By Miriam Humbe
The Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Comrade Auwal Ibrahim Musa Rafsanjani, has formally accepted his appointment as Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Free Light of Nigerian Youth Foundation (FLONY), a youth-led non-governmental organisation dedicated to skills acquisition, capacity building, and advocacy initiatives aimed at empowering young people and women across Nigeria.
FLONY, which currently operates in over 18 states across the country, has impacted more than 10,000 beneficiaries since its establishment through various empowerment and training initiatives.
Speaking during a courtesy visit to CISLAC Head Office, the Founder of FLONY, Ambassador Farid Musa Jauro, described Rafsanjani’s appointment as strategic and timely.
She noted that his longstanding commitment to advancing the rights and opportunities of young Nigerians and Africans makes him well-suited to guide the organisation at this stage of its growth.
According to her, Rafsanjani’s wealth of experience in governance, transparency advocacy, and youth development will provide clearer direction and strengthen the foundation’s focus as it consolidates its programmes and expands its reach.
Also speaking, the Acting Secretary General of FLONY, Alhaji Aminu Lawal Usman, expressed appreciation to Rafsanjani and the CISLAC team for accepting to serve in an advisory capacity.
He reiterated that the foundation remains committed to deepening its impact across communities and expressed confidence that the new leadership at the advisory level would open more opportunities for growth and partnerships.
“With the coming of Comrade Rafsanjani, we believe the foundation will benefit immensely from his wealth of knowledge and experience to do even more for Nigerians and Africans at large,” Usman said, while commending his open-door policy and unwavering support for civil society initiatives.
In his acceptance remarks, Rafsanjani, who also serves as Head of Transparency International Nigeria, commended FLONY for its commitment to youth and women empowerment through skills acquisition programmes, often delivered without external funding support.
He praised the leadership of Ambassador Jauro and urged the organisation to remain non-partisan and insulated from political interference in order to sustain its credibility and neutrality.
Rafsanjani further emphasised the importance of proper documentation of activities, strategic partnerships with individuals of proven integrity and intellectual capacity, and the need to attract credible supporters who share the foundation’s vision.
He challenged FLONY to champion policy advocacy in critical areas such as employment generation, poverty reduction, youth and women empowerment, and security, noting that civil society organisations must play a proactive role in addressing the socio-economic challenges confronting the country.
The renewed collaboration between CISLAC and FLONY is expected to strengthen advocacy, enhance youth-focused programming, and promote sustainable development initiatives across Nigeria and beyond.
