Why is minimum age for Nigeria president 40?

Should there be age requirement to become the President of Nigeria? President Goodluck Jonathan on Saturday made a case for the amendment of the nation’s constitution to abolish the age limit for anybody aspiring to become the President of the country. Does he have a case? Can youths do better than the current age system? Osaseye will like to hear your thoughts.

The Constitution currently stipulates 40 years as the minimum age for anybody seeking the highest office in the land. Why is minimum age for Nigeria president 40?

But Jonathan said the age limit was a discrimination against Nigerian youths who he said have all the wherewithals to rule the country.

He said if a former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd.), could rule the country at the age of 32, there was nothing wrong in giving youths a chance to lead.

While urging the youth, who attended the summit with the theme “Capacity for Change for a New Nigeria” to initiate a bill to the National Assembly for the amendment of the provision, Jonathan promised to support such a step.

The President said, “The youths have no limit in terms of number and capacity to lead this country to greatness. The only limit is that for youths to contest as President, they need to be 40.

“If Gen. Yakubu Gowon was able to rule this country at 32, there is no reason why the youths should not be given the chance.

“I think what the youth should do now is to come together, and I will support you, and take a bill to the National Assembly to amend some discriminatory provisions of the constitution in terms of age.’’

“I always say that whenever you read newspapers, watch television or listen to the radios, those who preach hate, quarrel and try to divide us on the basis of ethnicity and religion are not the young people but grandfathers,” he noted.

The President said experience had shown him that the youths are comfortable living with people of different ethnic groups or religions, unlike the elderly people.

“The youths live with whomever they are comfortable with regardless of ethnic or religious affiliation; they want to marry whomever they love.

“They are not like those old people who are disturbing us, who want to divide us based on religion and all kinds of sentiments,” he said