A young governorship aspirant in Ogun State, Lekan Bamiro, Saturday decried the expensive nomination forms of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) saying the forms are not affordable for young people aspiring for elective positions in the 2019 elections.
The Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN) aspirant made this known while fielding questions from newsmen in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
According to Bamiro, the expensive nomination forms may dissuade many young persons from contesting the forthcoming election
“I think the way INEC has structured elections in Nigeria, it is too expensive for young persons to be involved. A lot of people that are meant to be participating are complaining about the fees. I think it’s about 5million to buy the governorship form from INEC. That is an hindrance. It is stopping younger people from joining.” he noted.
Continuing, Bamiro said “While we are talking about ‘Not Too Young To Rule’, it should also be noted that we are too young to afford that kind of money. If truly they want Nigeria to be good and they want young people to be involved, they should bring the fees down. It is too high for our pockets.
“The problem is from the top. The Nigerian government needs to look at this issue critically, instead of talking about the ‘Not Too Young to Rule’. They should look at the policies behind the rule.”
While making a case for youth inclusion in governance, Bamiro insisted there can be no meaningful development in the country if young people are not given the opportunity to bring their dynamism and positive energy to play in governance.
His words ” It’s time for the youths to be involved in the polity of Ogun State and by extension in Nigeria. The reason most countries of the world are vibrant and developing rapidly is because they have the youths at the helms of power.
“Why we have problems in Nigeria is simply because the older generation, not that they don’t have a clue, want it to be business as usual. If you have the young and vibrant people in power, they will know what to do. We need young people to get involved in the polity and the quality of elections in Nigeria.”
