Nigeria 2015: Advancing Youth Participation in Elections
By David Atilola
As the 2015 general election approaches, the International Press Centre, Lagos, has called on Nigerian youths to participate in the elections.
This call was made at a media tweet in Ogba which it organized with the theme; “2015: Advancing Youth Participation in Elections.”
Speaking at the event, the Executive Director, Human and Environmental Agenda, Mr. Lanre Suraj, said, “Participating in this coming election is not just voting, you also determine what will happen in the next four years.”
Suraj made it known that the average Nigerian youth have a major role to play in deciding what will happen in the next four years.
“The youth are the ones suffering most, if we do not decide right in 2015, there might not be any country called Nigeria,” he said.
“Each day I get worried and my worry is how the young people are going to go through this political problem.
“The means of engagement are numerous, it is not only casting your vote- It is when we make demand that we can make it possible.”
Also speaking at the media tweet, Miss Peju Iteade of Civil Society News, said, “There has been campaign of youth getting involve, but the women are not been enlightened to get involve.”
“We need to go with the message of getting people to participate in election. If we want a change in Nigeria we must be ready to pay the price,” Iteade added.
Programme officer, Media Career Development, Seye Joseph, added that the Nigerian Youth had been sleeping for too long.
Joseph said, “It is a big lie to say that we are the future of tomorrow. If you want youth to be in the arms of affairs in this Country, youth need to take the bull by the horn.
“2015 is around the corner and the youth take more than 65 percent of the population, we need to know the pedigree of the leaders we want to choose. Youth in this country are sleeping too much, youth need to wake up and do something.”
Another discussant at the media tweet, Lateef Adams of Education Right Campaign made it known that the resources in Nigeria have not been managed very well.
He said, “The management of the control of the abundance of resources we have in Nigeria has not been judicious. It is high time we need to stand with our toe there is no difference in the political parties we have now.”
