Youths storm National Assembly to demand swift passage of startup bill

Groups of dissatisfied young Nigerians stormed the National Assembly on Wednesday to demand the swift passage of the Nigeria Startup Bill.

The Nigeria Startup Bill came as a joint initiative by Nigeria’s tech startup ecosystem and the Presidency to harness the potential of the country’s digital economy through co-created regulations.

The Bill would ensure that Nigeria’s laws and regulations are clear, planned and work for the tech ecosystem.

The leader of the youth coalition, Ms Tracy Okoro, who spoke on the reason for the protest, noted that a bill of that nature was important to the lives of Nigerians.

“The Nigeria startup bill is too important a bill for the National Assembly to delay its passage. So far, several members of the National Assembly have been supportive of the bill but we are here to put pressure on them to make sure the bill is passed as soon as possible”, she noted.

Read also: Lawmakers to vacate main chambers as renovation of National Assembly commences

Also speaking at the rally, Simon Darko, a member of the Youth Action For Change, noted: “Nigerian youths will also support law makers who support youth friendly bills. The Nigeria startup Bill is a major bill for young Nigerians with tremendous opportunities and so if members fail to pass this bill they should be rest assured that they would lose the support of many young Nigerians in the coming election.”

The bill proposes regulations that would encourage massive investments into Nigeria’s tech ecosystem, create meaningful job opportunities and provide tax revenue for government.

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