The Catholic Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos, Most Rev. Alfred Martins, said “Not-Too-Young-to-Run” law may not be effective if political godfather syndrome continued to exist in the polity.
Martins told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Saturday that besides the syndrome, there were other factors that could hinder the law from fulfilling its purpose.
President Muhammadu Buhari signed the “Not-Too-Young-to-Run” Bill on May 31.
The new law, which alters sections 65, 106, 131, 177 of the country’s Constitution, gives youths the opportunity to run for political office with less strict conditions.
The archbishop said, “while we laud the enactment of the law, we also recognise that it is not enough by itself to create a space for young people.
“It is also necessary to provide the enabling environment so that it will be effective in fulfilling its purpose.
“If money politics and political god-father syndrome that strangulates new initiatives still rule, the law will just be another of the laws in the books, unable to fulfil its purpose.”
He, however, noted that there was no correlation between age and performance.
According to him, having a young leader does not guarantee good governance.
“When leaders are remembered, it is not simply because of their age, but their level of performance and positive impact they have made in the welfare of the masses.
“Certainly, one who is going to be a good leader has to be genuinely interested in the welfare of everyone under his watch and able to spend whatever resources in his charge for the common good.’’
Assessing Buhari’s performance, the archbishop said that a lot needed to be done to ensure the security of citizens in the country.
“We still have a lot of insecurity in the nation, particularly with regards to the herdsmen and he needs to work on it fast.
“Corruption to some extent is being addressed, with regards to people who have stolen money and are being asked to return it.
“The president also needs to ensure that the fight against corruption is spread across board so as to show his commitment to the course,” he said. (NAN)