In Nigeria's political history, the youth are hardly given the chance to explore their potentials; they are kept at bay by the older ones. That has since changed. GM DUNGRITDI, a political commentator explains why the Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly has taken the political landscape by storm.
For political systems to be seen to serve their purposes, all parts of society must play a role in being included. When young people are disenfranchised or disengaged from political processes, a significant portion of the population has little or no voice or influence in decisions that affect group members’ lives and interests.
A key consequence is the undermining of political systems’ representativeness. As disastrous as it could be, it is possible to avoid taking that road by the Nigerian political system. To work effectively, life lines must be opened to all players.
There comes a time that young people take the gauntlet to run in the political process. Such a person in Plateau State is Gabriel K Dewan. He was elected on the platform of Young Peoples Party (YPP).
Since he became Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly last year, he has left no one in doubt of his capacity to deliver for good. He may have been waved aside by some power blocks, he trudged on believing in his capacity to deliver.
Without a second thought, the Rt Hon Gabriel K Dewan is making the youths and state proud by his capacity at representation and his track records as a young legislator and Speaker of the Plateau 10th State House of Assembly Assembly, he deserves to be celebrated and appreciated.
To make a difference in the longer term, it is essential that young people are engaged in formal political processes and have a say in formulating what role they are to play in politics. Inclusive political participation is not only a fundamental political and democratic right but also is crucial to building stable and peaceful societies and developing policies that respond to the specific needs of younger generations.
For young people to be adequately represented in political institutions, processes, and decision-making, and in particular in elections, they must know their rights and be given the necessary knowledge and capacity to participate in ways that are meaningful and relevant at all levels.
If there are obstacles to participating in formal, institutionalized political processes, young people were always disadvantaged and disempowered. Many tend to believe that their voices should not be heard or that they must not be taken seriously even if they are heard.
The problem becomes circular as politicians may lose interest in responding to the aspirations of young people if they cannot win their votes. This in turn leads to young people being increasingly excluded from taking part in decision-making, or in debates about key socioeconomic and political issues, despite our sensitivity to the demands for social equity and justice, environmental protection and cultural diversity.
It is on record that in 2022, he contested to represent Pankshin North in the House of Assembly under the PDP Primaries in 2022 and sadly came a distant third. He was not discouraged, he sought to try it on a different platform.
Shortly after, he decamped to the Young Peoples Party (YPP) and got the ticket to contest in the 2023 general elections. After he secured the ticket, not many gave him the benefit of doubt, as they laughed him to scorn.
Those who saw his entrance as a joke did not give him a chance, as they didn't think he had the political muscles to wrestle power from either the PDP or the APC. They got it all wrong, as he won thus beating the candidates of the PDP and APC.
No doubt, providence lurked at the corner and smiled at him lavishly. Had he picked the PDP ticket and won in the general elections, the fate that befelled PDP legislators at the Appeal Court would have swept him away together with the other sixteen members would have affected him also.
It has been stated by those who have followed his movement to the YPP, that it was a divine intervention to help him prepare for the task that laid ahead of him in the House. The ways of God cannot easily be changed, they are prepared for a purpose.
As we look forward in 3 years to the 2027 elections; and having seen his dance steps, the youth will also begin now to work towards ensuring that Rt Hon Gabriel Dewan is returned as an elective member.
More so, young people with competence, character and capacity should be on the ballot in 2027 and that there is an increase in both the proportion and the quality of young people in governance and in the decision-making process.
To have Rt Hon Gabriel K Dewan lead the Plateau State legislature as its Speaker, it is a clear indication that Plateau youths are formally represented as the political processes are made to be important from the start.
As the youngest Speaker ever in the history of the state, Rt Hon Gabriel K Dewan has actively contributed in bringing democratic values to Plateau State from his contributions and alliances made in respect to the development of the state.
As a matter of fact, developments of the past could have made the youth feel despondent, significantly frustrated particularly if they are not included in formal decision making processes. This is able to destabilize democratization and accelerate conflict dynamics arising from this point of frustration.
For anything worth considering, it is good to always give kudos to the former House of Assembly members from PDP who voluntarily resigned their positions as members of the Plateau State House of Assembly before they were removed from office by the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja late last year.
That was like a thunderbolt never expected to happen, given that many political analysts had concluded the takeover by the All Progressives Congress members of the House was fait accompli. Since then, he has taken charge of proceedings effectively well.
It is to the credit of the Executive Governor of Plateau, His Excellency Barr Caleb M Mutfawng for his fatherly role in appointing an appreciable number of young people into position of governance in Plateau State. They are yet to disappoint, rather, they are adding value where they were placed.
Plateau State and indeed other electoral stakeholders have a great role to play in promoting young people’s participation in formal decision-making processes. For this role to be effective, it is necessary to understand the interconnected nature of the obstacles to participation in these processes that young people encounter.
Globally, youth participation and representation in institutional political processes and policymaking is relatively low despite development. People under the age of 25 to 35 are rarely found in parliaments, public administration, and decision-making bodies such as committees on peacebuilding and constitution building.
On May 31, 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari signed the Not Too Young to Run Act into law and, with the stroke of the pen. The Act expanded the opportunities for young people to participate in Nigeria’s governance and politics playing greater roles in elective capacities and that law has brought youth to play greater roles in Plateau State decision making process.
The Act amended the Nigerian Constitution to lower the eligibility age for candidates to run for president or the offices of the Federal House of Representatives and the state Houses of Assembly, each by five years.
This means that the younger generation do not have to wait until they are 30 years old to run for state or federal office or 40 years old to run for president. More importantly, it increased the opportunities for the youths participation in governance and decision-making, above all.
Rt Hon Gabriel K Dewan has established a rapport with the young and the old since his school days, but more since he became Speaker of the House.
He has assisted more in the last three months knowing that things are so difficult to come by for most families. The show of understanding to assist is even more evident given that he is a young man who has shared his life more with the rural people than being an urban man.
The endemic social issues that face the society have become his major concern. Regrettably, these issues affect more of the youth, and for this, he has more reasons than one to concentrate on leveraging these so that they can engage their into productive ventures.
He offers a refreshing air in the area of education and sports for the youth. Even before becoming a legislator, a sports competition which has his imprimatur has become a meeting point for young people from all wards in his constituency.
The potentials of young people cannot be hidden. The Hon
Speaker is aware of these, himself currently in that age bracket; and being genuinely interested in lifting the burdens off the shoulders of his contemporaries as well as families, the future is bright and hopeful.
For Ambassador Dewan's future, it is further being shaped and because it is in the minds of his constituents and beyond, that notice is not lost in the things he keeps doing to help people.
As he continues to gain mileage on the journey, his generation has more to offer even in the age that people are disillusioned and frustrated by what they experience on a daily basis. It is in the rising popularity and acceptance that more will come his way.
GM Dungritdi, is the Media Coordinator of Rt Hon Gabriel Dewan Political Movement
