The Federal Character Commission (FCC) has urged Enugu youths to stop disqualifying themselves from federal employment and other opportunities through fear, misinformation and the erroneous belief that government jobs are already reserved before they are advertised.

The Commission’s Executive Chairman, Hon. Hulayât Motunrayo Omidiran, gave the charge on Thursday at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Enugu, during the Peter Eze Enugu Youth Connect 2026, themed “Beyond Quotas: Unlocking Opportunities for Enugu Youths Through the Federal Character Commission.”

Declaring the event open, the Deputy Governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ossai, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, challenged the youths to prepare themselves for opportunities, stressing that government could open doors but individuals must possess the capacity to walk through them.

Onyia said the time had come to stop viewing young people as merely “leaders of tomorrow,” noting that they were already playing critical roles in the development of society.

He urged the youths to acquire knowledge, develop relevant skills, build competitive Curriculum Vitaes and take advantage of every opportunity to improve themselves.

According to him, opportunities would not always be available to people who were unprepared, stressing that preparation was an important part of succeeding in a competitive environment.

He encouraged the participants to listen carefully, take notes and continuously improve their knowledge and skills, noting that “no knowledge is wasted.”

The SSG also emphasised the importance of confidence and self-knowledge, urging the youths to understand their strengths and continually ask themselves what they could do to improve their circumstances

.He said government had a responsibility to create an enabling environment where young people could learn and apply their skills, while the youths themselves must take responsibility for preparing for the opportunities that would come their way.

Onyia commended the organisers of the youth-focused programme, saying initiatives that connect young people with opportunities were important to the development of Enugu State.

He said the state government was committed to investing in young people because of their central role in driving innovation, productivity and economic transformation.

In a Keynote address, the Federal Character Commission Executive Chairman, Omidiran, said the Federal Character principle should go beyond numerical representation to ensure that qualified Nigerians had a fair opportunity to participate meaningfully in national development.

She urged Enugu youths to prepare themselves, acquire relevant skills, embrace technology and actively pursue legitimate opportunities, stressing that equity and merit must work together in building a progressive society.

She said an opportunity might open a door, but competence, character and performance would determine how far an individual could advance.

The FCC chairman also warned youths against fraudulent recruitment schemes and deceptive offers, urging them to authenticate opportunities before applying.

She charged the youths to “dream boldly, prepare intelligently, work diligently, lead responsibly and serve selflessly,” while encouraging them to think nationally and compete globally.

Earlier, the FCC Commissioner representing Enugu State, Hon. Peter Ogbonna Eze, said the programme was organised to bridge the information gap preventing many young people from accessing employment, scholarships, grants, fellowships, training and other legitimate opportunities.

Eze said there were more than 700 Federal Government ministries, departments, agencies, commissions and other establishments providing employment and other opportunities across the country.

He explained that the FCC had the constitutional responsibility to promote equitable representation and ensure that federal institutions complied with the principles of federal character.

According to him, many Enugu youths had missed opportunities because of the erroneous belief that advertised federal jobs had already been shared or given to people before public

He urged the youths not to allow such assumptions to discourage them from applying.

“No player has ever won a football match outside the pitch. You can barely get an opportunity you do not apply for,” Eze said.

He further warned that nobody should pay for a legitimate government job, stressing that anyone demanding money in exchange for federal employment should be reported through the appropriate channels.

“You do not need to buy a job; you need to prepare yourself,” he said.

Eze said the Peter Eze Youth Connect initiative was designed to connect young people with credible information, institutions and opportunities, rather than create dependence on godfathers and middlemen.

He said the initiative would expose participants to opportunities in federal employment, grants, scholarships, fellowships, training programmes, entrepreneurship and other areas of personal and economic advancement.
He disclosed that a full scholarship opportunity would be offered through the programme, with five persons to be selected from the participants.

Eze said his vision was to make the programme a continuing platform through which information about opportunities would reach young people across Enugu State.

“If I know that something can change the life of a young person from Enugu State, I believe that the young person should hear about it. If I can open a door, I should open it. If I can connect someone to the right person, I should make the connection, ” he said.

He urged participants to become “ambassadors of opportunity” by sharing useful information and helping others benefit from opportunities they discover.

The commissioner said true empowerment was not about merely handing someone assistance and taking photographs, but about providing people with the knowledge, skills, information, access and opportunities required to stand on their own and build sustainable futures.

He called on the youths to improve their CVs, acquire relevant skills and remain prepared for opportunities, noting that technology and the job market were constantly changing.

The programme brought together young people and stakeholders across Enugu state to deepen understanding of the mandate of the Federal Character Commission, federal representation and pathways to employment, education, skills development and other opportunities.

The organisers said the initiative was built on the conviction that a young person cannot pursue an opportunity they do not know exists, with the broader vision of producing informed, confident and opportunity-ready youths capable of competing and contributing meaningfully to Nigeria’s development.

The event’s central message was clear: connect, learn, prepare and pursue opportunities rather than wait for them.