Press Release: Nigerian Youth Begin Countrywide Voter Mobilization Campaigns… Launch Election Project.

With the 2007 general elections barely six months away, young Nigerians representing a diverse range of ethnic, religious and social civil society organizations have converged on a singular platform to execute what can best be described as Nigeria’s largest youth oriented Elections Project aimed at encouraging young people to vote, to vote wisely, and to defend their votes in 2007.

Project Vote

The breakdown of law and order, the perceived downturn in the economy, the appalling state of the educational sector, and the absolute lack of infrastructure are just some of the numerous issues weighing heavily on the minds of these young people from various parts of the country. In addition, the increasing level of voter apathy amongst young Nigerians that constitute 70% of Nigeria ’s total population creates a crisis that no doubt threatens the sustenance of democracy in this country. Many of them do not register to vote either because they do not understand the importance of the voting, or they lack adequate information about the elections and how to cast their votes. Â

Project VOTE! Nigeria is therefore set to inspire, inform and engage a new generation of young people in positive actions towards the 2007 general elections.

The project aims to encourage young people between ages 18 and 30 to register to vote, to vote, defend their votes and to act as elections monitors at all 120, 000 polling centers during the elections in April 2007. In order to achieve their goals, the group has launched the first-ever online national voter education campaign to provide eligible voters from various parts of the country with simpler and more accessible information and education on the electoral process, and processes required for them to cast their ballots in 2007.

The campaign’s centerpiece, www.projectvotenigeria.org, is a one-stop shop that provides young people with step-by-step instructions for voting no matter where they live.Â

Reflecting on how little the lives of Nigerians have changed since the advent of democracy in 1999, Project Director and Executive Director, Positive Impact Network, Ms. Temitayo Etomi declares that 2007 will see young people lead the most significant action ever, in the campaign to promote a free, fair, and truly participatory elections process that will see the emergence of truly elected leaders by the electorate.According to Temitayo, ‘Democracy and elections are complimentary, with one strengthening the other…Through this project, we will make sure that we provide young people a platform for positive participation and creatively engage them before, during and after next year elections, so that young people will not be used as veritable tools for political wars or financially induced conflict. We plan to ensure that individuals or groups planning to perpetrate violence and foment trouble get as little support from the youth population as much as is reasonably possible.Â

Assistant Project Director and CEO Papi’s Grill, Mr. Femi Fashoyin captures the essence of Project Vote! by reiterating their unqualified determination to influence the electoral process next year. He says: ‘We realize just how much voter apathy amongst young people may have influenced the outcome of the 1999 and 2003 elections…and we’re basically saying we want at least 70 % of Nigeria’s young people to participate in next years transition starting with the elections… we want to be directly involved in the choice of leadership and cannot leave such crucial decisions to politicians and people in the business of politics… doing that is akin to riding on a camels back through an ocean”.Â

Speaking on how they intend to reach their ambitious target of 10 million young people, Mr. Tosin Etomi, Legal Adviser to the project provides: ‘We will accomplish our goals through the collaborative efforts of the organizations that make up the Project VOTE Coalition. We understand that potential youth voters are about 50 million strong and comprise almost a quarter of the total voting population in the country. Imagine if we got them all or at least a healthy percentage to vote and stay there while ballots are being counted…The project will also rely heavily on youth volunteerism, technology and technological innovations, which will see us disseminating carefully researched information through the internet and creative text-messaging systems. We are already in agreement with two firms to accomplish this task. Some specific activities that are already in advanced stages of planning include peer-to-peer and celebrity outreach programmes, as well as train-the-trainers workshops in 6 geo-political zones to teach young people election monitoring skills as well as conflict prevention and management techniques’

These young people insist that Project Vote! is completely non-partisan and staunchly opposed to monopoly politics, political gangsterism and the systematic disenfranchisement of young people due to poor voter education programmes. By rallying together, their many voices are being unified in the one clear call for a peaceful and successful transition, a fraud- free, transparent and accountable election process, and a change of leadership across the nation that will reflect the aspirations of millions of young Nigerians across the country.  For more information on the program, please visit www.projectvotenigeria.org Contact: Temitayo Etomi 234 1 762 2048      Â

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