CONSTITUTION

OF THE

NATIONAL YOUTH ASSEMBLY OF NIGERIA

(NYAN)

AS APPROVED BY THE NATIONAL CONGRESS OF THE

ASSEMBLY

JUNE, 2015
 NYAN CONSTITUTION

PREAMBLE:

We the founding members of NYAN as productive youths of the federal

republic of Nigeria, both at home and abroad having firmly and solemnly
resolved:
1) To live and Associate in unity and harmony as a youth led and
focused voice platform dedicated to the promotion of active
citizenship, Positive engagement, National and international
Solidarity, world peace, international co-operation and
understanding particularly amongst youth
2) To provide a constitution for the purpose of promoting the good
governance of the association and welfare of all members of the
organization both within and outside the country Nigeria and across
all levels and organs of the assembly based on the principles of
freedom, equality and justice and for the purpose of consolidating the
unity of our virile organization; NYAN,

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 Do hereby make, enact and give to ourselves the following
constitution:

ORIGIN AND NAME OF THE ASSOCIATION:

The association was founded by a group of patriotic, vibrant, charismatic

and professional Nigerian youths who believe in the Nigerian state and are
committed to making Nigeria the country of our dream through active
youth engagement and positive participation working in collaboration with
the Ministry of youth, and other relevant stakeholders in the Nigerian youth
Agenda particularly those engaged in the implementation of the Nigerian
National youth policy.
The Association shall be known and addressed as The National Youth
Assembly of Nigeria (NYAN) hereinafter variously referred to as, “The
Assembly” or “NYAN”.

ARTICLE 1: SUPREMACY OF THE CONSTITUTION:

i. This constitution is supreme and its provisions shall be binding on all

members of the National Youth Assembly of Nigeria (NYAN) at all
levels
ii. That NYAN shall not be governed, nor shall any person or group of
persons take control of the governance or leadership of NYAN or any

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 part or unit thereof except in accordance with the provisions of this
constitution
iii. If any communiqué is inconsistent with the provisions of this
constitution, this constitution shall prevail and that other
communiqués shall to the extent of their inconsistency be null and
void.

ARTICLE 2: MOTTO, SLOGAN AND ADDRESS.

i. Motto: Youth Voices For Positive Action

ii. SLOGAN:
a. Great NYAN! ...Response…My Voice, My power!
b. Other slogans may be evolved and adopted for use by the
Assembly at the various levels to advance the objectives,
programs and philosophy of the assembly.
iii. ADDRESS: The secretariat shall be situated in the state of residence of
the incumbent head of the Assembly but the assembly shall strive to
always maintain at least a liason office in Abuja until such a time
when it is able to acquire a permanent office accommodation in the
federal capital territory, Abuja

ARTICLE 3: VISION, MISSION AND OBJECTIVES

i. VISION: Nigeria where the youth attain their full potentials

ii. MISSION: To serve as a viable platform for the expression of the
utmost desires of Nigerian Youth

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 iii. OBJECTIVES:

a. To serve as a formidable voice for Nigerian youth and be a

galvanizing force for youth action on issues of sustainable
development and Nation building
b. To coordinate and network Nigerian youth and youth groups
particularly community based youth organizations (CBOS) and
smaller grassroots groups for the advancement of Nigerian youth,
their communities and the country in general and encourage the
formation of youth discussion groups, forums, and parliaments at the
community levels
c. To promote youth entrepreneurship and engage in viable
partnerships for the attainment of our objectives
d. Sourcing for and dissemination of vital information about
opportunities that Nigerian youth can benefit from
e. Organize capacity building lectures, seminars, workshops and other
youth engagement fora for members and other Nigerian youth
f. To promote patriotism, youth participation, good governance and
responsible citizenship as well as sexual and reproductive health
g. To carry out programs, activities and initiatives which are aimed at
improving the livelihoods and promoting the wellbeing and total
inclusion of Nigerian youth and the development of communities

ARTICLE 4: MEMBERSHIP AND MODE OF ENTRY

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i. Membership of the assembly shall be open to every Citizen of Nigeria
irrespective of his/her religious, ethnic, regional, gender, social, economic or
political status, provided that:
a. The person must be a decent and patriotic citizen of Nigeria within
the age range of 18 to 39 years as stipulated by the Nigerian National
youth policy
b. He/She accepts the aims, objectives, principles, Ideology, fundamental
values, polices and programmes of the assembly
c. qualifies for either honorary or life membership
d. The National Ambassadors must be nominated or elected by the state
youth as their legal representative. The National Assembly is made up of
109 Ambassadors (representing the 36 states and FCT) and the Clerk of
the Assembly who shall be nominated by the Speaker and approved by
the national Assembly members
e. Each member shall pay the prescribed annual fee for the state to enjoy
all rights and privileges at the National sitting.

ii. LIFE/HONOURARY MEMBERSHIP:

a. Life membership shall be conferred on those members of NYAN, that

have distinguished themselves, with dedication to NYAN WITHOUT BAD
RECORDS, such members must have exceeded the youthful age
recognized herein and must have served as registered members at any
given point
b. Honorary membership shall be conferred on deserving and patriotic
citizens of Nigeria who believes in the aims, objectives, ideology,

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principles, and fundamental values, polices and programme of NYAN
and have shown it by their performance/Actions but shall not be eligible
to contest for positions o m r vote in elections
c. Conferment of Honorary membership shall be a decision of the
National Leadership in consultations with the relevant committees after a
recommendation from his or her state Ambassador(s)

iii. AFFILIATE MEMBERSHIP:

The Assembly may at the discretion of its relevant organs admit as

affiliate members any group or association that subscribes to the
fundamental aims, objectives, principles, ideology, fundamental values,
policies and programs of the assembly especially those organized and
working at the grassroots/community levels

ARTICLE 5: RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF MEMBERS:

i. Every member shall pay such fees and levies as may from time to time
be prescribed by the National Leadership of the assembly or any other
body authorized to so do by the National leadership or, the National
Assembly
ii. Every member shall be given a copy of the constitution upon payment
of the prescribed fees
iii. Upon registration, a member shall be deemed to have –

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 a) Accepted the provisions of this constitution as well as the
policies, programme and ideals of the association and that such
provision/constitution are binding on him/her.
b) Accepted to abide by all lawful rules, regulations, directives and
decisions of the association or any of it organs; and
c) Accepted to promote the aims and objectives of the association
faithfully and to refrain from pursuing any cause of action as
may be inconsistent with or inimical to the interest of the
assembly.
iv. Every member shall have the right to actively participate in the
activities and discussions of the level or organ of the assembly of
which he/she is a member provided such a member is a current
financial member and subject to any qualification, rules, and
regulations or the provisions of this Constitution.
v. Without prejudice to other regulations and criteria as may be
prescribed by the assembly, every member shall have the right to vote
and be voted for into any office or post of the association during any
election provided such member is and has been active and is a
current member of the assembly continuously for 12 calendar
months.

ARTICLE 7: ORGANS OF THE ASSEMBLY

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 i. The following shall be the organs recognized for the Assembly for the
purpose of easy administration and closer interaction with youth at
all levels;

a. General Congress
b. The Board of Trustees
c. Committee of Patrons
d. Advisors
e. The National, state and LGA assembly and their standing
committees
f. Directorates

ii. Composition of the organs of the Assembly

a. General Congress:
The NYAN general congress shall be composed of all state youth
Ambassadors the number of which shall be determined by the
leadership for the effective representation of all states and accredited
financial members of the Assembly who shall assemble for the purpose
of attending to the slated business(es) of the congress. The general
congress shall hold once a year only except to discuss an emergency
situation

b. Board Of Trustees

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 i. There shall be for the association a Board of Trustees comprising of
not less than five (5) members who must be distinguished members
of the society and well respected with a proven record of integrity
ii. A Trustee shall hold office for life or until he/she resigns or is
removed from office by a resolution of the National Assembly of
Principal Officers
iii. Properties of the association shall be vested on the trustees

c. Board of Patrons/Matrons

i. The number of Patrons/Matrons shall be determined by the

National Assembly
ii. The board shall comprise of individuals who have made substantial
contributions to the public, youth in particular and Nation in general
iii. They are to provide leadership and guidance that will protect the
interest and objectives of the Assembly and shall meet from time to
time or at the request of the Assembly’s leadership
iv. A Patron/Matron shall hold office for life or until she resigns or is
removed from office by a resolution of the National Executive
Committee

d. Committee of Advisors

i. The assembly shall have a committee of professional advisors of

good standing who are willing to volunteer their technical
expertise/services as may be required from time to time by the
Assembly for the attainment of the set objectives
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ii. As a minimum, there shall be the following advisors;
a) Legal Advisor
b) Finance/Fundraising Advisor
c) Information/Media Advisor
d) Organizational capacity development Advisor
iii. The Assembly shall conduct a mapping of likely Advisers and
choose the most eligible for such appointment which must be
approved by a simple majority of those present before such
appointment(S) shall be confirmed.

e. The National assembly, State and LGA chapters and their

standing committees

i. National Assembly: The National Assembly shall be the highest

decision making organ of the Assembly shall comprise of;
a) Three Honorable members called “Ambassadors” from each
state of the Country elected by a majority of the state
Assembly members/Ambassadors
b) One Representative each of special interest groups such as
students, physically challenged, security, line ministeries etc
c) The National Leadership Shall Consist Of
i. Speaker
ii. Deputy speaker
iii. Majority leader
iv. Chief whip
v. Minority leader

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 vi. Deputy chief whip
vii. National clerk
viii. The chairmen of standing committees.

1. State Chapters: The state chapters of the Assembly shall be established

in all states of the federation by recognized and duly registered
Ambassadors of this assembly.
a) Each state chapter shall be governed/coordinated by a
leadership comprising of the following;
i. Speaker
ii. Deputy speaker
iii. Majority leader
iv. Chief whip
v. Minority leader
vi.Deputy chief whip
vii. Clerk
viii. The chairmen of standing committees.

2. Local Government Area (LGA) Chapters:

a. Interested individuals and representatives of
community based youth groups and associations may
come together from different wards of a particular local
government to form the LGA chapters of the Assembly. The
LGA chapters of the Assembly shall be established in all the

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 local government areas (LGAs) recognized by the 1999
constitution of the Federal republic of Nigeria.
ii. Each LGA chapter shall be governed/coordinated by a
leadership comprising of the following;
1. Coordinator
2. Deputy Coordinator
3. Treasurer
4. Publicity officer
5. Secretary

ARTICLE 8: Powers of the National body

i. National Leadership shall be responsible for the nationwide

administration of the association and shall meet every quarter
ii. It shall also:
a. prepare the agenda for the national assembly
b) prepare and submit reports and budget for the consideration
of the entire House.
c) Initiate policies and programs for the consideration of the
Assembly
d) Deal with appeal and other problem referred to it by or
coming from state or other branches
e) Make rules for assembly discipline and loyalty, which shall
be binding on all organs and members of the assembly.

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 f) Constitute all committees at the appropriate time and set
relevant terms of reference for the workings of such
committee(s)
g) Employ and determine the conditions of service for all staff
of the assembly
h) Co opt such persons as it deems necessary, desirable or
expedient to attend it’s meetings and take part in its
deliberations provided such a co-opted person shall have no
right to vote
i) Have the power to make standing orders for smooth conduct
of the assembly
j) Exercise such other power and function as are vested in it by
the constitution
k) The National Leadership shall meet monthly upon issuance
of a 7 days prior notice or at any other time in case of an
emergency which shall have a 24 hour prior notice
l) The leadership of the assembly may delegate any of its
powers to the National working committee or other
standing committees or may form an ad-hoc committee to
oversee administration where necessary.

ARTICLE 9: DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS OF OFFICERS

The officers of the Assembly shall have the following powers/functions:

i. NATIONAL SPEAKER:

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The Speaker shall preside over the seating /meetings of the National
Assembly. He shall oversee the working of the Assembly and shall be the
chief Executive, shall pilot the affairs of the Assembly in conjunction with
other house leaders.
ii. DEPUTY NATIONAL SPEAKER
a. Shall assist the SPEAKER in the performance of his/her official duties
and act for him/her in his/her absence.
b. Shall preside over meetings in the absence of the SPEAKER.
c. Shall perform duties delegated to him/her by the SPEAKER
iii. NATIONAL MAJORITY LEADER
a. Special functions, in pursuance of the ASSEMBLY.
b. He shall perform all other functions of the Deputy Speaker and that
of the SPEAKER in the absence of the Deputy speaker.
c. Shall perform any other duty as directed by the House.
d. He/she shall be responsible for Assembly information and activities,
all of which must be consistent with the constitution, aims and
objectives of the Assembly
iv. NATIONAL CHIEF WHIP:
a. He shall be the sergeant at arms of the National ASSEMBLY
b. He shall enforce discipline and order of all members

v. NATIONAL CLERK:
The National Clerk shall take or cause to be taken and keep in safe
custody all records of the assembly especially minutes. Specifically, the
Clerk shall:

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 a) keep proper records of all minutes of the meeting of the assembly
procedures.
b) Conduct such correspondence as may be required.
c) Prepare the order of business for meetings/ seating’s of all National
Organs of the assembly with the approval of the National speaker.
d) Supervise and control the day-to-day activities of the National
Secretariat.
e) In the event of his dismissal or resignation, he shall immediately hand
over to the National Speaker or his nominee all records, files and
other property of the Assembly in his possession.

vi. NATIONAL DEPUTY CHIEF WHIP: He/she shall

a. Assist in enforcing discipline, decorum and obedience of House rules.
b. Discharge any other duties assigned to him/her by the Speaker.

vii. NATIONAL MINORITY LEADER:

a. Support the Majority Leader in managing House proceedings

b. Discharge any other duties assigned to him/her by the Speaker

f. Appointed Officers: The Speaker at both National and state levels shall
have the power to suggest names of persons he deems capable for
appointment as assistants or advisers to help oversee any area or aspect
not rendered to elected Ambassadors of this assembly by the constitution
provided such appointments shall be approved by the Ambassadors at
that level and the persons must be willing to work as volunteers for the

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 assembly and shall not be regarded as the personal staff or personal
aides of the speaker or head in any way whatsoever.

ARTICLE 10: DISCIPLINE OF MEMBERS:

i. Discipline of Assembly members shall be exercised by the respective

Disciplinary committee or the National leadership of the Assembly
depending on the level at which disciplinary measures is called for.
ii. Any member of the Assembly who is alleged to have done any of the
following shall be liable to be punished, if found guilty by a duly
constituted disciplinary Committee:
a. A breach of any of the provisions of this constitution.
b. Anti-Assembly activities or conducting himself in a manner,
which is likely to embarrass the Assembly or bring the
Assembly into ridicule or dispute in whatever manner.
c. Disobedience or negligence in carrying out lawful directives of
the Assembly leadership.
d. Flouting the rulings & decisions of the Assembly, engaging in
dishonest practices, defrauding the assembly, continuously
being absent at meetings, carryout anti-Assembly propaganda,
or any other activities which would tend to disrupt the
peaceful, lawful and efficient organization of the Assembly or
activities that are inconsistent with the aims and objectives of
the Assembly.
e. Assuming names and titles not recognized by the constitution,
giving wrong information to any organ of the Assembly or

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 unauthorized publicity of Assembly dispute without exhausting
all avenues of settlement or redress within the Assembly.

ARTICLE 11: PUNISHMENT:

i. The Assembly may take disciplinary measures against any of its

members for any confirmed offence. The gravity of such punishment
shall depend upon the seriousness and Circumstances of each offence.
ii. Punishment to be imposed may include but shall not be limited to:
a. Expulsion from the Assembly.
b. Suspension for a specified period.
c. Removal from office.
d. Debarring from holding office.
e. Fine
f. Reprimand
iii. Every member shall have the right of fair hearing in all matters that
affects him with regards to discipline
iv. The next higher level shall be notified of any or all major disciplinary
actions taken against any member of the Assembly and records of
such actions shall be kept.

ARTICLE 12 : REGISTRATION:

i. Register of members: A register of members shall be maintained by the

secretariat at all levels of the Assembly.
ii. The National leadership shall have the power to determine;

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 a. The minimum rates of subscription that shall apply for all members
in a particular year.
b. The proportion of subscription or income which each level shall
remit to the National Secretariat annually.

ARTICLE 13: ELECTION OF ASSEMBLY OFFICERS

i. The national and other levels of the Assembly shall meet to elect their
officers as specified under this constitution at the various levels of the
Association structure
ii. Every registered and financially up to date member who has satisfied
the requirements for nomination and election under this constitution is
eligible to contest for assembly office
iii. Paid officials of the Assembly are eligible to contest for positions as long
as they resign their appointments at least one month before the conduct
of such elections

ARTICLE 14: TENURE OF OFFICE

i. All state and national officers of the assembly shall hold office for a
period of two years only but can only be re-elected once afterwards
by the appropriate convention
ii. Officers at the lower levels of the assembly shall hold office for two
years only but can only be re-elected once afterwards by the
appropriate convention
iii. Any officer elected into the National Executive Council, state, or other
levels may resign his office by giving 30 days notice in writing.

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 Similarly a member may be deemed to have resigned if he is absent
without acceptable reasons from three consecutive sittings
iv. Should a vacancy occur in any office, the Principal Officers should
appoint a substitute, subject to ratification at the next congress.
Officers so appointed shall remain in office for the unexpired period
of the term
v. Any officer or officers may be removed during his tenure of office
through a vote of no confidence against him or them passed by a
simple majority of the membership of the congress or convention.

ARTICLE15: REMOVAL FROM OFFICE

An officer may be removed from office if:

i. He/She is unable to discharge the functions of his/her office

ii. He/She is found of any misconducts established against his/her
iii. He/She is found guilty of any act of misconduct thereof, the affected
officer shall have a right to be heard from by a disciplinary
Committee to be formed for that purpose
iv. The Disciplinary committee shall forth with report its findings to
the Principal officers for their approval
v. The approval thereof shall be assented to by at least 2/3rd majority
of those members present.

ARTICLE 16: STANDING COMMITTEES

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i. There shall be for the assembly, the following standing committees:
a. Health
b. Education
c. Empowerment/Skill acquisition
d. Agriculture
e. Infratructure
f. Social services
g. media and publicity
h. Membership and affiliations
i. Finance
j. Youth development

ii. The activities and duties of the under listed committees shall be itemized
in the standing orders/rules of the assembly

iii. The officers of the assembly reserve the right to from time to time review,
re –constitute or dissolve the under listed committees or to appoint other
committees as maybe found necessary particularly to reflect the areas
captured in the reviewed National youth policy(2009).

ARTICLE 17: ADHOC COMMITTEES

i. The ad hoc committee for the assembly shall include the following:
a. Convention Committee
b. Electoral committee
c. Project Management Committee

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 d. Caretaker Committee
e. Disciplinary Committee
ii. The Principal Officers of the assembly may as the need require form and
assign terms of reference for any ad-hoc committee.

ARTICLE 18: INCOME SOURCES, BANK ACCOUNT AND DISBURSEMENT

i. INCOME SOURCES: The area unit shall have the following means as its
sources of income:
a. Special/General Levies
b. Membership subscription due
c. Annual dues from the area unit
d. Donations and income generated from fund-raising activities
e. Grants/Subventions
f. Such other lawful means agreed by the Principal Officers.

ii. BANK ACCOUNT

a. The assembly shall maintain Bank Accounts in the Headquarters, city or

town of its various levels of organization, provided that where banking
facilities are not available, the services of the nearest bank shall be utilized.

b. The Banks for such accounts shall be decided by the leadership of that
level of the organization.

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c. Any two of the following officers of the Assembly, as the case may be shall
be valid signatories to the association’s Bank Account and other financial
transaction i.e the Speaker/Coordinator and his counterparts at other levels
of the organization and the Administrative Officer of the Assembly or any
other officer appointed as such and Chairman of the finance committee

d. All financial dealings of the assembly must be transparent and conform to

the laid down procedures or standard practice.

iii. DISBURSEMENT OF MONEY

All funds/money above a specific amount as been agreed by the leadership

must be deposited in a current account of the assembly and the
disbursement of the funds shall be as follows:

a. The signatories to the account shall be the Speaker and any one of
either Clerk or Majority leader.
b. The signatories to any special project committee account shall be
the Speaker, chairman and any other member as decided by the
officers concerned.
c. Release of funds must be approved by the Speaker or Deputy
through his signatories
d. Approval of project expenses shall be with the approval of the
Project committee
e. The clerk shall maintain an imprest not exceeding ten thousand
Naira only subject to availability of funds.

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ARTICLE 19: RELATIONSHIPS/CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS

The Assembly accordingly relates with the following bodies/organization:-

i. YOUTH LED AND FOCUSED COMMUNITY BASED

ORGANIZATIONS: The assembly shall maintain mutual and
cordial relationship with any bodies, organizations or association
that subscribes to its’ vision

ii. GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES AND PARASTATALS: The assembly

shall support the programs, activities and policies of governmental
agencies, parastatals and Ministries with youth focus

iii. NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS (NGOS): The assembly

shall seek to relate closely with Non-Governmental Organizations
that can also support its’ operation

iv. CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS (CSOS): NYAN shall relate with

any civil society organizations which could promote the activities
and aims of NYAN

v. INTER-RELIGIOUS BODIES: NYAN shall relate with other bodies

that focus on religiosity for peace building and promotion of
understanding provided that such partnerships shall not violate
the principle of un-biasness.

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ARTICLE 20: OATH OF OFFICE

Every officer elected or appointed as an officer of the assembly shall

subscribe to the oath of office as provided for in the constitution before a
commissioner for Oaths or a Notary Public who shall present him with the
swearing in certificate see appendix I for official oath.

ARTICLE 21: AMENDMENT

Any move for the amendment and or alteration of this bye-law or any
part therefore shall meet the following condition:

i. It must be by way of a motion for amendment and or alteration

ii. The motion must be moved by a member of the National
leadership during any of its meetings or upon a written
Application signed by a bonafide member from any of the various
organs or levels 0f the assembly to that effect
iii. Every proposal for the amendment of this constitution shall be
presented to the leadership of the assembly
iv. The said proposal shall be passed if supported by at least two third
2/3 votes of the delegates having voting right
v. Upon such votes (2/3), the bye-law or any part thereof shall remain
altered or amended as approved.

ARTCLE 22: OMNIBUS PROVISIONS

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For the purpose of registration or other requirements, whatever rule or bye-
law is made for this assembly by the National leadership is hereby adopted
as a part of this constitution

ARTCLE 22: COMMENCEMENT

This constitution shall take effect on the……………………..day

of……….2015 and supersedes any other constitution, byelaws, and rules
made before it for this assembly.

………………………
Luqman B. Majidadi,
National Speaker

OATH OF OFFICE FOR OFFICERS OF NATIONAL

YOUTH ASSEMBLY OF NIGERIA (NYAN)

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CONSTITUTION REVIEW COMMITTEE

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S/No Name Position Signature/Date

1. Erudite Sunny Chukwubuzo Chairman ________________

Abia state
2. Ambassador Olumhese Akhigbe Member ________________
Edo state

4. Luqman B. Majidadi Member ________________

Zamfara state

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