By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA – To tame youth restiveness and push the frontiers of education, the All Progressives Congress (APC) 2023 governorship candidate in Rivers State, Tonye Cole, has empowered 230,000 young people across the state.

The empowerment was delivered through the COLE’ctive Initiative as part of activities marking the 2026 International Day of Education, with the global theme, ‘The power of youth in co-creating education.’

The development was disclosed in a statement signed by Cole, the APC’s 2023 governorship candidate in Rivers State.

The statement said the programme was designed to drive education and development outcomes by repositioning learning as a tool for empowerment rather than passive instruction.

According to Cole, the International Day of Education 2026 highlights the importance of youth-led and co-created learning systems, noting that the initiative stands as a people-powered model for empowering young people to shape a healthier, more prosperous and secure Rivers State.

He explained that the programme is structured to equip young people with the knowledge, skills and civic confidence needed to build healthier lives, stronger livelihoods and safer communities.

The initiative targets youths across all 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers State, empowering them to apply learning directly to real-life challenges in public health, economic inclusion, climate resilience and community security.

“By placing young people at the centre of the learning process, COLE2Learn reframes education as a shared civic system that promotes agency, responsibility, and participation,” Cole said.

He said the programme departs from conventional classroom-based education models, focusing instead on practical and outcome-driven learning that is embedded in everyday civic participation, enterprise development, innovation and leadership pathways.

“Rather than duplicating classroom-based education models, the programme focuses on practical, outcome-driven learning, embedding education into everyday civic participation, enterprise development, innovation, and leadership pathways.

“The approach ensures that learning is connected to lived experience and immediate community needs,” he said.

Cole further explained that the learning framework is built around areas that directly strengthen youth self-reliance and leadership capacity, including civic and democratic empowerment; health and wellbeing education; economic, financial and enterprise skills; digital, innovation and media literacy; environmental and climate awareness; as well as peace, security and community safety education.

“It included gender, disability, and inclusion learning; and culture-based education that reinforces identity, unity, and shared values,” he said.

He stressed that programme delivery is achieved through community learning hubs, digital platforms, mobile media channels and peer-to-peer civic exchanges, enabling young people to learn by doing, leading and contributing to solutions within their communities.

“Delivery is achieved through community learning hubs, digital platforms, mobile media channels, and peer-to-peer civic exchanges, enabling young people to learn by doing, leading, and contributing to solutions within their communities,” Cole added.