At Launch of Campus Drive for Political Inclusion, Rep Dasuki Urges Youth to Claim 70% of Elective Offices

Igbawase Ukumba in Lafia

The Interim Chairman of the Future Is Now Initiative, Rep. Abdussamad Dasuki, has called for a sweeping increase in youth participation in governance, declaring that young Nigerians must occupy at least 70 per cent of key elective offices in the next election cycle.Dasuki made the call while addressing students at the Federal University of Lafia, Nasarawa State. The Campus Activation Initiative drew over 300 students to what organisers described as the beginning of a structured youth governance mobilisation campaign.Rep Dasuki emphasized that young people should no longer accept being labelled “leaders of tomorrow.”“The future we have been waiting for is not ahead of us. It is here. And it is ours to shape,” the lawmaker who was represented by Apochi Nelson-Owoicho said, urging students to take active roles in politics and public service.Dasuki recalled that on October 1 last year, during Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary, young leaders from across the country converged on Abuja to unveil the Future Is Now Project. He said the gathering marked a decisive shift from complaints about exclusion to concrete demands for representation.According to him, the initiative has set bold targets: by the end of the next election cycle, at least 70 per cent of Local Government Chairmanship seats should be held by Nigerians under 40.“Governance must start from the grassroots,” Dasuki said, arguing that young leaders better understand the realities of education, healthcare, digital access and job creation in their communities.He further proposed that 70 per cent of seats in State Houses of Assembly and the House of Representatives be contested and won by candidates under 40. In addition, he advocated reserving 50 per cent of federal and state executive appointments for young Nigerians within the same age bracket.Some observers may consider the targets ambitious, he acknowledged, but insisted they are necessary to align governance with Nigeria’s largely youthful population.Dasuki described the initiative as non-partisan and inclusive, aimed at transforming governance culture rather than replacing one elite with another.“This is not a partisan movement. It is a generational movement,” he said, adding that the group is mobilizing and mentoring credible youth candidates across political parties while promoting integrity, competence and national unity.He clarified that the call for increased youth inclusion is not an attack on older generations but a request for a “gracious yielding of space.”“Nation-building is a relay, not a monopoly,” he stated, urging elder statesmen and women to serve as mentors while allowing younger leaders to assume greater responsibility.Addressing students directly, Dasuki challenged them to move from spectators to participants in Nigeria’s political process. He encouraged them to engage in policy debates, join political parties, demand internal democracy, register to vote, volunteer for campaigns and build expertise in governance and public administration.“The question is not whether Nigeria will change. The question is who will drive that change,” he said.Reaffirming the group’s October 1 declaration, Dasuki said: “The time for Nigerian youth to take their rightful place at the decision-making table is now.”He ended his address with a call for collective action and national renewal, urging young Nigerians not to “postpone destiny” but to claim their seat in shaping the country’s future.Unlike many youth-focused gatherings that end in declarations, FiN presented a phased implementation roadmap anchored on five pillars: preparation and content development, campus activation rollout, digital and multimedia engagement, leadership pipeline and certification, and ongoing monitoring and evaluation.According to the project’s concept framework, the initiative aims to activate at least 100 university campuses within six months, train Campus Ambassadors nationwide, publish over 40 multimedia content pieces, and certify no fewer than 500 young Nigerians within its first cycle.The Lafia event featured both keynote remarks and interactive dialogue sessions, allowing students to interrogate the practical pathways for political participation, internal party engagement, and policy literacy.In a development that drew significant interest from attendees, FiN’s technical team disclosed that the initiative’s digital portal currently records over one million registered young Nigerians.The portal, accessible at www.futureisnow.ng serves as the primary onboarding platform for youth participants, enabling registration, structured engagement, and tracking of participation metrics.Students were encouraged to register and follow the movement’s social media channels to strengthen digital amplification and nationwide visibilityThe portal, accessible at www.futureisnow.ng serves as the primary onboarding platform for youth participants, enabling registration, structured engagement, and tracking of participation metrics.Students were encouraged to register and follow the movement’s social media channels to strengthen digital amplification and nationwide visibility.Several students who spoke with THISDAY described the initiative as distinct for its emphasis on structure and measurable targets.“It is not just rhetoric,” said one participant from the Faculty of Management Sciences. “There is a roadmap and defined outcomes.”The movement’s leadership has indicated that the Lafia activation represents the first in a coordinated nationwide rollout that will cover at least 100 tertiary institutions within the next six months.