Enough of gerontocracy government

Looking at what is happening around us here in Nigeria today, it is all about recycling of leaders, those we had been hearing their names during the independence days are still today in corridor of power, those that had died had groomed their sons or daughters to replace them governing us, imaging gerontocracy government.  In […]

Looking at what is happening around us here in Nigeria today, it is all about recycling of leaders, those we had been hearing their names during the independence days are still today in corridor of power, those that had died had groomed their sons or daughters to replace them governing us, imaging gerontocracy government.

 In recent times one of the issues that have dominated national discourse is the need for a generational power shift to youths in Nigeria come 2019 or beyond. Nigerian youths in the vanguard of this campaign believed they have been short changed in the past and are demanding a generation shift in who governs Nigeria as political reparation for past youth marginalization in political leadership.

Nigerian youths need to fasten their belt to wrestle power from those power drunkard grandfathers that bent on governing us by fire by force, our youths in this country had been marginalized that you hardly see them in the corridor of power after avalanche promises from our leaders then that the youths are the leaders of tomorrow, now the question; who is fooling who in this country. Mind you those youths had the larger percentage of Nigeria population and it is time for youths to rise against the gerontocracy government in Nigeria.

Between 2007 and 2015, Nigeria’s population increased by more than 36 million, yet the number of voters declined. With this observation, youths must fully participate in the coming election. We need to correct notion that enough people are not participating in elections in Nigeria, and few(er) people are making the choice for the majority.

The clamour of the youths is that if they are qualified to vote, they should be qualified to be voted for. Presently only 18+ citizens are qualified to vote under  the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, but a voter has to attain 40 years before his qualified to run for Presidency. Youths are therefore revolting against being treated as cannon folders by older aspirants to public offices.

Under the Nigerian constitution, the age qualification for  State Governor is  35, Senate 35, Federal House of Representatives- 30 and State House of Assembly- 30. A bill to reduce the age barrier for elective offices by between 5-10 years has been passed by Nigeria’s National Assembly, and on his way to President Muhamadu Buhari for assent.

On the global scene, a #nottooyoungtorun campaign  on in several countries has received international attention and support from UNDP, United Nations Human Rights Commission, and the Inter Parliamentary Union. Some of the interesting statistics is that whereas 51% of the world’s population are under 30, less than 2% parliamentarians globally are under 30. The #nottooyoungtorun is therefore a revolt against gerontocracy, government by elders and the old.

  There is no doubt that youths deserve not only to have a say in the corridors of power, but also should be in the corridors of power where ‘who gets what’ is decided. The youthful age comes with several advantages and edges. Youth is the prime of life where strength and energy is at its peak. By the middle and adult years of life, diminishing health sets in, and the argument here is that youths rather than adults are better placed to withstand the physical  and mental challenges of good governance.

Another argument of #nottooyoungtorun campaign is that since politics is a game of numbers, the youths that constitute the larger percentage of the voting population, should not be denied access to elective offices through age restrictions. Youths should not be treated as a mere launch pad to office, as their interests is better understood and served by elected leaders of their age group.

Nigeria’s does not have a history of giving youths access to the highest office through the democratic space. For the Presidency, the youngest occupants got to power through military fiat rather than the ballot box. Sir Nnamdi Azikiwe assumed office as Nigeria’s 1st President in 1960 at the age of 54, Late Major General Aguyi Ironsi became Military Head of state in 1966 at the age of 44, General Yakubu Gowon became Military Head of state in 1966 at age 32, General Murtala Muhammad was 37 when he toppled Gowon and became Military Head of State in 1976, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was 39 when he became Military Head of State in 1976, and 62 years old when he became Civilian President in 1999, Alhaji Shehu Shagari was 54 when he was sworn in as President in 1979, and General Muhammadu Buhari was 41 years old in 1993 when he toppled Shehu Shagari Administration, and 72 years old when he returned to power in 2015.

General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida was 44 years old in 1985 when he shoot himself to power, Chief Earnest Shonekan was 60 years old as Interim President in 1993, Late General Sani Abacha was 50 years old in 1993 when he toppled Chief Shonekan’s administration, General Abdulsalami Abubakar was 56 in 1998 when he succeeded Late Sani Abacha, Late Umaru Musa Yar’adua was 56 in 2007 when he became President, and Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was 53 when he became Acting President. As it can be seen from the age statistics above, Gowon and Obasanjo, the only two past Head of State that attained office at below 40 years, had military background. No Nigerian below 40 or 50 years old had been able to assume Presidential office through the democratic process.

One vexed question that is often overlooked, but begs to be answered is who is a youth, and within which age bracket do youths fall? The Nigerian National Youth Policy (2009) defines a youth as between 18-35 years, the African Youth Charter classifies ‘youth” as  “every person between the ages of 15 and 35 years”, while the United Nations is more conservative, defining a youth as persons between the ages of 15 and 24 years. If we adopt the National Youth Policy 18-35 years youth age bracket, as the gold standard in defining youths, it will be obvious that several people that are parading themselves as youths are really Papa youths or simply adults. In Nigeria we have 40 or 45 years old leading youth organizations, and persons above 35 invoking the youth mantra to demand access to positions, power, privileges, and offices.

          Some of the Nigerians that have signified interest in the Presidential seat include retired presiding President Muhammadu Buhari 75, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar 71, Deputy Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria Kingsley Moghalu 55, Sahara Reporters founder Omoyele Sowore 47,  Governor Ayodele Fayose 57, Former Governor Donald Duke 56, motivational speaker Fela Durotoye 46, and Nollywood actor Yul Edochie, 36. None of them is a youth in the literal sense of the word, as they are all above 35 years old.

As we approach the 2019 general elections, if the consensus is that Nigerian deserves a youth President, let us have a youth in deed and in truth. Let the youths that are demanding a generational power shift get registered to vote and step forward to be forward to be voted into office. Elections are not won on social media but on the political turf.

 Khalid, a public affairs analyst, writes in from Lagos State