• Tuesday, April 23, 2024
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2023: Group encourages youths to participate actively in coming elections

2023: Group encourages youths to participate actively in coming elections

Determined to ensure that Nigerians youths join in deciding people to hold political offices in the next regime, Pull-Up Naija Group, a non-governmental organisation, has mobilised youths to get their permanent voters’ cards (PVCs) and actively participate in the forthcoming elections.

The group in partnership with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), encouraged many youths to secure their PVCs in preparation for the elections.

Educating youths on making the right choice during voting, Roger Oshodi, a veteran actor, charged the youth to think very well before voting in order to have eight years of economic rebuilding.

According to her, many Nigerian politicians complete their eight years in office before handing it over to another person.

“Nigeria is a nice and peaceful place to live but life has been very expansive these days such that Sardine now costs N700 from the initial price of N200 while egg now sells at N80/N100. So, get your PVCs and vote wisely,” Oshodi advised.

On her part, Hauwa Allahbura, the convener of the group, decried the high level of voter apathy among Nigerian youths, saying that many young people turn streets and roads to football field when they should be at the polling unit voting.

Allahbura said Nigerian youths should quit complaining and do the right thing which is the major reason behind the Pull-Up Naija initiative.

Read also: The quest for more women participation in politics

“We need to make people understand that power is in our hands. If we do not elect the right leaders, we cannot see change that was why I founded this initiative that is targeted at getting ages 18 to 35 to vote during elections. At a point in this country, I could not even sleep at night because of the frustration after listening to news about the things that are happening. So, I decided to do something that can bring the youths together to vote in 2023,” Allahbura said.

According to Allahbura, the project is self-financed at the moment even though she has approached a few NGOs for support.

She further said that the group is nonpartisan, insisting that four years is enough to know if an elected officer is indeed willing to deliver good governance.

Lateef Adedimeji, a Nigerian actor also urged the youths across the country to brace up with their PVC by voting wisely, which he said was the only way out of the difficulties that Nigeria is in at the moment.