National Youth Parliament Debates Education Reform and Digital Inclusion Bills

The second session of the National Youth Parliament has convened in Abuja with a packed legislative agenda centered on education reform, digital inclusion, and youth unemployment. The 360-member body, with proportional representation from all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, functions as a formal advisory legislature with the power to draft bills for presentation to the National Assembly.

Session highlights include the Digital Inclusion for All Bill, which mandates free broadband access in every public secondary school and community library by 2028; the Youth Employment Guarantee Act, which would require large corporations to reserve 15% of entry-level positions for applicants under 30; and the Student Mental Health Support Framework, proposing mandatory counseling services and mental health first aid training in all tertiary institutions.

Speaker Fatima Bello, a 27-year-old law graduate from Kano, opened the session with a passionate address on youth political participation. "For too long, decisions about our future have been made by people who will not live to see it," she declared. "The Youth Parliament says we will not be spectators. We will be authors of the Nigeria we inherit."

Since its establishment in 2024, the Youth Parliament has successfully shepherded four bills into National Assembly consideration, including the National Youth Service Corps digital skills amendment and the student loan accessibility expansion. Parliamentary proceedings are broadcast live on national television and streamed on social media, with an average viewership of 2.3 million young Nigerians per session.

Critics have questioned whether the body has sufficient teeth to effect real change, but supporters argue that its primary value lies in training a generation of politically literate young leaders who will eventually ascend to formal political office.