YIAGA: Nigeria won’t progress without youth involvement in politics

YIAGA Africa, a civil society organisation, says youths need to be actively involved in politics for the country to progress.

Speaking on Thursday at a town hall meeting for students in Lagos, Cynthia Mbamalu, director of programmes at YIAGA, said the need for youth participation in governance led to the establishment of the ‘Not Too Young To Run’ movement.

The ‘Not Too Young To Run’ movement facilitated the amendment of the constitution concerning the age range for political positions in Nigeria.

Mbamalu charged the youths to be part of the political process of the country either as politicians or as the electorate.

“Not Too Young To Run isn’t just about reducing the age, it’s about changing the face of politics. It makes no sense that in a country with over 60% of its population as young people, the face of government is the face of an old man,” she said

“One thing we believe is that the energy, the strength, the resources this country has, is deposited in its youth. If young people are not part of the process, Nigeria will not go anywhere.

“You cannot solve the solutions of today with ideas of the past. You cannot solve the solutions of today with ideas that do not even suit the past.

“It will make more sense that younger people are part of the decision-making process because we build tomorrow today.

“The question remains are young people willing, ready, able to take charge and take responsibility? To say enough is enough beyond protests.

“It’s easy to go to the streets and protest but the more difficult thing is changing the political outcome. And changing political outcome requires that we mobilise, get ours PVCs, go and vote people we want in.”