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By Niran
Adedokun
You would have over the years, encountered
allusions to how it was said by some politicians, shortly after independence,
that the future belonged to the youth and how those same politicians are still
holding the tiller piloting national affairs 55 years on.
Since return to democracy 16 years ago for
instance, Nigeria has at various times been at the mercy of one sexagenarian
and a septuagenarian. Both of them, having a second take at the slot.
The first, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was negotiated
back to office by fellows of his gerontocratic communion from around the
country. He attained civilian presidency at the age of 63 relinquishing power
to his choice of successor when he turned 71.
Obasanjo mostly ruled Nigeria with the fistful
authority of an African patriarch, whose word is law and command is decree.
With him in power, the people’s desire for a younger leader grew like a deer
panting for water. And by some happenstance, since Obasanjo is not exactly
popular for deferring to public opinion, he was succeeded by a much younger man
who was succeeded by another younger man.
Unfortunately, by the end of the administration
of President Goodluck Jonathan, a majority of Nigerians were ready to try the
leadership of anyone irrespective of the number of years they had lived.
In response to some suggestions that age was not
on the side of then Candidate Muhammadu Buhari, his supporters drew parallels
from the triad of South Africa’s Nelson Mandela, America’s Ronald Regan and
Britain’s Winston Churchill in the justification of the sense in electing
someone in the autumn of his years as President. With unusual passion and near
unanimity, Nigeria sought a Buhari Presidency, hinging this desire on his
legendary integrity, an aptitude, which was long lost in our leadership.
But even then, a great number of Nigerians
insisted that the country deserved a much younger leader. And one year into the
Buhari administration, members of the National Assembly are considering
legislating this into fruition.
A Peoples Democratic Party member representing
Oshodi/Isolo Federal Constituency 2, Tony Nwulu, recently proposed a bill
seeking to alter Sections 65, 106, 131 and 177 of the 1999 Constitution as
amended. This is to reduce the age qualification for the offices of President, Governor
and Senator from 40 to 30 years and 25 years respectively in order to open
public offices to younger people and expand the age bracket for political
participation.
Nwulu made copious references to jurisdictions
like the United Kingdom, France, Norway and several countries in western
societies where the age qualification for political participation is much
younger. He spoke about the need for Nigeria to expand the frontiers of
democracy and quality of political office holders by considering lowering the
barrier of entry.
I imagine that advocates of the massive
recruitment of young people into active politics will hail this gesture, which
has already passed second reading and may soon become law depending on the
successful amendment of the constitution, but I consider this to be one of
those impulsive steps that Nigeria leaders take in total indifference to our
realities. Such leaders will always run themselves and society into a
socio-political quicksand.
While it is true that the situation of the Nigerian
youth has progressively deteriorated over the years due to policy failures,
entrenched self-interests and incompetence on the part of successive leaders
who have undermined the competitive capacity of our society, to imagine that
lowering the age qualification for nomination to high political offices will
solve this problem is indicative of a lack of rigorous contemplation.
The first question to ask proponents of this
amendment is what happens to the academic and intellectual capacities of the
individuals who aspire to these offices? Do we still leave the basic
qualification at school certificate?
Secondly, do these lawmakers realize that a chunk
of our youths are still struggling to get out of higher institutions due to the
injuries that gaining admission and incessant strike actions inflict on them
during their tenure on campuses at about age 25 and 30? And those who are out
are still searching for a steady means of livelihood, jumping from one bus unto
a commercial motorcycle, perspiring all over, resume in hand in search of
increasingly diminishing employment opportunities. Do we want to surrender
political office to people who would see politics as meal tickets?
The only other possibility is that these offices
will be passed on to offspring of politicians and upper class Nigerians who
attain academic qualification at relative young ages. In which case, we
would be excluding the majority of Nigerian youths, handing over political
offices to the children of the same people who have destroyed the country.
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Were our lawmakers not too removed from reality,
they would realize that the fundamental needs of young people is a working
society where functional education is available and affordable, where attaining
gainful employment is not Herculean, where security is assured and prosperity
flourishes. They would work for a society where no one is discriminated against
on account of age, sex, religion or tongue. A nation where individuals with
industry, intellect and ingenuity can actualize and build castles of prosperity
without affiliations to Daura, Bourdillion, Otuoke or Ilorin.
When we erect such pillars of shared prosperity,
young people will not need the generous solicitation of lawmakers before
demanding their rightful place in the organogram of power in a society in which
they are an integral part. And this does not have to be in politics.
Professor Wole Soyinka, who would later go on to
win the Nobel Prize for literature wrote his first major play, The Swamp
Dwellers at 24! This was followed by the hugely successful Lion and the Jewel
one year later and the oracular Dance of The Forest in 1960 when he was 26! The
same goes for Professor Chinua Achebe, whose magnum opus, Things Fall Apart,
was accomplished at age 28.
Professor Iya Abubakar had worked as visiting
professor at the University of Michigan before his 30th birthday. He was later
appointed Professor of Mathematics at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
The same can be said of some First Republic
politicians. Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s book, Path to Nigerian Freedom, was
published in 1946 when he was freshly called to Bar. He set up the Egbe Omo Oduduwa one year later in his
late 30s. At age 30, Dr Nnamdi Azikwe had become a household name in most of
Africa while Sirs Ahmadu Bello and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa formed the
Northern People’s Congress in their 30s.
Although we still argue over the auspiciousness
of the Biafran War, that secession attempt was led by 34-year-old Lt. Col.
Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu who prosecuted the war with philosophical sophistication.
His opposite on the Nigerian side, Col Yakubu Gowon, became head of state at
32. Now, just a few of these men had any privileged hereditary neither did they
attain these posts for being young. They were qualified and flourished in a
society that gave them the best.
Any law reducing the qualification for political
participation is therefore, at best, self-serving. It gives its proponents away
as agents of the materialistic school of politics where access to power is
equal to flinging the door open for younger persons to plunder the
commonwealth.
Were their views of politics in conformity with
Jeremy Bentham’s utilitarian school where power is an avenue for service and
seeking the happiness of the greatest number of the people, they would focus on
fundamental, progressive and futuristic appreciation of energies of the younger
generation than the tradition of allotment that currently defines our politics.
Dynamic laws are required in education, culture,
sports, science, law, innovation and entrepreneurship all with the potential to
jumpstart Nigeria into a position of respect within the global community and
inspire faith.
We should create an open society that encourages
a culture of debate over political fraternity that has crippled our leadership
selection process. But this age reduction initiative in the legislature is a
knee-jerk initiative which is not able to lead Nigerian youths to any better
future.
Originally published in The Punch
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