I was discussing with one of my legal luminary friends the other day and he told me that the next step after the Senate may have harmonized their position with the House of Reps regarding the constitution amendments, is that the bill will be sent to state Houses of Assembly where the same 2/3rd votes are expected before the proposed amendments – the ones that have scaled the process in Abuja – could be adopted and become law. Phew! What a process! How many years do we budget for that? And given the disconnect between the so-called ‘representatives’ of the people, at state and national level, are we to expect any amendment that favours the people and not them personally?
And so I began to wonder whether the ecstasy that accompanied the Yes vote especially for the #NOTTOOYOUNGTORUN bill was worth it. You see, I am not one to rush to celebrate. Always better not to be blindsided by some of these issues. However it is pertinent to be able to unpack the issues and point us exactly to what is important and how the people can maximize the accruing benefits. Of note is that the amendment which would promote restructuring did not scale the Senate and many people are complaining about that. But again, for restructuring, I believe that we should be extremely careful not to create stronger state governors without being sure that they will not complete the liquidation of this country. Already state governors are super powerful and have the power of life and death in their hands. Whatever restructuring we are proposing should give power BACK TO THE PEOPLE. That should be the irreducible minimum and if we have to spend more time thinking about HOW to achieve that, we had better take the opportunity. I believe we are always too focused on who gets the money in this country, at the expense of even more important considerations. The clamour for restructuring is therefore premised on who gets what allocation and who benefits from what resource. We may wish to remind ourselves that this country is not split into six geopolitical zones, or tribes, but simply into the haves and have-nots; and that the gap widens daily between the two.
But back to the #NOTTOOYOUNGTORUN bill.
A few vibrant young ladies and gentlemen came together to give teeth to this idea and they have been successful so far. They have also been irrepressible, to the extent that the National Assembly got the memo and may have reversed an earlier unspoken decision to ignore or step down the bill. All of a sudden, every member of the National Assembly wanted to make it clear that they were in support. It was clear that if they had done otherwise they would have incurred the wrath of the young and especially social media-savvy Nigerian youth. Or perhaps they saw something else that we all failed to see?
The tokenism trap
I am assuming that the milestones achieved will lead to the youth getting what they desire. The last attempt at constitutional amendment was stalled though. So we also stand the risk this time, of going round and round in circles and not achieving anything. But if the youths finally get this amendment, what do they intend to do with it? What will they do with it that they cannot do now? I am of a view that our young people should think bigger and never fall into the same trap of underachievement and tokenism that their forebears have found themselves in for decades.
Yes, we are a country of tokenisms. We leave the leprosy and theorise on the ringworm. I have always said at any forum for youths that I attend that their competition is not with themselves here but with the rest of the world. So they must benchmark their achievements with their colleagues from other countries; not only in the age limits before those ones get into leadership positions, but also in terms of tangible achievements. I shall explain this shortly. I tell them how they can do better than sit here and fight little wars while young Americans and Europeans build the Apps that solve problems for us. The fact is, having younger leaders may help our youth to be more vibrant, more productive and more involved, but that is if they recognize this opportunity, and if they cooperate and don’t pull each other down. The opportunity is really about SERVICE not about power or money. So, if we are pushing to reduce the age from which one can contest for elections because of power or access to money, then like the adults ahead of us, we would have embarked on another journey in futility.
It is not about ‘you’
Another issue that must be raised is the benchmark ages. How were they arrived at and how was it determined that the new cut-offs are widely accepted. For example, 5 years was chipped off the ages for a presidential or gubernatorial candidate. Why 5 years? Why not 10 each? Or do the youth themselves believe that at some age someone can be TOO YOUNG TO RUN for an election? So perhaps the bill is wrongly named. A more subtle title may have been better but it doesn’t matter so long as the aim is achieved anyway. One needs to be sure though that it is not an agenda pushed by some people whose age range fits the bill. Are we going to amend the constitution now only for some young people who are still excluded to complain in future? Did the proponents consult enough?
Now this age matter is extremely critical and bears a lot of explanation here. At a recent event with some Political Science students of the University of Abuja, I was taken aback when they explained that they don’t care about voting because they don’t want to be ‘used’ by adults just to vote while the constitution holds that they are still too young to be voted for. Get this. Some of these students are just 18 years. They have disconnected from society as at now because they believe there is ‘nothing in it for them’. It’s unfortunate. Though I did not start voting until I left university (the first time being 1993 when I was 22), I wasn’t that cynical, and I also believe that the suffering that these students are now going through today should have pushed them to do the needful and get involved. How can they accept N2,000 bribes from politicians and mortgage 4 years? How can they allow themselves be used as thugs instead of exercising their franchise? And is it not unfortunate that we have become a nation where people do nothing for others, or for God and country except they benefit directly, especially monetarily? Is it about me me me all the time? Is it about fame and superstardom? Must your face be on the ballot before things begin to make sense?
So if 18 years-old students are disconnected from the political process, how do the proponents of NOT TOO YOUNG TO RUN bring them on-side and explain the importance of getting involved? Are they engaging with that segment of the population at all? And of course the only explanation for such young people is to point them abroad. Youths in the UK, USA and elsewhere are not saying that they will not vote because at 18 they cannot be voted for. They are also not limiting the exercise of their franchise to their own age mate. In fact American Millennials (born just before year 2000 are regarded as very politically-involved today. See this; http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-greenberg-and-karl-weber/the-millennials-americas_b_126205.html).
More next week.
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