Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has said, direct primary was a well thought
idea that allows youth participation in democracy.
This is against the backdrop of
the transmission of the electoral amendment bill to the executive arm of
government on Friday for assent.
He said, there should be a
deliberate effort to prepare the children and youth of Nigeria to become the
leaders of tomorrow.
He said such efforts must include
involving them in governance and expanding the democratic space to accommodate
many young people.
Gbajabiamila, who was speaking at
the National Children’s Dialogue to mark the 2021 Universal Children’s Day in
Abuja on Saturday, explained that this was the reason he championed an
amendment to the Electoral Bill, 2021 for the use of Direct Primaries by
political parties as a method of choosing candidates for elective offices.
The dialogue had the theme, “The
Nigerian Child and the National Unity Project.”
Gbajabiamila stated that with
direct primaries, a youth with leadership qualities had equal chances of
becoming a candidate for an elective office just like any other person.
The speaker noted that this was
one of the surest ways of securing the future of Nigeria, by giving people with
multiple ideas the opportunity to be at the very top of governance.
He said, “That debate on direct
primaries, which I championed, is about the future of our country. Our position
in the 9th House of Representatives is that everyone must have equal
opportunities to participate in governance and the democratic process…
“Our young people must have a
seat at the high table and we must create the enabling environment for them to
be in leadership such that a young man with bold ideas can come out to vie for
any position, be it legislator, governor or any other office. That can only be
achieved through direct primaries, which will give a fair chance to the youth
of this country to be involved in governance.”
Gbajabiamila called for huge
investment in youth education, particularly technology, which the speaker said
had transformed the world from what it used to be into a global village,
delivering services and innovations at an unprecedented speed.
He added, “Technology has changed
our world. We no longer exist in communal or national silos but as part of a
broad fabric of humanity in a global village where opportunities and challenges
abound. In this new world where a child with a computer and internet connection
in Lagos can compete for jobs in Texas or Bombay, our job as leaders is to
ensure that every Nigerian child is educated and empowered to compete in and
succeed in this global marketplace of ideas and talent.”
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