The University of Ibadan, Nigeria's oldest University, played host to the second edition of the Policy Conference for Youth 2026, organised by the Future Pathways Development Initiative, drawing approximately 300 delegates to the KAAF Auditorium for a day of policy debate and youth led governance reform.

Themed Rebuilding Trust In The Nigerian State, the conference ran from 9am to 3:40pm and formed part of FPDI's broader engagement with tertiary institutions nationwide. According to the organisation, its programmes have reached students across all six of Nigeria's geopolitical zones and 67 tertiary institutions across the country.

The relocation of the conference from Abuja, which hosted the inaugural 2025 edition, to the University of Ibadan was described by organisers as a deliberate move to bring the national policy conversation closer to the young people, many of them university students, most affected by its outcomes.

The day's centrepiece, the Policy Challenge Finals, saw three finalist teams, selected from 322 submissions and 1,371 expressions of interest spanning 33 of Nigeria's 36 states, defend reform proposals before a panel of expert judges. Team SMETrust emerged winner, receiving ₦2,000,000 for a proposal on rebuilding trust in Nigeria's tax system, while Team Astrum and Team Nikao placed first and second runners up respectively, taking home ₦1,000,000 and ₦750,000 for proposals on electricity sector reform and policing.

Arinola Daniel, Executive Director of FPDI, said the geographic spread of participation carried its own significance. "Policy defines power, and leadership shapes how that power is used. When young Nigerians from 33 states sit down to research, write, and defend reform proposals, that is not just participation. That is the beginning of the end of apathy," she stated.

The programme also featured a 60 minute Model National Assembly Session facilitated by the Centre for Governance Development, giving delegates direct participation in a live legislative process, alongside a keynote from Hon Seyi Adisa, Founder of the African Governance Institute for Development.

Ayokunnu Ojeniyi, Founder and Executive Director of FPDI, said the results reflected a generation of young Nigerians moving from frustration into policy action, adding that winning teams would proceed into paid policy internships within FPDI's network. Planning for the 2027 edition is already underway.