The theme of an inter-generational panel discussion recently suggests that the youth are tired of watching old men loot the nation’s treasury and are yearning to play a more active role in politics in future. Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI, who witnessed the panel’s discussion, looks at the role of the youth during the last general elections and the factors that hindered their participation in the exercise and the implications of the trend for the polity.
WHEN will it be the turn of the youth to come to the forefront of political leadership in Nigeria? That was the question that was posed to the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, at an inter-generational panel discussion during the recent 70th birthday celebration of Prof. Segun Gbadegesin. Tinubu who was also Chairman of the event led the conversation with the youths, particularly Chude Jideonwo and Adebola Williams, who are the co-founders of the political communications outfit that transformed candidate Muhammadu Buhari from a sectional leader to a national icon during the electioneering campaign. Others that participated in the conversation are; Japheth Omojuwa, Yemi Adamolekun and Prof. Gbadegesin himself.
Jideonwo who was born on March 16, 1985, specifically asked the APC chieftain if his party has a succession plan to bring in young people into leadership positions within the political set up. The lawyer, award-winning journalist and media entrepreneur has been particularly interested in seeing the youth do things differently. In mid 2014, he published a new book, a collection of short essays, with the thought-provoking title: Are we the turning point generation? The book addresses some of the questions that Nigeria and Africa’s youth need to ask and get answers to. Some of these very important questions are: Why do many Nigerian leaders ‘change’ once in office? Will the present generation of Nigerians do any better than its predecessors? Was Occupy Nigeria indeed a failure? Do we need a ‘Nigerian Dream’? Is ‘One Nigeria’ really worth it?
The inter-generational panel discussion came up against the background if the crucial role the youth played in helping President Buhari to become the first Nigerian to oust a sitting president at the ballot box. Buhari had contested the presidential election thrice in the past, but each time failed to secure the required national mandate to lead the country. Three decades after seizing power in a military coup, part of the 73-year-old former general’s appeal to the electorate lay in his successful rebranding as a man who embraced democracy. A good deal of that rebranding happened online. Speaking about what his outfit did to change the perception of young Nigerians about Buhari after the election, 29-year old Williams said: “The digital strategy has been a lifeline of the campaign for young people. We needed to create an image that enabled people to connect with him.”
Unlike in previous elections, young people dominated the 2015 presidential campaign. Not only were the youth the key voters in the election, making up half of the country’s population, but they were also the drivers of the campaigns; they dominated the campaign rallies of the two main parties — the APC and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Both parties did everything within their power to outdo each other and win the support of the youths. Former President Goodluck Jonathan tried to woo their support by pointing out that he was the younger candidate and therefore would represent them better; while Buhari promised to address the issues corruption and youth unemployment, which have stifled the development of the country and impoverished young Nigerians.
Ironically, experts say much of the great choice between development and collapse facing Nigeria lay in the hands of youths. In a country with a life expectancy of only 52 years, Nigeria’s population is widely skewed towards youths; with over 70 per cent under the age of 30 and over half are under the age of 19.
The Southeast Secretary-General of the Campaign for Democracy (CD), Dr. Jerry Chukwuokolo, puts it this way: “The fact that Nigeria is a youth majority state underlies the domination of its politics by elders. Septuagenarian and older politicians still play powerful roles in both the APC and the PDP, and wealthy men in their 50s and 60s dominate politics at the national and state level. That is perhaps why youths are beginning to find outlets for their energies in militant groups, such as Boko Haram, Biafra agitation and other anti-state activities.”
But, when will the youths be given a greater responsibility in the political arena? Aside from being Nigerian citizens, among other qualifications, the 1999 Constitution stipulates that aspirants for the presidency must attain the age of 40; 35 years for governorship; 35 years for Senate; 30 years for House of Representatives; 30 years for House of Assembly; 30 years for council chairmanship; and 25 years for councillorship.
For now, politicians with deep pockets, who are usually in their 50s and 60s, continue to dominate the political scene. For instance, on March 24, 2012, at its national convention, the former governing party, the PDP, descended to a new low on youth empowerment when it chose 60-year old Umar Chiza as its National Youth Leader. The decision was only reversed following the uproar that greeted it. Similarly, the appointment of 52-year old Ibrahim Jalo as the Youth Leader of the APC two years after did not go down well with the party’s youth. The appointment was made at the party’s convention held in Abuja on June 13 and 14, 2014. Although the party claimed at the time that Jalo was 43 years, critics maintained that it was public knowledge that he contested the Gombe/Kwame/Funakaye Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representative in 2011 during which he declared his age to be 49 years. From the foregoing, it is evident that none of the major political parties have a policy of youth inclusion.
Observers say more than anything else that money is the biggest hindrance to the aspiration of many young Nigerians to play a more dominant role in the political arena. Chukwuokolo said: “Money exerts far-reaching influence on Nigeria’s elections in Nigeria; it is required for the running of political parties and for the candidates to finance their campaigns. In fact, money is what makes politics go around in Nigeria; money politics and vote buying have taken the centre stage in Nigerian politics to the extent that everyone is guilty, irrespective of political party affiliation.”
During the last general elections, for instance, the two major parties put enormous price tags on the nomination forms; this must have made many qualified young politicians to shelve their ambitions. The former ruling party, the PDP, put a price tag of N22 million for aspirants that vied for its presidential ticket. This comprises a presidential nomination fee of N20 million and N2 million fee for Expression of Interest. The governorship nomination form of the party was fixed at N10 million; with the Expression of Interest Form pegged at N1 million. The nomination fee for the Senate and the House of Representatives were fixed at N4 million and N2 million respectively, while the Expression of Interest Forms were pegged at N400, 000 for both the Senate and House of Representatives aspirants. As for the state House of Assembly, the nomination fee was N1million, while the Expression of Interest Form was pegged at N200, 000. The party did not however charge female aspirants any nomination fee, but they were required to pay for the Expression of Interest form as applicable.
Similarly, the APC placed a price tag of N27 million on its presidential and Expression of Interest form. Incumbent governors that contested for a second term paid N10.5 million, while party members that aspired for the tickets for the first time were made to cough out N5.5 million. Returning senators to the Red Chambers paid N5.3 million, while fresh aspirants parted with N3.3 million. Returning members of the House of Representatives paid N3.2 million, while fresh aspirants parted with N2.2 million. Fresh aspirants for the state House of Assemblies paid N550, 000, while those returning to the house paid N800,000.
A public affairs commentator, Adebayo Salimonu, believes it is particularly worrisome that young persons are being tactically denied the opportunity of contesting for seats in state House of Assemblies. He said: “Membership of the assemblies, as provided by the constitution, is from age of 30. But, how can a person at 30 years have access to millions of naira to finance his election? To that extent, there is a contradiction; between the constitutional age requirement and the policies of the parties, there is a missing link. The system does not give room for people who are really having the desire to contribute meaningfully to the country because of the issue of funds.”
Paying for Expression of Interest and for Nomination Form is just a tip of the iceberg. A chieftain of the APC in Lagos who spoke on condition of anonymity said there are numerous other official and unofficial payments attached to vying for even the lowest elective position. He said: “Take the state House of Assembly for instance. Anyone aspiring to go to the house must be prepared to do the following: pay for the printing of posters; announcements in the electronic and print media; dish out unofficial fees to party leaders to show their seriousness to contest; buy buses or cars that will be used as campaign vehicles; set up a campaign committee; employ personal staff that would be on salary; sponsor meetings by paying for food and drinks that would be consumed; pay for the transportation of delegates to the primary venue; and a handsome mobilisation fee for each delegate. All these cost a lot of money and as a result youths will not contemplate such a move, because of the huge amount involved.
“It is a different ballgame after the emergence of the candidates. At this level, a candidate is expected to mobilize people to attend campaigns; he must reach out to opinion leaders, market women, labour leaders, community development associations and the like. Only rich and powerful people can make it; that is why they embezzle money when they get there.”
Ironically, no one can contest an election in Nigeria, according to the 1999 Constitution (as amended), unless he or she is a member of a political party and is sponsored by the party. Experts believe that as long as a huge monetary commitment is required of those who want to serve, the system will hardly be rid of dubious men and youths who are eager to get into leadership in the political arena will remain mere observers. Unless political parties come up with policies that offer opportunities to the younger generation to play more prominent roles in politics, there is no way youths can come up with the kind of money required to play politics in Nigeria.
Before now politicians have often been accused of using and dumping the youth. For instance, it is the youth population that is used to foment trouble during elections. The last one was not an exception. Though much of the energies of the youths were channeled in a positive way during the elections, the run-up to the contest was violent, with campaigning in many areas beset by political killings, bombings and armed clashes between supporters of rival political factions.
This is particularly in some parts of the country that are considered politically volatile like Bayelsa State, Rivers State and Akwa Ibom State; all in the Southsouth geo-political zone, where the stakes are higher because of the stupendous amounts that accrues to these states from the Federation Account. For instance, reports of violence trailed the recent governorship election in Bayelsa State, which was won by incumbent Governor Seriake Dickson of the PDP, particularly the Supplementary Election in Southern Ijaw. Whether the violence was perpetrated by the APC or the PDP is immaterial here. The point is that the services of youths were employed to waste human life in the name of politics.
Besides being involved in violence and ballot box snatching, politicians also employ the services of youths, ostensibly to complement the efforts of regular security outfits, but in actual fact they are used as part of grassroots mobilisation mostly by incumbent governors seeking for re-election. For example, in April 2014, Governor Dickson inaugurated a state security outfit code named Bayelsa State Volunteers. The group, with a membership of 1000 youths drawn from the eight local government areas, is expected to assist the government in reducing crimes and other related vices by engaging in community-based intelligence gathering.
While inaugurating the outfit in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, Dickson had enjoined the members to work closely with the constituted authorities in their communities to forestall any security breach. His words: “I want to specifically charge you all, because of the times we are living in. You have to be, particularly watchful and make sure that people do not use you to do things that you are not meant to do.
“You are to mobilise support for the government and work with the security agencies; you are to work with all constituted authorities in your communities. Where you suspect any imminent breach of the peace, you are to alert the agencies and that is why your overall coordinator is a Police officer. You are also going to support the great work the state is doing and ensure that the youth in this state are better informed about what we are doing. That is very important, because when they want to create confusion, they just spread false stories.”
What all these boil down to is that the youths are mere pawns used by the ruling class to achieve selfish ends. Mrs. Cornelia Paul, a 42-year-old school teacher, particularly decries a situation where youths are not encouraged to take up leadership positions, even when they are duly qualified for the posts. She said: “It is unfair, since my days in the primary school, our teachers made us to believe that we were the leaders of tomorrow and we eagerly looked forward to the fulfillment of that prophecy.
“But now, I’m almost a grandmother and my grandfather’s mates are still willing to rule us forever. They should please step aside and give the young ones a chance; the youth should at least constitute 30 per cent of the country’s ruling class.”
Paul is not alone in the calls for more involvement of the youth in governance. While decrying the exploitation of youths by politicians, the Project Director of the United Nations Development Project (UNDP), Dr. Mourtada Deme, urged political parties to strengthen youth participation in politics, saying: “Genuine political parties do not need a youth militia wing’’. Deme who spoke at a recent national youth conference in Abuja, the federal capital territory, said he believes that with the right information and environment, young Nigerians can thrive better in the political arena, as partners in the nation-building efforts.
A Policy and Campaigns Officer for ActionAid, an international organisation, Kenneth Okoineme, says that young Nigerians must find a way to redefine the agenda for the country’s development. He said the youth should use their numerical strength to set the agenda for good governance via their active participation in the country’s political processes, including elections.
He added: “One of the challenges we have as youths is the kind of orientation we have today; we have a lot of young people who are not interested in how the country is being governed. We must provide spaces and platforms for the youth to come together and talk about nation-building strategies.” He said Actionaid is using a platform known as Activista — a youth advocate group — to provide opportunities for young people to get together and discuss topical issues in their localities and proffer solutions.
The emergence of Buhari after the APC presidential primaries and the “change” agenda of the party were the major factors that inspired many youth to start rooting the change. According to Chukwuokolo, the youths are tired of watching old men loot the nation’s treasury. He said: “Decades of lack of accountability have created a tradition of corruption in Nigeria, which limits its economic and social development. Since 1960, an estimated $400 billion has gone missing from oil revenues, while 90 per cent of the population lives on less than $2 a day.”
Indications are that the youth are set to play a more significant role in future elections, as the political process evolves. Executive Director, the Nigerian-American Leadership Council, Mr. Samuel Okey Mbonu, shares this view. He said: “Once the political climate becomes freer, with parties having open political primaries as in the advanced democracies, all votes will begin to count, and you will see a greater influence by the youth, electing persons they recognize as having 21st-century credentials.”
President Buhari and the APC are very much aware of the threat posed by the growing political sophistication of the youth. This is the import of the recent inter-generational panel conversation. Having participated actively in the emergence of the new APC government at the centre, the expectations of the youth are high that the Buhari-led administration would chart a new course for the development of the country. have high expectations should bear in mind that he is under the watchful eyes of Nigeria’s young people. In Mbonu’s words, “Nigerian youth have high expectations for the incoming government to rebuild the nation. The youth are expecting to see the new leader eradicate corruption and create jobs for Nigerians. In the next couple of years, they will be watching with keen interest to see whether the government will make the right moves.”
Prof. Gbadegesin agrees. He said the APC appealed to the generality of Nigerians, because they saw it as the party that is going to bring about the desired change. The professor of philosophy adds: “But, from all indications, that party itself needs a radical change. If that doesn’t happen and quickly too, then you can expect in a very short time that it would no longer be in the reckoning of our people, because from what happened on March 28, Nigerians have made it clear to politicians that they know their rights; they can discern what is good for them and if the APC doesn’t meet up to their expectation, then they are ready to boot it out.
“No matter what has been responsible for this confusion that we are experiencing; whether it is the confusion of the National Assembly election, whether it is the confusion of appointments and so on, the APC needs to go back to the drawing board of its existence and make adjustments, otherwise it would just be a flash in the pan or a case of we were there too, which would be very tragic. But, that is the nature of the game.”
Some Nigerians have however made history by being the youngest persons occupying various elective positions in the present dispensation. Hon. Kasim M. Kasim, who represents Akwanga South in the Nasarawa State House of Assembly (NSHA), is the youngest lawmaker in the country at the moment. He turned 30 just in time to fulfill the constitutional requirement to contest political office as at the time the election that brought him into office was held last year. Michael Irom Etaba, who represents Obubra/Etung Federal Constituency of Cross Rivers State, on the platform of the PDP, is the youngest member of the House of Representatives. He is aged 32.
The youngest members of the 8th Senate are: Sen. Dino Melaye, 40, from Kogi State and Sen. Mustapha Sani from Niger State. He is also 40. On the other hand, the oldest member is Senator Shaaba Lafiaji from Kwara State. A governor during the aborted Third Republic, he is 75 years. He was born on February 11, 1940. Section 65 (1) (a) of the 1991 Constitution sets age 35 as the minimum age for election into the Nigerian Senate.
At 40, Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State is the youngest state governor in Nigeria at the moment. He was born on June 18, 1975 in Agassa, Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State. But, Bello emerged by Divine intervention as the governorship candidate of the APC in the supplementary election conducted on December 5, 2015, following the sudden death of Prince Abubakar Audu. The election had been declared inconclusive by INEC. Bello’s emergence was based on the premise that he was runner-up in the APC governorship primaries conducted prior to the election. Before the emergence of Bello as Kogi State governor, Dr. Ben Ayade of Cross River State was the youngest among the current set of state governors. Indeed, Cross River state has a history of producing some of Nigeria’s youngest governors. Clement Ebri became governor of the state at the age of 39. Ebri was governor on the platform of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) from January 1992 to November 17, 1993. Then in 1999, Donald Duke was elected the state governor at the age of 38.
There is no doubt that the political process in the country has been improving with each election cycle since the inception of the present dispensation in 1999. Such improvement in the political process, with the votes of the electorates beginning to count, is enough reason for the youths to look towards the future with hope. The trend may compel the various parties to pay more attention to them. As one observer aptly puts it, “Nigerian youths need to seize the moment and form critical alliances that will enable them to harness their numerical strength for political advantage in the future. After all, politics is a game of numbers.”
Thus, observers believe the future is bright. Though Tinubu did not say categorically at the inter-generational discussion that power would be transferred to the youths anytime soon, at least the conversation achieved one thing: it sounded a note of warning to ageing politicians that the Nigerian youths are becoming politically sophisticated. The APC chieftain acknowledged this when he said the youths have not realised the power they have in their hands with their understanding of the internet revolution and their inquisitive nature. He added: “I’m not quarrelling with you being in a hurry, but you must recognise that it is not going to be easy. You see opportunities quicker and you utilise it faster. Without what you did, we will not be able to send Jonathan out of office. But, you can’t ask us to move over.”
Tinubu admonished young Nigerians intent on taking part in politics to demonstrate commitment and a willingness to take responsibility, because nobody gets political power on a platter of gold.
