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Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on Thursday, described President Muhammadu Buhari’s signing of the #NotTooYoungToRun Bill as a historic moment that young people will look back on someday.
In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Saraki said: “More than half of our over 180 million population is made up of people under the age of 30. Today’s signing of the #NotTooYoungToRun Bill represents many years of hard work and signals a new era of youth inclusion and participation in our governance.
“Now more than ever, as young people across the country bask in the moment and celebrate the signing of this Bill, they must not see this as the final destination. It is one thing to be able to run, but, it is another thing entirely to be able to serve.
“This is why, it is incumbent on our youths to register, get their PVCs and move on to the next phase of this journey — which is getting their peers elected in legislative and executive positions. You must all take part, to take charge.
“Nigeria needs the energy and innovation of our young people. On this note, I congratulate the Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth & Advancement (YIAGA), and all other groups that championed this cause for more youth inclusion. I also commend my colleagues in both the Senate and the House for making sure that this Bill passed its first milestone during the Constitution Review Process”.
In his reaction, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, said the National Assembly had delivered on its promise.
Ekweremadu, who is also the Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, said the new amendment to the Constitution would open up the political space for the Nigerian youth, urging them to capitalise on it to take their proper place in the scheme of things.
He, however, urged President Buhari to also attend to other Constitution Amendment Bills awaiting his assent, describing them as critical to the good governance of the nation.
In a statement by Uche Anichukwu, Special Adviser to Ekweremadu, the DSP was quoted as saying: “I am happy for the Nigerian youth and congratulate them on this new vista of political relevance and attainments.
“We have delivered on our promise and it is my hope that the youth will capitalise on it to take their rightful place in the governance of the country. As I have always maintained, today, not tomorrow, belongs to the youth. It is theirs to organise and mobilise to take it.
“I commend President Muhammadu Buhari for assenting to the Bill to motivate our youth to start preparations for the 2019 elections. However, I equally urge him to assent to the remaining Bills already transmitted to him, including the Bill seeking financial autonomy for State Houses of Assembly”
Ekweremadu assured that the National Assembly would continue to make laws that would deepen the nation’s democracy and promote good governance.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
