Youths Storm National Assembly, Demand Passage of Startup Bill

A coalition of youth groups stormed the National Assembly on Wednesday to demand the swift passage of the Nigeria Startup Bill.

Speaking on the reason for the rally, the leader of the youth coalition, Ms Tracy Okoro, said “the Nigeria startup bill is too important a bill for the National Assembly to delay its passage. So far, several members of the National Assembly have been supportive of the bill but we are here to put pressure on them to make sure the bill is passed as soon as possible.”

The Nigeria startupbill is a joint initiative by the presidency, the tech ecosystem, the private sector and the Ministry of Communications.

The bill proposes regulations that would attract huge investments into Nigeria’s tech ecosystem, create meaningful job opportunities and provide tax revenue for government in the mid to long term.

Also speaking at the rally, Simon Darko, a member of the Youth Action For Change, stated that “Nigerian youths will also support law makers who support youth friendly bills. The Nigeria startup Bill is a major bill for young Nigerians with tremendous opportunities and so if members fail to pass this bill they should be rest assured that they would lose the support of many young Nigerians in the coming election.