The February 25 election has come and gone. Despite its many floors, I am candidly not surprised about the outcome of the election, rather I am glad to witness another election that shows unity among Nigerians.
However, the result clearly showed that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has in the past years shut out the young people in the leadership affairs of the country.
The president-elect, Ashiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu realised this and in a broadcast after the election he acknowledged the hard work and resilience of young Nigerians. He also went ahead to name some international figures among them. But this is not enough, the young people need a figure to relate with and will definitely be pacified with having a speaker of the House of Representatives who is within the band of age 40. This definitely will bring the youths into active participation in the in-coming APC administration and shift focus of criticism to their ‘ambassador’ in the government. I can bet that not having anybody under the age of 40 years among the first four and probably appointing a minister of youths affairs who may also be above that age would further pitch young Nigerians against the incoming government.
Although, President Muhammadu Buhari in 2018 signed the youth friendly #nottooyoungtorun bill into law, and the law has brought more young people into governance, now is the golden opportunity to yield a sensitive leadership position to somebody intelligent enough to represent the young people and give the over 60 million young Nigerians the hope of becoming a leader someday.
Already, the president-elect, Tinubu is above 70-years and vice-president-elect, Senator Kashim Shetimma is approaching 60 years. In the senate, the possibility of having a president of the senate or deputy is almost impossible, if there is anybody under the age of 40 elected into the Red Chamber such a person would be a first term lawmaker and may not emerge.
But in the House of Representatives there are very youthful re-elected lawmakers who can be trusted in the capacity of the speaker and deputy speaker. This is not the time to hide under the guise of ‘cognate legislative experience’ to shortchange the young people if the APC government is sincerely willing to accommodate their interest and suppress the increasing agitation of inclusion of young people in government.
In 1999 Salisu Buhari was elected as speaker at the age of 30 years, and his successor Ghali Umar Na’Abba was elected at 40. Around the same time, in the year 2000, a former Secretary to the government of the federation, Anyim Pius Anyim was elected as president of the Senate at the age of 39 years and former speaker Dimeji Bankole was in 2007 elected as speaker at the age of 37 years. But where are we today and how come the landlords of the National Assembly are hiding under ‘legislative experience’ to embed themselves as an institution at the expense of the upcoming leaders? To make matters worse, there is no record to even show that they have piloted affairs of the country better than the young people mentioned above.
Why then should anyone be surprised about the rebellion of these young Nigerians at the polls ! President Buhari as of 2019 was 76 years old, Vice-president Yemi Osinbajo was 61 years old, president of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan was 60years, Ovie Omo-Agege, the deputy president of the Senate was 55. Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila was 56 years old in 2019 while his deputy, Ahmed Idris Wase was 54 years. There was no youth inclusion and the APC should not miss another chance, particularly with the growing agitation.
Having all the major sensitive positions in government occupied by politicians between the ages of 50 – 70 years in this age of digital/social media in a clear disconnect of young people from the government and can be very dangerous.
Whichever geo-political zone the APC is planning to zone the position of speaker and deputy speaker, let the party shop for candidates under the age of 40 years, we can reset from the system from there.
