President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday made a case
for the amendment of the nation’s constitution to abolish
the age limit for anybody aspiring to become the President
of the country.
The Constitution currently stipulates 40 years as the
minimum age for anybody seeking the highest office in
the land.
But Jonathan said the age limit was a discrimination
against Nigerian youths who he said have all the
wherewithals to rule the country.
Jonathan made his position known at an international
youth summit organised by the Nigerian Young
Professionals Forum at the International Conference
Centre, Abuja.
He said if a former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon
(retd.), could rule the country at the age of 32, there was
nothing wrong in giving youths a chance to lead.
While urging the youth, who attended the summit with the
theme “Capacity for Change for a New Nigeria” to initiate
a bill to the National Assembly for the amendment of the
provision, Jonathan promised to support such a step.
The President said, “The youths have no limit in terms of
number and capacity to lead this country to greatness. The
only limit is that for youths to contest as President, they
need to be 40.
“If Gen. Yakubu Gowon was able to rule this country at 32,
there is no reason why the youths should not be given the
chance.
“I think what the youth should do now is to come together,
and I will support you, and take a bill to the National
Assembly to amend some discriminatory provisions of the
constitution in terms of age.’’
Jonathan pledged that his administration would continue
to come up with policies that would be favourable to the
youths.
He listed some of the programmes already put in place by
the Federal Government to harness youths’ potential to
include YouWin, SURE-P, Graduate Internship Scheme
and the Community Service Programme, among others.
Jonathan, while observing that youths were making the
nation proud in all spheres, argued that those who beat the
drums of war in the country were the old people.
He said young people are not part of those who, by their
utterances, are trying to divide the country along ethnic
and religious lines.
“I always say that whenever you read newspapers, watch
television or listen to the radios, those who preach hate,
quarrel and try to divide us on the basis of ethnicity and
religion are not the young people but grandfathers,” he
noted.
The President said experience had shown him that the
youths are comfortable living with people of different
ethnic groups or religions, unlike the elderly people.
“The youths live with whomever they are comfortable with
regardless of ethnic or religious affiliation; they want to
marry whomever they love.
“They are not like those old people who are disturbing us,
who want to divide us based on religion and all kinds of
sentiments,” he said.
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