By Felix Khanoba
Youth political participation received a fresh boost on Thursday as civil society group, Yiaga Africa, convened 18 student leaders from six universities across Nigeria for the Not Too Young To Run Hubs Leadership Retreat in Abuja.
Speaking at the retreat organised with the support of Open Society Foundations, Yiaga Africa’s Program Officer, Sanusi Olaniyan, said the two-day event, was aimed at strengthening the leadership capacity of coordinators of the Not Too Young To Run hubs established in tertiary institutions over the past two years.
“We have the leadership of Not Too Young To Run hubs from six tertiary institutions in Nigeria. Over the last two years, Yiaga invested in establishing Not Too Young To Run hubs in tertiary institutions, basically to give young people a platform to promote democratic rights, to promote youth leadership as well,” Olaniyan said.
“But over the two years since we’ve done that, today we’re convening the leadership of these hubs, basically to talk to them about how to manage these hubs as well, and the kind of activities they’re expected to carry out, but ultimately equipping them with essential leadership skills for them to be able to manage the orb effectively.”
He added that the ultimate goal was to see young people take deliberate action within their campuses and communities, especially ahead of the next general elections.
“What we hope to see in the coming months is young people taking action in these schools, actions geared towards promoting youth political participation in the upcoming general election and beyond, but also actions around leadership roles that young people can perform within their own community as well,” he stated.
On his part, Ibrahim Faruk, Programme Coordinator for the Africa Division at Yiaga Africa, traced the origin of the hubs to the historic Not Too Young To Run movement spearheaded by the organisation between 2016 and 2018.
“The Not Too Young To Run hubs were born out of the Not Too Young To Run movement. If you remember between 2016 and 2018, Yiaga Africa led a movement that reduced the ages for contesting for office in the constitution,” Farouk said.
He explained that the age to contest for the House of Assembly and House of Representatives was reduced from 30 to 25 years, while the age requirement for presidential candidates was lowered from 40 to 35 years — a development that widened political space for young Nigerians during the 2019 general elections.
“Since then, Yiaga Africa has been establishing Not Too Young To Run hubs in tertiary institutions across the country. These hubs are like clubs that we have in tertiary institutions, but they focus on promoting political participation, especially within their communities in their tertiary institutions,” he said.
Faruk noted that the broader goals of the movement include increasing the number of young men, women and persons with disabilities in elected offices, building solidarity across African countries, and mobilising a grassroots movement of up to five million citizens in support of transformative and inclusive politics.
“Over the past one year, with support from the Open Society Foundations, we’ve been establishing different hubs, and today we brought the leaders of these different orbs for a retreat and a training so that when they go back, especially as we approach the next general elections, they can — and beyond, not just for the elections — what are some activities that they can carry out to promote youth political participation, starting from our tertiary institutions,” he added.
Participants at the retreat, which has its theme as ‘Redefining Youth Leadership’, expressed optimism that the programme would strengthen their leadership capacity and reposition young people for greater political relevance.
A student from Imo State University, Owerri, Emmanuel Anyanwu, said the retreat reinforced his belief that young people are not too young to lead.
“So I want to see that it’s actually not or never too young to run for politics or political offices or whatever in relation to politics or leadership, right? Even from the grassroots, maybe as anything, doesn’t have to be a governor, doesn’t have to be in the House of Reps, anywhere, leading in any way. I want to see young leaders,” Anyanwu said.
“And when I got the call to be here, I felt like, personally for me, I felt like it was an opportunity to build myself, to learn and also build capacity as a young leader, because I am a leader in my school, and I want to leverage that and, you know, pivot myself and then go outside to also continue from there.”
Similarly, Aishia Bari’a Baffa, a student of Federal University, Dustin-ma, said she hoped to sharpen her leadership skills and gain clarity of purpose.
“So I want to build my capacity, especially on leadership skills, because a lot of us, the youth, especially students in school, we all want to lead, but we need to have a purpose. Why do we want to lead? And then what are the necessary skills that we need to have as a leader? Because we are really lacking in that.
“Everybody will come to lead, but what are you expected to have as a leader, and what do you need to deliver? So these are the terms I expect to come and gain here, and then to network and learn from my peers as well,” she said.
The AUTHORITY reports that the Not Too Young To Run Hubs Leadership Retreat is a strategic gathering designed to strengthen youth political participation and democratic leadership in Nigeria.
The retreat brought together three student representatives each from Modibo Adama University, Yola; Ignatius Ajuru University, Rivers; Benue State University, Makurdi; University of Lagos; Imo State University; and Federal University, Dustin-ma.
It also featured strategy sessions, capacity-building engagements and in-depth conversations on advancing the ideals of the Not Too Young To Run movement, as the young leaders recommitted themselves to inclusive governance and sustainable civic engagement.
