Reps Seeks Age Reduction for Political Offices

 

The House of Representatives may lower the age requirement for seeking political office to allow for more participation of youths.

Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara, who gave this hint on Monday also charged youths to participate more actively in politics and electing leaders that will secure their future and interests.

Speaking during a dialogue with students drawn from universities across the country at the National Assembly,  the speaker said “it may not be out of place to lower the age qualification for certain elective offices in the next constitutional amendment exercise.”

Noting that “many young people are not involved in voting during elections which threatens the representative nature of our democratic institutions,” he urged youths to challenge the status quo whereby “this country belongs to you but it’s under the stranglehold of men and women of a generation that have overreached itself.

“The truth is that nothing will be ceded or conceded to your generation without a fight. In this endeavor, your voices mean nothing if you don’t have the votes. Therefore, all students in Nigeria must not only register to vote and cast their votes during elections, they must also ensure that their votes, count.

“There is  no other better way by which you will earn respect for yourselves and ensure that the gifts you have taken to the university to polish ultimately benefit your generation.”

He, however, cautioned that there must be a balance between involvement in student unionism, activism and academic excellence.

He said: “I believe strongly that the culture of peaceful protest, demonstrations and general activism is not only necessary in a democratic state but is in fact a constitutional right. This ensures accountability of government to the people.

“Resistance to tyranny, crusade for justice and good governance require courage, patriotism and ideological purity. It was Martin Luther King, Jnr, who said that: “freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor, it must be demanded by the oppressed”. Indeed, ‘the man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny’, to paraphrase Prof Wole Soyinka.

“The culture of protest that I endorse must be uncompromisingly peaceful and non-violent. It must be based on selflessness and not aided by ambition or corruption. It must be for the right reasons and procured only by the purest of motives.

“It must not be based on propaganda and misinformation. It must be non-partisan. Students should never allow themselves to be used by politicians to score political points or by state or non-state actors to pick sour grapes on their behalf.

“Young students like you possess abundance of passion, drive and the spirit of adventure thus risk taking comes naturally to the young. The idealism of youth must, however, be tempered by the need to excel academically in school. Any student who places activism over academics will sooner than later be left behind by his classmates. You must therefore strike the right balance between activism and academic and social progress.”

The Speaker advised them to pursue their motives with peaceful protest, saying the House will always protect them from victimisation.

“We want to assure all Nigerian students, that the House of Representatives, and indeed the National Assembly as a parliament of the Nigerian people will take right steps to meet most of your demands. We believe that student unionism is a vital training ground for leadership. On your part, you must return to the part of enlightened, peaceful, purposeful and violence – free student unionism and activism.”