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Campaigners of #NOTTOOYOUNGTORUN, Okereke, Lawal bag awards in Abuja
Two leading Campaigners of the Political Youth Advocacy Group known as the #NotTooYoungToRun Movement were on Friday, honoured with the ALDA Afrika Youth Support and Community Development Awards by the African Leadership and Development Academy in Abuja, Nigeria.
According to the President of the Pan-African Youth Mentorship Group, Mr. Efe Ekure, the two young leaders have distinguished themselves in raising their voices for positive change in Nigeria, youth mentorship, capacity building, promotion of active citizenship, youth political participation and community development.
In May 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari signed the ‘NotTooYoungToRun Bill’ into Law after two vigorous years of advocacy movement that united young Nigerians across the country as they joined their voices, energies and innovation to demand for change and political inclusion. The bill sort for the alteration of sections 65, 106, 131, 177 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (As Amended), which is to reduce the age of running for elective positions for House of Assembly and House of Representatives from 30 year old to 25 year old, Senate and Governorship seats from 35 year old to 30 year old and office of the president from 40 to 30 and independent candidature in Nigeria.
The force of these young Nigerians made it possible for Presidential election candidates to now stand for office at 35 years instead of 40, state government aspirants at 30 years, while 25-year-olds can now enter the House of Representatives. Many regards this historic piece of law as a landmark accomplishments by Nigerian youth who has been at the nadir of Nigeria’s democratic governance system for decades.
Amb. Chibuzo Okereke who is a legislative expert and Convener- National Political Equity Movement said “I am honoured to receive this award, and I thank the ALDA Afrika team for recognizing me. To me, this is not an award but call to more responsibility towards reinventing the place of young people in our democratic governance system. I call on young people to brace up for purposeful, responsible and strategic leadership in facets of Nigeria’s national life. I also call on the Federal Government of Nigeria and indeed Governments at all levels to roll a 2 Trillion Naira youth development fund. There is also a need to overhaul Nigeria’s educational system. We shouldn’t have a Nigerian finish junior secondary school without vocational skills he/she could deploy to contribute to our GDP. We can do better as a nation and I am confident Nigeria will overcome and excel.
Mr. Hamzat Lawal, Founder/CEO Connected Development (CODE) who pilots the globally recognized #FollowtheMoney project is a governance accountability and transparency initiative that seeks to ensure value for money in government expenditure in response, appreciated the ALDA team, noting that the award will spur him to do more. He said “Young people who are agitating for a seat at the political governance table must be able to get a skill and value to offer, create the table they want and bring their chairs to sit on it. Young people must be ready to actively participate in politics, support political aspirants with competence and value through financial and useful donations as well as volunteering to join the campaign trail. Hamzat emphasized that one of the purposes of the Not Too Young to Run law is to give opportunity for young people to vote for their fellow young fellows.
President of the 9th Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan, on Wednesday, paid a condolence visit to Katsina State Governor, Dikko Umaru Radda, following the passing of his mother, Hajiya Sarafa’u Umaru, who died on March 23, 2025, at the age of 93.
During the visit, Senator Lawan expressed his deep sorrow over the loss, describing Hajiya Sarafa’u as a woman of “great virtue, kindness, and wisdom,” whose life left an indelible mark on her family and community.
“It is with a heavy heart that I stand here today to commiserate with His Excellency, Governor Radda, and the entire family over the loss of their beloved matriarch.
“Hajiya Sarafa’u was a pillar of strength and devotion, and her legacy lives on through the exemplary leadership of her son, who continues to serve Katsina State with passion and humility,” Lawan said.
The former Senate President explained that his absence during the initial mourning period was due to his participation in an executive course at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government in the United States.
However, he emphasized the importance of personally conveying his sympathies upon his return.
“I regret that I could not be here earlier, but I felt it necessary to come in person to offer my condolences and stand in solidarity with the Governor and the people of Katsina during this difficult time,” he added.
Amid restraint order slammed on the sole administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, rtd from appointing sole administrators of the 23 Local Government Council Areas, he has approved the appointment of the administrators for the council areas.
CAPITAL POST gathered that a Federal High Court sitting in Portharcourt on Tuesday restrained the Sole Administrator from appointing Council executives.
The order was issued by Justice Adam Muhammed on Tuesday in suit No. FHC/PH/CS/46/2025 in the case filed by PILEX Centre for Civic Education Initiative led by Courage Msirimovu against the Sole Administrator in his official capacity.
Ibas also approved the reconstitution of the board of agencies of State government including the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC which he dissolved upon his assumption as Sole Administrator of Rivers State.
The development was contained in a Special Government Announcement issued on Wednesday morning by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Ibibia Worika.
The statement said the appointments take immediate effect.
Mr Okroiyobi Animete was appointed as administrator for Abua/Odual LG, Mr Goodluck M Iheanacho for Ahoada East LG, Mr Promise Jacob for Ahoada West LG, among others.
The statement read, “His Excellency, The Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral (Rtd) Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas CFR, has approved the appointments of administrators for the 23 Local Government Areas of Rivers State.
“He has also approved the reconstitution of some boards of agencies, commissions, and parastatals, earlier suspended.
“All appointments take effect from Monday, the 7th of April 2025.”
FULL LIST OF Rivers LG administrators
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Ndume should have been concerned with tackling ‘endless terrorism’ in his District rather than criticising Tinubu – Senator Karimi
The Senate Committee Chairman on Senate Services, Sunday Karimi has descended heavily on his counterpart from Borno State, Ali Ndume, saying he should dissipate energy to solving terrorism in his Senatorial District, rather than criticising President Bola Tinubu on appointments.
Karimi who represents Kogi West Senatorial District expressed disappointment that Ndume picked holes in Tinubu’s appointments, saying he would have been concerned on his Boko Haram infested Senatorial District looking for how to resolve crisis rather than dissipating energy criticising the President.
In a statement the lawmaker made available to journalists on Wednesday in Abuja, Karimi said, Ndume’s assertion that Tinubu was making lopsided political appointments in favour of his Yoruba ethnic stock cannot be proven.
He said, the information Ndume was giving on a television with regards to appointments made by President Tinubu was out of place for the wrong reasons.
Karimi expressed surprise that Ndume, a former Chief Whip of the 10th Senate, often chose to “play to the gallery” by leaving “real development challenges like the insecurity confronting Nigeria, to promote sentiments.”
The Kogi lawmaker advised Ndume to be concerned about the resurgence of terrorist attacks, recalling that the devastation caused to Nigeria by Boko Haram insurgency, cost the nation “over 50 per cent of its earnings” in recent years in counter-terrorism spending.
In doing so, Karimi urged Ndume to assist the government in finding what he called “local solutions” to the insurgency instead of “constantly projecting” himself as a critic of Tinubu’s government.
“Over 50% of Nigeria’s earnings in the last few years is being spent on fighting insurgency.
“Rather than playing to the gallery and criticising the government, Senator Ndume as a leader of his people should go back home, liaise with his people on solving Boko Haram problems.
“Insecurity has a local solution”, Karimi stated.
Citing his own example, he said that to address banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes in Kogi-West, he had facilitated the building of a military base in Egbe Town, Yagba West Local Government Area, in addition to the provision of other logistics.
“The country has lost a lot of his soldiers and trillions of Naira fighting insurgents in Senator Ndume’s Senatorial District in the last decades.
“In fact, I lost one of the young officers, a captain in the Nigerian Army from my Senatorial District serving in his community three weeks ago.
“Lots of young Nigerians had lost their lives fighting to defend the territorial integrity of our country. Those are more serious and compelling issues threatening our collective existence”, he added.
The Kogi-West lawmaker was reacting to the latest comments made by Ndume when he appeared as a guest on television programme on Monday, alleging that Tinubu had been unfair to other parts of the country in the appointments he made so far.
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