CYO Nigeria was founded in 1985 to create a youth organization for young Catholics in Nigeria.[1] CYO emerged in the context of a concern of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) that the young Catholics and local Catholic youth organizations in Nigeria should celebrate the International Youth Year (IYY) declared by the United Nations in 1985. Several meetings of chaplains responsible for youth affairs and youths leaders from the various dioceses of Nigeria took place to plan a national Catholic youth rally.