Dear Nigerian Youths, Stakeholders, and Concerned Citizens,

We appreciate the vibrant discourse and civic attention generated around the upcoming National Youth Conference (Youth Confab 2025), especially regarding the intellectual property clause found in the call for submissions.

Your feedback is a testament to the intellectual rigour and growing demand for transparency, fairness, and inclusivity in public discourse—a goal we are all committed to.

Clarifying the Clause: Not Intellectual Theft, But a Public-Interest Safeguard

The clause stating that submissions become the property of the Planning Committee was never intended to undermine creativity, exploit contributors, or claim personal ownership of original work. Rather, it was inserted to enable the public use, review, and integration of submitted proposals in a manner that advances the national agenda without bureaucratic restrictions.

Here are the guiding principles behind the clause:

1. Voluntary Participation and Ideas  Exchange
   All participants at the National Confab are allowed to participate and share their ideas voluntarily without any duress, fear or favour, and the participants are picked nationwide without any political, ethnic or nepotism-based considerations. Participants will also give prior consent for the use of their ideas for the advancement of the interests of Nigerian youths, at home and abroad.
2. Public Use, Not Private Appropriation
   All ideas submitted will be used solely for the purpose of shaping policies, recommendations, and outcomes of the Youth Confab and related national engagements. It is not about erasing the identity of the creators but ensuring proposals are accessible for national implementation.
3. Recognition of Creators
   While the Planning Committee retains the right to use and publish the submissions, contributors retain moral authorship and, where feasible, will be acknowledged or referenced in published outputs. This aligns with both national and global standards of engagement and fair use.
4. Legal Position under Copyright Act 2022
   According to the provisions of the Copyright Act 2022, authors retain rights to their work. However, by submitting to a public discourse, contributors implicitly grant a licence for public use, allowing the Committee to adapt, reference, and circulate the material without further permissions, strictly within the bounds of the conference objectives.
5. Preventing Fragmentation & Legal Disputes
   Retaining these rights helps streamline the editorial and integration process, and prevents fragmented or competing claims, which may delay the effective use of these valuable ideas.
6. International Best Practice
   It is a standard practice in policy, academic, and international conferences to request such usage rights. This is not about exclusion but about managing collective wisdom responsibly.

Next Steps: Language Update for Clarity

In light of the valuable feedback, the Committee will revise the clause for improved clarity. The updated clause will now state:

“By submitting a proposal to the Youth Confab 2025, the contributor grants the Planning Committee permission to review, publicly disseminate, adapt, and integrate the content for purposes associated with the National Youth Conference and its policy engagements. Submitters retain authorship rights and, where applicable, will be acknowledged for referenced contributions.”

This revision ensures that the spirit of openness, legal correctness, and mutual respect is upheld.

We thank every youth voice, especially those who raised concerns in good faith. Your vigilance is what strengthens democracy and governance.

Let us continue to engage meaningfully as we build a youth-led, value-driven future for Nigeria.

Warm regards,

The National Planning Committee