the Speaker, House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara on
Monday, May 9, 2016 held an interactive session in Abuja, with students
of universities across Nigeria. The dialogue is part of a special youth
development program and focuses on deepening students understanding of
the democratic process with particular emphasis on the legislature.
The
copious disconnect youths have with the system is also expected to be
bridged by this novel initiative. In his opening remarks, the Speaker
gave a lucid highlight of the core objectives of the interaction with
young people to include; “to expose students to legislative practice and
procedure; improve public trust in the legislature as an arm of
government; and enable students to engage their elected representatives
in the National Assembly” where he described as the “citadel of
democracy”.
The Speaker stated that the 8th
House of Representatives unanimously vowed in its Legislative Agenda to
introduce necessary legislative interventions to promote equality and
inclusiveness, as well as entrench the rights of women, youths and
vulnerable groups in the society; adding that the interactive event is
in furtherance to that agenda. He posited that political participation
by young people has become a trending effort to enhance democracy all
over the world. Dogara expressed concern about political apathy among
the youths, measured in terms of low voters’ turnout. He averred that
the dialogue was relevant, given the increased recognition of the
central role played by young people, especially students in the
movements for democracy worldwide.
Rt. Hon.
Dogara stressed that student’s familiarization with the National
Assembly’s practices may inspire some of them to choose the legislature
as an area for career development. Moreover, Nigerian politics has
always left a role for students starting from the period struggle for
independence. He took the students down history lane in 1978, “the Ali
must go protest by Nigerian students against increase in school fees,
feeding and accommodation charges. He professed his believe in the
culture of peaceful protest, demonstrations and general activism,
insisting it’s a constitutional right and ensures accountability of
government to the people. However, the Speaker cautioned the youths to
strike the right balance between activism and academic and social
progress. “The pursuit of good education is the most important legacy
you can bequeath to your family” he charged.
Speaker
Dogara was sad to note that the educational system in Nigeria is
dysfunctional. He deplored the fact that only one of the country’s
universities is ranked among the top 800 universities in the world. He
reflected that the 2011, Presidential Monitoring and Assessment
Committee that was set up to assess the state of Nigeria’s public
universities found among other things that none of our public
universities met the average minimum standards for such institutions. He
listed some of the key problems facing public schools. These were found
to include, poor facilities and equipment, poor service delivery,
incessant strikes and industrial actions, a surge in cultism and related
acts of violence, limited funding, under-qualified teachers, lack of
commitment to excellence, and exploitation of students, among others.
Rt.
Hon. Dogara mentioned that the House will continue to advance and
support key youth policy initiatives targeted at young people such as
boosting entrepreneurship, increasing investment in infrastructure in
public schools, and supporting reform of higher education in Nigeria. He
further said that tackling unemployment is non-negotiable. “I am
acutely aware that young people often find themselves on the fringes of
the political process. We need to develop a structured manner of
involving our students and youths in the political process. I think it
may not be out of place to lower the age qualification for certain
elective offices in the next constitution amendment exercise.
It
is my ambition and those of my colleagues in the House of
Representatives to ensure that students are empowered and connected as
citizens to the political process and have a say in the decisions that
affect them. This initiative of an interactive session with Students is
just the first step in helping our students and young people become more
actively involved with their representatives, with politics and
democratic institutions” he concluded.
Goodwill
messages were delivered at the event by the President of the Senate,
Sen. Bukola Saraki, who was represented by the Senate Leader, Senator,
Ali Ndume, President of Young African Parliamentarians, Hon. Nnanna R.
Igbokwe and Clerk to the National Assembly, Alh. Salisu Maikasuwa who
all lauded the initiative as well as appreciate the Director General of
the National Institute for Legislative Studies, Dr. Ladi Hamalai for her
effort in facilitating the dialogue.
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