and this proposal asks the Assembly to check.

The proposal: Osun State should adopt a law or amendment requiring that:

Every Local Government and Area Council maintain a public register of community water points, with their location, status, and responsible officer.

Communities can report faults through a simple, free channel (phone, SMS, or WhatsApp), and each report is logged with a reference number.

The responsible agency must acknowledge reports within a set period and publish repair status.

Each Local Government publishes a quarterly report on faults received, repairs completed, and funds spent.

A community water management committee, including women and youth, is recognised as the formal link between communities and the LGA.

Why it matters: Water access affects health, school attendance, and women's time. A published register and repair timelines would turn neglect into something citizens can see and follow up.

Questions for the community: Does your community have a way to report broken water points? Who do you report to, and how long do repairs usually take?