Ahead of the 2027 general election, the Youth in Parliament Forum, YIPF, a Federal Government agency under the National Assembly, has moved to ensure the effective participation of young Nigerians with the launch of the Take Action Campaign, TAC.
Through the Take Action Campaign, the agency, with support from partners, will provide funding for young Nigerians contesting political offices under different political parties. The campaign is designed to advance the implementation of the ‘Not Too Young To Run Act’.
Towards the effective execution of the Take Action Campaign, the management of the YIPF, led by the Director General, Tony Nwulu, on Tuesday held a meeting with one of the agency’s partners, Dr Emmanuel Njoku, Chairman of Emma Njoku Foundation and Managing Director of Prezzo Shed Investments Limited.
Nwulu, a former member of the House of Representatives who was instrumental to the passage of the ‘Not Too Young To Run Act’, called on individuals and organizations to partner the agency to actualize the objective of providing financial support for young people contesting political offices in the 2027 election.
Speaking with journalists after the meeting, Njoku noted that he decided to partner the YIPF because the Take Action Campaign will provide a platform for young people to contribute to national development.
He particularly stressed that the initiative is an avenue for young Nigerians in the Diaspora to contribute to nation building.
Njoku said, “If you cannot go to mission by going, you go to mission by giving. What we intend to do is to leverage on this platform to support a lot of young people to come into national politics.
“I think it is a very good platform. I also see it is a platform to bridge the gap for young people who have not been able to go into politics because of lack of access to funds. This platform will provide the opportunity for them to rise up and contribute their own quota to national development.
“There are so many Nigerians – young people – abroad who never see any chance or hope of coming home to participate in nation building. This will give them the platform to fully come to Nigeria to participate in politics and all aspects of nation building, to help them realize their dreams and contribute their own quota towards the development of the country.
“And I think it is going to really help because beyond aspiring for public office, young people within and outside the country can use this platform to add value to the leadership of this country.
“Everybody must not be in public office but people have something to contribute at various levels so this is going to be the platform that will enable people to come into the mainstream – people who ordinarily would not find their way into the mainstream because of the bureaucracy and the hurdles involved. This is going to help them.”
Further explaining his decision to get involved in the project, Njoku noted that it aligns with his passion for youth empowerment.
“Over the years I have been a champion of youth empowerment; whatever it takes to empower youths. I have supported youths and I am still supporting youths through skill acquisition programs in healthcare, in education and other sectors. Everything that has to with the youths pump up my adrenaline and that is why it is not difficult for me to buy into this project,” he said.
Beyond sponsoring young people to seek elective offices, the Youth in Parliament Forum is also targeting at least 20 million registered young voters by 2027.