President Goodluck Jonathan and the 40-year age limit
President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria stirred up a hornet’s nest on August 9, 2014 when, at an international youth summit organised by the Nigerian Professionals Forum at the International Conference Centre in Abuja, he suggested that dynamic, young professional civilians who wanted to lead the country should be encouraged to do so even before they turn 40.
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“If Gen. Yakubu Gowon was able to rule this country at 32, there is no reason why the youth should not be given the chance,” the President said.
What he didn’t say was that Yakubu Gowon was a military leader who came to power after a coup d’état. Although the constitution sets a minimum age of 40 for the top job, one of the first things a new military regime does is to abolish the constitution, rendering the requirement irrelevant.
Civilians interested in political leadership normally do not have access to this shortcut available to their military counterparts and have to wait till age 40 and above to get to the top.
Nevertheless, in spite of being underage, under-40 junta leaders in Nigeria have some positives going for them.
General Yakubu Gowon
Although he became the number one citizen at only 32 years, Yakubu Gowon was noted for wringing out victory for the federal government in the civil war that ravaged the country from 1967 to 1970 when Biafra under Odumegwu Ojukwu tried to secede from the rest of the country.
General Murtala Mohammed
Gowon was overthrown in a coup d’état by Murtala Mohammed, another under-40 senior officer, who accused him of trying to delay the return to constitutional rule, among other things. Murtala was 36-years-old when he came to power in 1975 but he was killed in a failed coup attempt less than a year later in February 1976.
Despite his short reign, he was credited with a popular anti-corruption crusade, improving public confidence in the federal government, prosecuting corrupt officials, reducing the size of government and the armed forces, and setting a deadline of October 1979 for returning the country to civilian rule.
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General Olusegun Obasanjo
Olusegun Obasanjo, who was Mohammed’s deputy and also under 40 years, took over the reins of government after his boss’s death. In office from 1976, the 38-year-old Obasanjo was also commended for some significant achievements.
He continued his predecessor’s political programme and ended more than a decade of military rule spanning back to 1966 when in 1979 he became the first military head of state to transfer power peacefully to a civilian regime in Nigeria.
Obasanjo is also responsible for the introduction of universal primary education and setting plans in motion for the transfer of the capital city from congested Lagos to scenic Abuja.
Goodluck’s wish
The question, therefore, is this: If these under 40 military personnel could achieve something significant as leaders, why should their under 40 civilian counterparts be denied a similar opportunity?
But state Senator Kabir Garba Marafa disagreed with the President. In an interview with the Punch newspaper, he said “It was possible to have heads of state who were less than 40 years in the 1960s and early 1970s in Nigeria but the situation then and what we have now is different. I believe we should retain the 40-year age limit if we really know the sensitive nature of the office”
The President of Nigeria’s Trades Union Congress, Mr Bala Kaigama, sided with the President:
“We agree that [the 40-year age limit] should be reviewed; the old people keep recycling themselves; there are people who featured in the first republic and the Second Republic who are still around; is there any improvement in the country?”
However, Section 131 (b) of the constitution of Nigeria stipulates 40 years as the minimum age for the office of president, and to create the conditions Jonathan talked about, an amendment would be required.
In that regard, Mr Kaigama pointed out that the topic was raised during the National Conference in March this year. “We even debated this issue on the floor of the conference. We wanted a review to 35 years but it was floored…
“We were even telling the youth to exploit their populace and start from somewhere to demand for this; they should not pay lip service to it and they should not be subservient to money; they should not allow themselves to be bought or divided with money.
“When will the Nigerian youth have the opportunity? The youth really need to work harder.”
The head of state also promised to support the youth if they come together to work towards this goal. It remains to be seen if they can work hard enough to make Goodluck’s wish come true.
Writer’s email: letter.from.nigeria@gmail.com
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