There has been a national call on Nigerian youths to be more actively engaged in politics since the ‘Not Too Young To Run Bill’ was signed by President Muhammadu Buhari on the 31st of May 2018. The Bill was passed by the National Assembly in 2017 to alter the provisions of sections 65, 106, 131, 177 of the Constitution of Nigeria, reducing the age qualification for president from 40 to 30; governor from 35 to 30; senator from 35 to 30; House of Representatives membership from 30 to 25 and State House of Assembly membership from 30 to 25. Youths in Nigeria now have a leg up in politics with the assent of this new bill. Thus, among the many reasons out there, here are 5 major reasons why Nigerian youths should have active participation in politics:
- The need for fresh ideas in politics to replace the habit of self-interest preservation by politicians
- To avoid future regrets resulting from the actions of the older generation currently in politics
- To reduce the state of gerontocracy in the Nigerian government
- To bridge the gap in communicating the needs of youths in the society
- To serve as a new avenue for checks and balances of the people who have been in office over the past years
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