This was disclosed after an electronic vote in
the senate showed that 86 senators were in
support, while 10 were against and one of
the lawmakers abstained.
Effectively, Nigerian youths can contest for
president at the age of 35 and governor or
senators at the age of 30 — away from the
initial 40 and 35 years limit mandated by the
constitution.
This bill goes on to stipulate that 25-year-
olds can now legislate in the national and
state assemblies across the country.
For the bill to however take effect, it needs
the endorsement of 24 state assemblies and
presidential assent.
The bill seeks an alteration of sections 65,
106 and 131 of the 1999 constitution of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.
Chidi Odinkalu, former chairman human
rights commission and a strong supporter
of the bill, had said in Abuja on Tuesday that
the future of the country is in the hands of
the youth.
He said the country could not afford to lose
such legislation.
“We are in a country with thhe median age
of 19 but people who want to save Nigeria’s
unity have an average age of over 60,”
Odinkalu had said.
“Who are they saving the country for?
People are being invited across the country
as leaders of thought, who are they thinking
for? At our age, average age of the Nigerian
youth given our life expectancy, we are
already in the middle age and life
expectancy for women is 51 and falling, for
men, it’s 49 and falling.
“So, if you are in your 20s, you are in your
middle age. People like me are already in
injury time and people like us should be
seeking to replace ourselves with the kind
of people who are leading the Not Too
Young to Run movement.
“Because we are going to die and life
expectancy is short, we must replace
ourselves with better people, when I look at
young Nigerians I’m reassured that this
country has a future. That is one promising
thing about us.”
