2023: Media Practitioner Tasked Youths, Women On Political Participation.
Youths and women have been called upon to get more involved and more committed in the Political development processes leading to the selection of leaders and Representatives in 2023.
The Publisher and Editor in Chief, Thenigerianpost Newspaper, Abu Micheal, made the call as a guest speaker at the Federal University Lokoja Leadership Summit Organised by National Association of Kogi State Students.
In his paper presentation titled: Youths and women participation in societal politics, the Time is Now, Mr Micheal, urged the Youths and women to take up membership of Political parties to enable them decide who emerges as candidate.
He lamented that evidences abound that youths and the women Constitute the highest Voting demography in all elections conducted in the country, lamented that their sitting on the fence and folding their hands usually allow candidates who are not disposed to policies that favours the Youths and women to emerge as Party’s candidates.
He called on the Youths and women to rally round the youth and Women leaders of Political parties towards ensuring that only their choices and candidates who will be favourable to their well-being emerge as representatives and leaders.
While taking an overview of Nigeria’s past Political Leadership, he said from time immemorial, the country early leaders were young people, pointing out that those period saw the country have the right Leadership as compared to what is obtained now when sit tight leaders and Representatives are in position of authorities.
According to the guest speaker, General Yakubu Gowon became Head of State at 31, Gen. Murtala Mohammed became Head of State at 37 while in the first coming of General
Olusegun Obasanjo he was 39, pointed out that Patriotism, good governance and the unification of the country formed the core of their Leadership.
Mr. Micheal explained that the call for Youth and women Political Participation in Governance is therefore not new in the country’s Political lexicon, lamented that under the current democratic experiment, young people are often excluded or overlooked as political candidates.
He frowned at the scenario when politics is typically regarded as a space for politically experienced men, and while women are often disadvantaged in accumulating experience to run for office, expressed worries that young people are systematically marginalized because of their young age, limited opportunities, and projected lack of experience.
He quoted the Inter-parliamentary Union (IPU) reports that said people between the ages of 20 and 44 make up 57% of the nigeria’s voting age population but only 26% of the country’s Members of Parliament (MPs). Young people under the age of 30 he disclosed represent 1.9% of the country’s MPs said more than 80% of the State’’s houses of Parliament have no MPs aged under 30.
While young people he maintained often play central and catalyzing roles in movements for democracy around the country, he said they are less engaged than older generations in voting and party activism, said these trends have inspired many international organizations to study the lack of youth political participation and train youth activists to become political leaders.
Worried by the trend in 2016, he said a joint initiative of a number of partners including UNDP and IPU, led to the “Not Too Young To Run” global campaign was launched to elevate the promotion of young people’s right to run for public office and address the wide-spread issue of age discrimination.
He called for the Uganda model that allows representation by young people/the youth – both male and female as provided for by law and policy said the National Youth Policy as key precursors for creating an enabling environment for young people to reach their potential. At parliament level the youth he pointed should have quotas, given in terms of numbers.
He called for minimal investment in young people to take on representation role, said they should be nurtured to debate, present and deliberate on current issues, said in most cases, potential leaders are not identified early by the older leaders for grooming, nurturing, exposure and encouragement to take the mantle of representation at parliament level and in government.
He noted the Lack of knowledge and awareness about roles, maintaining that young people are sometimes unaware of what a representation/political career would entail – beyond attending functions and campaigns.
On Gender Power relations, he lamented that the older ones are often atimes not interested to see young ones in their space so they tend to block this space, said the space for young women to participate is hampered by the patriarchal nurture at the household level and externally.
On Financial limitation, Mr Micheal pointed out that Young people do not have the resources to engage actively in a context that has monetized politics. He said without the financial muscle it becomes hard and almost impossible to draw attention and votes as nobody will listen.
He lamented that unlike in the past, in some contexts in the country, it is no longer politics of ideas and issues but how well one can pay for votes or use money to protect the votes during elections, said the era to set up Institutions to check use of money Politics would go a long way in allowing for Youths and women Political Participation.
He said the need to identify Youths early from the young prefects, identify role models who can be coached, mentored and exposed for the representation role has become necessary, said Interest in representation should start at an early age.
Through civic education Mr. Michael observed that there is need to continuously advocate for issue based politics as opposed to commercialized politics, advocate for School programmes such as debating clubs, students councils, patriotism clubs that nurture political representation and leadership ambitions at an early age should be revitalized.
For the young women, parents he advised should be supportive and provide the exposure and space to participate as opposed to keeping the girls silenced and in the kitchen, said in some countries political parties do their recruitment at student level at the universities, these students proceed to work as interns or staffers in the party. With this approach, the party ideals are inculcated at an early age and one decides from the onset which political party to go based on the ideologies which are also mostly influenced by religion, economic background hence accounting for liberal versus conservative, pro-life or otherwise, taxing the wealthier or not.
He called for a Clearly defined ideals along party lines or national values to guide leadership. This he said would be a good way to interest young people along specific ideals/values
The Parliamentary youth forum and Youth councils he noted should be reinvigorated to support representation by the youth. This he explained can be done through targeted capacity development interventions.
He appealed that leaders should be encouraged to evolve succession plan, this should involve identifying a potential successors early and nurturing the individuals to the desired position.
Innovation that would create employment and spur economic growth, which will definitely lead to shift in the terrain of representation from a commercialized one to a better crop of leaders and also an economically empowered youth who would be more interested in policies and politics is likely to evolved in such situations.
He called on the Youths and women to Institute forum for quick regular discussions with young people thinking of leadership positions through the use of mobile phones and the internet to create leadership communities that can share ideas, party news and information.
Mobilization through sports, Music and drama (that most youth are interested in) he said can be a viable entry point to bring about change and ensuring that young people are heard, explained that platforms such as the Parliamentary outreach support that bridges the gap between the closed doors of parliaments and the public should be encouraged – to increase the space for participation by youths.
Mr. Micheal observed that despite the NotTooYoungToRun (NTYTR) law of 2018, Nigeria’s political space is still overtly dominated by the old generation and god-fathers, who determine who gets what and favour their cronies to the detriment of many young Nigerians that are willing to participate in politics.
While maintaining that he is not one who will Advocate that the old Political class be jettisoned completely, not with their experiences, said signals already pointing in the direction of 2023 shows that regular sit tight Leadership and Political class that have held the country hostage are already showing forth to again make Aso rock, the Nation’s power house a retirement home for the aged, said the Youths must see the Development as a wake up call.
The need to enhance the political participation of youths especially in the formal spaces ahead of the 2023 general election Mr Micheal said cannot be over emphasised called on the youths to become more involved in political parties, Parliaments, political appointments, elections and civic spaces as a matter of right (rather than of benevolence as it is sometimes suggested) and as part of the solution rather than a problem to be resolved by others.
Mr. Micheal called on youths to discard the notion of taking charge or taking power when they refuse to get involved in politics at the various levels for their voices to be heard, insisting that they constitute a majority at every level.
Earlier in her welcome remarks, Zee Fache Zuleiha Abubakar, NAKOSS President FUL, said the Youth Leadership Summit aims at sensitizing and conscientizing youths and Women on the need to get involved in Political Participation Initiatives leading to 2023 General elections.