The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has said the House is committed to passing the #NotTooYoungToRun bill in order to lower the age requirements for elective offices to ensure youth inclusion in politics and leadership.
He stated this on Wednesday at the National Assembly while addressing the plenary session of the Nigerian Youth Parliament.
He said as elected representatives, it is the lawmakers duty to make sure that their constituents’ voices are heard especially in a country with a youth population of over 60 per cent.
“We committed ourselves in our Legislative Agenda to give priority to – ‘necessary legislative interventions to promote equality and inclusion, and entrench the rights of women, youths and vulnerable groups in the society,” he said.
Mr. Dogara added that one of the major challenge affecting Nigeria’s youth population is unemployment. “As your elected representatives, this gives us nightmares.”
The #NotTooYoungToRun bill seeks to alter sections 65, 106, 131 and 177 of the Nigerian constitution. It is aimed at reducing the age of eligibility for elective offices across board, and to introduce independent candidacy to our electoral process.