By Jonathan Hindolo Kurabu
Opposition Leader in Parliament for the Coalition for Change party Hon. Saa Emerson Lamina has in his submission at the ongoing joint parliamentary assembly for ACP & EU countries in Rwanda, urged member countries to promulgate laws that will eradicate certain age limits for the acceptance of young people into offices that are not necessarily political.
Speaking on the topic; ‘Promoting the Active Participation of Young Citizens in Public Life in ACP & EU Countries’, Hon. Saa Lamina averred that glaringly young people in the ACP countries are in readiness to take the driving seats in all works of life.
He commented on the global projection of 200 million young people between the ages of 15-24 who are believed to grow to a billion by 2050 in ACP Countries and however urged member States present, to make stronger regulations that will create the enabling space for young people to actively participate in decision making.
As a show of his country’s relentless support towards the appointment of young people to highly esteemed positions of trust, Hon. Saa Lamina commended President Julius Maada Bio for what he zeroed in on as the several youthful appointments in government ministries, Diplomatic missions, Boards and Commissions to name but a few. He also commended the recent move by the Sierra Leone Ministry of Youth Affairs and the Youth Commission for creating the enabling platforms for youths and the establishment of the Youth Parliament for the engagement of key stakeholders in their affairs.
The C4C Opposition Leader in Parliament further appealed to member States to invest in Free Quality Education and in turn make it a law rather than policy, thereby encouraging young people to fulfil their dreams.
He concluded by urging EU to support their ACP counterpart in building the capacity of youths in Sierra Leone in order to close the many doors on migration, terrorism, drug abuse, prostitution and all the worse world surges.
Until now, Hon. Saa Emerson Lamina remains the youngest Mayor in Sierra Leone, albeit former, after the reintroduction of the decentralization process in Sierra Leone; he also doubles as the youngest Opposition Leader in the House of Parliament and a former Local Government administrator. He is a Development Educationist in concentration and presently ranks among the most proficient law makers.
