The #NotTooYoung To Run movement

ABSTRACT

The NotTooYoungToRun movement led the campaign for the reduction of age for contesting elective offices in Nigeria by advocating for a constitutional amendment to relevant sections in the Constitution. The movement is premised on the belief that young people possess the skill, intellect, resilience and energy needed to solve Africa’s governance and development challenges. Young people below 35 years old make up nearly 70% of Nigeria’s population and it is important that the youth are represented in the decision-making process.

The Movement has since transitioned into a regional movement of people promoting inclusion in democratic politics in Africa with similar campaigns in some African countries. Following the passage of the Act in Nigeria, the country has witnessed an increase in the number of young people contesting and winning elective positions. In the 2023 general election, 28.6% of the candidates were young people under 35%. In the post-election, three (3) seats in the House of Representatives were won by young people below 30 years and 1.71% in the State Houses of Assembly who are direct beneficiaries of the NotTooYoungToRun Act.

DESCRIPTION

The Not Too Young To Run movement is a global movement of people promoting inclusion in democratic politics in Africa by promoting the reduction of age for running for elective offices to mainstream young men and women in electoral politics. It is Nigeria’s largest and most successful youth movement in recent times. The movement is driven by the compelling need to restructure the country’s political system to address the deeply entrenched system of political exclusion and institute inclusive politics, transformative leadership and electoral competitiveness in the electoral process.

The Campaign started in Nigeria in May 2016 by Yiaga Africa facilitating the process of advocating for a constitutional amendment bill to remove age restrictions for running for office. Not Too Young To Run is Nigeria’s most successful campaign designed and executed by young people to pressure the legislature to amend Nigeria’s Constitution. The amendment reduced the age criteria for the President from 40 to 35; House of Representatives 30 to 25 and State Assemblies 30 to 25. The campaign was also adopted by the United Nations, African Union and the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS).

ENABLING FACTORS

1. The National Assembly was undergoing a Constitution review process and the campaign was an opportunity for young people to advocate for youth issues particularly as it relates to political inclusion 
2. Strong allies in the parliaments- young legislators who rallied support and mobilized lawmakers to vote in support of the legislation 
3. The determination of young people to contribute to the legislative process advancing their inclusion following deeply entrenched discrimination against the participation of young people in elective positions 
4. A network of young advocates at the subnational in the 36 states of the federation who mobilized support and advocacy for the legislation in their state and engaged with legislators to ensure the passage of the Act.
5. The establishment of a strategy team at the National level which proved to be effective for the campaign as the team provided coordination and leadership, particularly in communicating with the general public and stakeholders 
6. A commitment of civil society organizations and youth groups to collaboration proved  effective for generating human, financial and technical resources needed for sustaining the Campaign.

KEY OUTPUTS

The Not Too Young To Run Movement has inspired several young people to run for office in Nigeria and Africa. For instance, Gambia has 4 parliamentarians in the National Assembly who were part of the Not Too Young To Run movement in the Gambia. In Nigeria, there has been an increase in the number of young people contesting and winning their elections. Youth candidacy in Nigeria rose from 21% in the 2015 General Elections to 34.2% in the 2019 General Elections. Similarly, youth representation In the 2023 general election, Youth representation in the National Assembly, particularly the House of Representatives increased from 3% in 2019 to 3.92% while in State Houses of Assembly, it rose from 8.9% in 2019 to 9.2%. Two (2) seats in the House of Representatives were won by young people below 30 years making the first time direct beneficiaries of the Not Too Young To Run act were elected into the National Assembly since the passage of the age reduction act, also known as the Not Too Young To Run Act.

Following the success of the Not Too Young To Run, the movement birthed Ready To Run; a campaign dedicated to inspiring and supporting young men and women to run for elective office. #ReadyToRun is a bold statement that young people can demonstrate excellent public leadership with immense capacity to address Africa’s governance challenges. 

Through the Campaign, Nigeria has been celebrated as one of the countries in West Africa promoting inclusive politics. Not Too Young To Run has been launched in several countries in Africa like Kenya, Gambia, Liberia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Cameroon and Sierra Leone. Other countries are making efforts to launch the campaign as a strategy of mobilizing youth to reclaim Africa. Yiaga Africa continues to support young legislators in the legislature  to deliver on their legislative responsibilities for qualitative leadership and representation, showcase them as models of public leadership and improve public perception of youth public leadership.