By Kingsley Chukwuka
A group under the aegis of Equity International Initiatives (EII), says it has mobilised over 15 million young voters across the country to register and vote in the 2023 general elections.
The Country Director EII, Amb. Chris Iyama, said with the peculiarities of the 2023 general elections EII used the whole of 2022 to tour round the country preaching voters’ education, engaging with citizens and mobilising them to participate in the electoral process.
Iyama said the efforts yielded positive results as the country witnessed minimal pre-election violence.
Speaking in a press briefing on Thursday in Jos, at the unveiling of the 2023 Election Situation Room, Iyama said the Data-Hub will monitor and report real time election happenings across the country, an effort that yielded positive results and recommendations in the 2019 general elections.
According to him: “We are going to be tracking the conduct of security personnel, arrival of election materials and everything that will lead to the credibility of the elections.
“In preparation for this election, we conducted a lot of citizen engagement and training of security personnel. We went round the 774 local government councils of the country preaching the message of peace and participation of young voters.
“Because of our engagement in voter education it has helped in reducing pre-election violence”, Iyama said.
He said the Election Situation Room set-up to monitor the election has 25 data clarks representing the six geopolitical zones of the country, saying that the data clarks will be tracking results, and happenings around over 207 polling units in the country.
Also speaking, a partner, Dr. Yakubu Joseph, Country Director Mission 21, lauded the efforts put in so far to ensure young people’s participation in the 2023 general elections.
Joseph said the effort is worth the while as youths have no other country except Nigeria and must do everything within its limit to protect it.
He said the election situation room will run through the election period and will be open for stakeholders to visit and interact.
On her part, a Board Member CYPA African Project Lead Change Makers, Mrs Toyin Wiggins said the efforts of carrying people with disabilities in the process of the 2023 elections is laudable.
She applauded EII for its efforts in ensuring that the disabled found their place in the process of not only choosing who governs them but to also participate in ensuring a credible process.