Reaching out to universities in search of voters

EMEKA NZE writes that the campus outreach by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is novel and worth every resource spent on it.
INEC’s dynamic innovation Of all the reforms the current leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is embarking upon to improve Nigeria’s electoral system, the campus outreach, which maiden edition took place at the University of Abuja main campus Thursday a week today, is perhaps the most novel and striking. Preponderant opinions expressed by those who witnessed the occasion were that it is one well conceived idea.
They also think the exercise if sustained as its main goal remains to enfranchise the campus communities across the country and ensure that the youth, who constitute no less than 60 percent of the population, are captured and mobilized to vote during elections. Hitherto, there seemed to be a deliberate plan to exclude this category of people from exercising their franchise and consequently, many politicians found them as vulnerable and usually have tended to lure them as agents of election rigging.
The pending impact is that the issues of voter apathy, cases of youth insensitivity to democracy and democratization, and the use of the youth as cheap instruments of election malfeasance might be reduced to the barest minimum if not consigned to Siberia in subsequent elections. Anybody who saw the mammoth crowd of young people that momentarily abandoned their chief aim of being in the citadel of learning and attended the event would not resist hailing the INEC and then add that it is worth the pains and resources taken to organize it. Added glamour Like one of the speakers at the occasion said: “Its design was innovative, its implementation electrifying and its purpose noble.”
In the end, the students of the University of Abuja, like Oliver Twist, cried for more. Of most reckoning was the inclusion of musician Innocent Idiabia (Tuface), Comedian Helen Paul and music producer, Cobham Asuquo whose inspiring speeches were so captivating and stimulating that the students and members of the university community could not hide their enthusiasm. Stimulating speeches, swift response The speech of the INEC chairman Prof Mahmood Yakubu was punch and straight to the point that it would continue to reinforce the event in the minds of the students for proper reflection and action. “I want you to take the event very, very seriously.
When the European Union Ambassador said among you will come out future president, you should take that very very seriously.” This, indeed, set the tone and from the moment the students started yelling and wailing for performances from their idol celebrity, they listened with rapt attention in a manner that demonstrated that the words were not lost on them.
Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof Edmund Nwanna, who represented the Vice Chancellor, Prof Michael Adikwu, succinctly highlighted the occasion thus: “It has never happened before that the INEC will be embarking on this kind of sensitization.”
He continued, “INEC has made a score; there is a lot of hope for our country that we will have an election that is credible and defensible. You are at the moment of history that the INEC should choose this University to start this exercise, you are very important people”, he said eulogising the students. “The youth cannot be taken away from politics. For the INEC to have taken this step today, it means that the youth are not just the leaders of tomorrow, you are also leaders of today.”
The event was characterized by very remarkable speeches tailor-made to suit the occasion. The Leader of the European Delegation on Elections in Africa, Mr Katil Karlson, told the gathering that although the youth across the globe constitutes 60 per cent of every country’s population, he was, however, at a loss why they (youth) would not take advantage of their number to have greater participation in politics. “This calls for greater participation in politics,” he said.
He wondered whether the youth shied away from politics due to disempowerment and summarized that “the biggest pocket does not necessarily win elections but the biggest ideas do.” Succour from European Union To him, the job of the European union is among other things promote democracy across the globe and have in the course of doing so sunk in a whooping 100 billion euros to strengthen democracy as well as democratic institutions in the world. To him “democracy is not the winner takes all.
Reach out to those with different opinion”, he cautioned. From the Director whose Department of Voter Education is embarking on the outreach programme, Barrister Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, “the penalty of refusing to go out to vote is to allow inferior people govern you.” Inspiration from abroad His address struck the right cord when he listed some young people across the world- Australia, Luxenbueg, Kenya, amongst others who are already making leadership marks in their countries. Osaze-uzzi enjoined them to avail themselves of the registration centres on campus and register for their permanent voter cards (pvcs).
He also urged them to join political parties of their choices and enlist as volunteers to educate other people about the electoral process. Artists set the pace There was a discussant session, which featured Tufac, Helen Paul, Cobhams Asuquo and the Student Union President of the university, Bashir Obasanjo popularly called OBJ.
They related their not too pleasant experiences during their first time of voting. To Tufac, his vote didn’t count as a popular politician had told them that “no matter their long queue and who they voted for he would still emerge victorious”.
Asuquo, a visually impaired artist, was more concerned about the negligent attitude of previous leadership of the commission to those living with disabilities which made them “vote openly” in a secret ballot due to the assistance they get from people at the voting units. He emphasized the need for provision of infrastructure to the PWDs to vote unaided while Helen Paul enjoined the young ladies to consistently exercise their franchise. On the other hand, the SUG president, OBJ urged INEC to establish polling centres at the university campuses.
The INEC chairman did justice to the issues and concerns raised by the discussants as well as the students. He pledged that the commissions making preparations to print ballot papers in brails to end the frustrations of the blind in addition to the provision of wheel chairs for the cripple and the aged. The INEC chair recalled that albinos have already started voting using magnifying glasses provided by the commission.
By the time the commission visits all the campuses in the country its goal of mobilizing many youths would have been achieved but one concern by the students is what happens to them if the election is taking place during the holidays? This question may require an answer since not many would want to undergo the rigours of transfer as the electoral act stipulated.

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