SAN FRANCISCO, May 17, (THEWILL) – The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has expressed the commitment of the House to lowering the age requirements for elective offices to afford Nigerian youths an opportunity to be in politics and leadership.
He stated this at the National Assembly while addressing the plenary session of the Nigerian Youth Parliament, asserting that the Green Chamber is committed to passing the #NotTooYoungToRun bill into law.
The #NotTooYoungToRun bill is seeking an alteration of sections 65, 106, 131 and 177 of the Nigerian constitution towards reducing the age of eligibility for elective offices across board, and introducing independent candidacy to the nation’s electoral process.
Speaking on Wednesday, Dogara said as elected representatives of the people, it is the lawmakers duty to make sure that the voices of their constituents are heard especially in a country that has over 60 per cent of its population as youths.
His words, “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.”
The Speaker however observed that one of the major challenges facing Nigeria’s youth population is unemployment, adding that, “as your elected representatives, this gives us nightmares”.
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