The Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, has said 58,820 young Nigerians registered in just 53 days for the Youth Data Protection Awareness and Training (YDPAT) Programme.

In a statement yesterday quoted him as saying the registration for the programme, developed in partnership with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) and Globe Takers Foundation, had officially closed.

Olawande said: “In just 53 days, a total of 58,820 young Nigerians signed up from all six geopolitical zones.

“This shows how eager Nigerian youth are to learn data protection and digital skills.” He described the overwhelming response as a strong indicator of young Nigerians’ commitment to nation-building and readiness to engage with digital literacy and personal development.

Olawande assured that every registrant would benefit from the ministry’s broader youth development programmes, even if not part of the initial training cohort.

The minister said the training would begin with 5,000 selected participants, chosen to ensure fair representation across all regions of Nigeria.

He added that the remaining registrants would still be reached through other relevant initiatives, ensuring no willing youth was left out of the digital literacy movement.

The minister said: “The YDPAT training will adopt a hybrid model, combining both online and physical sessions to make it accessible to youth regardless of their location.”