By: Akinyemi Jelili
Many years ago, I remembered that a lot of youths chorused and danced to one of the popular matching songs every beautiful morning while matching from the assembly ground to their respective classes. “Parent listen to your children, we are the leaders of tomorrow, try to pay our school fees, and give us a sound education. Truly we were given proper and sound education but reverse is the case as regards to “Leaders of Tomorrow”.
However, being youth is the time of life when one is young, and often means the time between childhood and adulthood (maturity). It is also defined as “the appearance, freshness, vigour, spirit, etc., characteristic of one who is young”. Its definitions of a specific age range vary, as youth is not defined chronologically as a stage that can be tied to specific age ranges; nor can its end point be linked to specific activities, such as taking unpaid work or having sexual relations. Youth is an experience that may shape an individual’s level of dependency, which can be marked in various ways according to different cultural perspectives. Personal experience is marked by an individual’s cultural norms or traditions, while a youth’s level of dependency means the extent to which they still rely on their family emotionally and economically.
Therefore, A bill was passed into law not quite long tagged “Not Too Young to Run”. No Too Young to Run is an act of parliament which sought to reduce the age limit for running for elective office in Nigeria. The campaign started in support of bills and motions in Nigeria’s National Assembly sponsored by the Tony Nwulu in the House of Representatives and Abdul-Aziz Nyako in the Senate. The campaign is now global, symbolized by the hashtag #NotTooYoungToRun.
The Age Reduction Bill popularly known as Not Too Young to Run bill is a constitutional amendment movement led by young Nigerians. The bill was conceived and pushed by several civil society groups including YIAGA Africa, beginning in May 2016. The group is headed by Samson Itodo, a human right activist and good governance campaigner who is the Executive Director of YIAGA Africa. The bill was sponsored in House of Representatives by Tony Nwulu and in the Senate by AbdulAziz Nyako. The bill seeks alteration in sections 65, 106, 131, 177 of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria, which is to reduce the age of running for elective positions for House of Assembly and House of Representatives from 30 year old to 25 year old, Senate and Governorship from 35 year old to 30 year old and office of the president from 40 to 30 and independent candidature in Nigeria.
I am not saying the Not Too Young to run Bill is bad or good, but my questions are, have we giving these Youths proper orientation? Who those people that will take the mantle of leadership position in Nigeria? Is it the Youths who has been poisoned by their parents? Is the Youths who assaults one another? Is it the Youths who smokes on the street? Is it the Youths who are into fraud and yahoo yahoo? Is it the Youth who politicians paid for to steal our votes? Is it the Youths who set our properties on fire? Is it the Youths who passed through school and school doesn’t pass through them?
My questions are numerous. To be factual, where are the youths Nigeria has prepared to take the mantle of leadership and to take Nigeria to the promised land. I am sceptical, if Youths can change this Country positively. Youths must firstly change their mentality about national cake and defalcation before they can change Nigeria of today to the Nigeria of their dreams.
