The Challenges of Youth Participation in Politics and Governance; A Case Study of Barkin Ladi LGA, Plateau State
Abstract
This study was on the challenges of youth participation in politics and governance, a case study of Barkin Ladi LGC, Plateau State. Three objectives were raised which included: To understand the reasons for the formation of Not too young to rule, to identify the challenges to youth participation in Nigeria politics and to ascertain the level of youth marginalization in political participation in Nigeria. A total of 77 responses were received and validated from the enrolled participants where all respondents were drawn from selected youth in Barkin Ladi LGC, Plateau State. Hypothesis was tested using Chi-Square statistical tool (SPSS).
Chapter one
Introduction
Background of the study
A rising number of international organizations, including the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the United Nations (UN), are working to gather information and establish plans to increase the proportion of young people elected to national parliaments. Aligning the ages at which people can vote in elections and seek for government is one suggestion made by the IPU (2016: 16). Young people’s active and meaningful participation in their communities and democratic practices and processes is vital for meeting young people’s needs and ensuring that their fundamental human rights are acknowledged and upheld. A supportive climate, appropriate evidence-based programs and policies, and chances for kids and youth-led organizations to thrive are necessary for meaningful youth engagement and leadership. To ensure the accomplishment of globally agreed development goals and to update the development agenda, it is also essential to recognize young people’s right to participate in and be included in democratic processes and practices.
Activities pertaining to national governance are included in the concept of politics. It involves making decisions that have an impact on society’s citizens ( Hogue, 2013). It also refers to obtaining the position and using one’s authority to manage a society or a country. It is thought of as the execution of the constitutional form of governance. Governance is the process of exercising control over a state or region (Mark,2012). Participation is therefore regarded as essential, and numerous institutions and governments have shown the importance of youth involvement in the political process of the country in order to promote young people’s active citizenship, inclusion, integration, and adherence to effective constitutions that contribute to the growth of democracy and governmental institutions. This is considered crucial for creating a populous, developed country. However, the active involvement of young people in politics and governance has been significantly impacted by the shifting political, cultural, and economic realities. Many young people are becoming less involved in political and civic affairs and focusing more on their professional pursuits. According to statistics, 73% of eligible adolescents are prohibited from running for political office, which has an impact on how many young people hold political appointments. The not too young to run law was established in Nigeria to ensure youth participation in the nation’s political governance. Bit the bill is yet to gain popular recognision and implementation. The study there wants to investigate the challenges of youth participation in politics and governance, a case study of Barkin Ladi LGC, Plateau State
Statement of the problem
There are numerous faults in the current political system that this research can identify, but the ones described below are particularly prevalent and significant to the topic at hand. Therefore, the challenges facing youth involvement in Nigerian politics are as follows: 1. The legacy of patriarchy and chauvinism ii. Money politics and influence peddling iv. Institutions with a complex of inferiority and inexperience
Young people’s involvement in politics is mostly due to Nigeria’s patriarchal and chauvinistic political structure, where a few senior, seasoned politicians continue to rule without consideration for the needs of the younger generation. This system has therefore brought a low or no impact of the Not too Young to Rule law in the 2019 18 general election, despite the sinning of Not too young to rule bill into law, according to YIAGA (2019) 1,515 youth candidates representing 23% of all candidates contested for House of Assembly, 10 candidates or 14% of the presidential candidates were aged between 35-40 years, 11 or 15% vied for Vice Presidential seat were aged between 35-40 years, 27.4% for House of Representatives are youths, less than 9.8% vied for Governorship position, 41.8% vied for state House of Assembly. The most significant issue that has impacted Nigerian politics is the challenge of monetary politics, which has kept young people who are either unemployed or have low incomes out of the political system. Nigerian politics is highly expensive, and it has become a business where the young people who want to run for office sell their votes because they can never compare to the political elites. Because the cost of filing a party nomination form is excessive and unfavorable to young people, an average youth with only a B.Sc. and a meagerly paid job cannot run for office. for the 2019 general election, the APC’s presidential interest form was 5 million. As a result of the enormous amount of money involved in politics, youth participation is not financially sustainable. The problem of vote buying in Nigerian elections is mostly due to the political system’s businesslike orientation, where those in power frequently buy votes in order to win elections. Because they go above and beyond to buy people’s votes even after obtaining the required paperwork, young people are discouraged from getting involved in politics because they are constantly on the receiving end of injustice and are even willing to sell their votes. As a result, they refrain from participating in representative democracy because they lack the resources to compete with those politicians. The enterprising character of Nigerian politics has made it difficult for young people to get involved in politics because of vote buying. Because Nigeria’s institutions for developing human capital are inadequate and as a result, we have subpar agents of socialization or institutions, many young people are afraid to get involved in politics. This epidemic problem has been a major barrier to youth engagement in Nigerian politics. Many people have been led to believe that politics is only for old men and certain groups in society, which is why they tend not to get involved in politics. They also believe that politics is only for a particular group in society, which is why they don’t get involved in politics because they don’t measure up to more renowned political groups. The way that young people are influenced by the forces of socialization—parents, peers, schools, religious institutions, and the media leads them to assume that only the old or a select few can carry out politics. Some religious group believe that politics are not meant for them, they assert that politics is meant for some religion or better still some inferior religion
Objective of the study
The following objectives are ascertained;
- To understand the reasons for the formation of Not too young to rule.
- To identify the challenges to youth participation in Nigeria politics.
- To ascertain the level of youth marginalization in political participation in Nigeria
Research Hypotheses
The following research hypotheses are formulated;
H1:there are no challenges to youth participation in Nigeria politics.
H2: There are no level of youth marginalization in political participation in Nigeria
Significance of the study
Every research effort aims to examine a project or work critically with the sole purpose of being useful to the researcher, the reader, or both. This work is important because it will add to the corpus of existing literature, periodicals, overtures, and brochures that highlight the significance of finding solutions to the majority of Nigeria’s political difficulties and ways to encourage young people to participate in politics. It serves as a resource for students, academics, and research analysts of Nigerian politics who are interested in learning more about this subject. This study will alter people’s perceptions of Nigeria’s status as the “giant of Africa,” which contributes significantly to continental development efforts while neglecting its own domestic problems on the political, economic, and security fronts, among other fronts. This will also serve as an eye-opener for many Nigerians who brag about their charity activities in Africa without taking into account the effects on their own nation and political system. Additionally, it will alter how some societal institutions, especially family and religious organizations, view politics.
Scope of the study
The scope of the study covers the challenges of youth participation in politics and governance. The study will be limited to Barkin Ladi LGC, Plateau State
Limitation of the study
In the course of this research work, the researcher was confronted with series of problems which tends to limit the researcher pace at actualizing his research work. These limitations among others includes:
Finance: This research work requires a lot of financial commitment as it involves the researcher traveling to libraries outside the city of residence as well as meeting some party stakeholders and aspirants.
Time Factor: This is another impending factor that militates against the research work. The researcher is a student and under academic duress could not have ample time to carry out a thorough research on the subject matter.
Non-Cooperation: Getting the necessary cooperation from some individuals so as to deduce important documents for the research work was a very big task to the researcher. Some information where either incomplete or denied by individuals who were the custodians of such information and documents.
Limited Materials: The subject matter is new and therefore there was limitation to materials from visited libraries has very little or no important materials on this research topic.
Definiton of terms
Politics: The activities associated with the governance of a country or area, especially the debate between parties having power
Politics Participation: Political participation includes a broad range of activities through which people develop and express their opinions on the world and how it is governed, and try to take part in and shape the decisions that affect their lives.
Youth: Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood, but it can also refer to one’s peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as being a young adult
Challenge: a call to someone to participate in a competitive situation or fight to decide who is superior in terms of ability or strength.
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