Ahead of the 2027 general election in the country, a non-governmental organisation, Yiaga Africa, has established a ‘Not Too Young To Run (NTYTR)’ hub at the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt.
Speaking during the event in Port Harcourt yesterday, the programme officer of Yiaga Africa, Anthonia Omba, said the establishment of hubs was part of the NGO’s initiative to have young people in tertiary institutions come together to embark on activities that promote political participation and others.
Omba said, “The establishment of the hub is part of Yiaga Africa’s initiative to have young people at tertiary institutions come together to carry out activities that promote political participation, human rights, and citizen engagement across the country.
“This establishment is supported by the Open Society Foundation, and we are establishing this across different schools in Nigeria. Each geo-political zone will have at least one hub. It could be at a state university, federal university, private university, or any other tertiary institution.”
Also speaking at the event, another official of Yiaga Africa, Olaniyan Sanusi, who said the move was to ensure an increase in the number of young people in elective positions, described NTUTR as a movement committed to political inclusion, transformative politics, and leadership.
Sanusi stated that the movement was formed in Nigeria by people from different professions but has become a global movement, having been endorsed in different countries.
He said, “It is a movement that wants young people to run for elective positions in the country. It is committed to political inclusion, transformative politics and leadership.
“The movement was able to push for amendment of the constitution, and it was signed into law by former President Muhammadu Buhari on May 31, 2018, to allow young people to run for elective positions in this country.
The movement was started by people from different professional backgrounds. It began in Nigeria, but today, it is a global movement that has been endorsed in different countries of the world.”
