From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The Director General, National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Professor Abubakar Sulaiman, has said there is need for gender and youth inclusion in governance in the interest of the country’s democracy.
Professor Sulaiman stated this, while speaking at a press briefing, in Abuja, as part of activities to commemorate his six years, in office, as the director general of the institute.
The Director General, while noting that though the country’s democracy has not done badly in the past 26 years, said there is need for the country to ensure gender and youth inclusion in governance, as well as the inclusion of physically challenged persons in governance.
Consequently, he charged the National Assembly to do more in ensuring the gender and youth inclusion in governance, stating that the country cannot afford to pay lip service to the issue.
According to him, “we have had 26 years of uninterrupted democracy. If you look at the issue of inclusion of the mass of the Nigerian people. We are far from it; especially in the areas of gender inclusivity; especially in the area of youth involvement in government; especially in the area of disadvantaged people, people physically challenged.
“As long as the mass of the Nigerian people, who to me are women, are excluded from government , then something is fundamentally still wrong with our democracy.
“As long as the youth, who form the bulk of the vibrant demographic part are still excluded from governance, then that is far from being democracy. I think the legislature needs to do more. We can’t pay lip service to the issue of gender inclusion for instance.”
Sulaiman, while speaking on the activities of NILDS, said the Institute under his leadership, has remained committed to its mandate as the capacity building arm of the National Assembly.
According to him,” since my assumption as the director general of the Institute, I have remained committed to implementing the mandate of NILDS as the capacity building institution of the legislature and other democratic institutions in Nigeria and beyond.
“We have discharged our duty. Our responsibility. Our mandate; both in nurturing the capacity of lawmakers; especially and the sub-national level. Before I took over NILDS was not at the state level. But these days, almost 32 states are being covered.”