5 Reasons Why Young Nigerians Are Suddenly Interested in Politics, Elections
- It is known that young people in Nigeria and beyond have low levels of political interest and knowledge
- The youths also have very poor opinions of politicians and political activities at all levels generally
- The situation is changing gradually in Nigeria as there is an overwhelming interest in politics by young Nigerians
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FCT, Abuja - As of Tuesday, June 28, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced that 8,631,696 new registered voters have been recorded.
Out of the newly registered voters, 4,292,690 are male, while 4,339,006 are female.
Most of the newly registered voters are also young Nigerians who just clocked the official voting age of 18.
Source: Twitter
Recent social media commentaries also show an overwhelming interest of young Nigerians in politics and most especially, elections.
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Nigerian youths are suddenly interested in politics due to several reasons including:
1. ASUU Strike
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has been on strike since February 14, to make the federal government accede to its demands. What this means is that Nigerian university students have been at home for five months. It is only natural that the situation will make students angry and channel their energy into political activities to change their destiny.
2. Economic downturn
The Nigerian economy is currently in the doldrums. Young Nigerians are seeing the purchasing power of their parents and guardians reduce on a daily basis and it affects them too. These young people now know that a retrogressive policy by the government can affect the pockets of their parents and by extension, their pockets too.
3. Insecurity
Insecurity is the biggest problem Nigeria is facing today and young Nigerians are not left out. A lot of young people in the country have been victims of banditry, kidnapping, arm robbery, and terrorism which have been on the rise in the last few years. Ransom have been paid to kidnappers to free a lot of young people kidnapped either on their way to school, NYSC camp or even their place of work.
4. Votes now count
Young Nigerians have now noticed that the electoral system in the country is improving by the day. Votes now count and many are now aware they can choose the leaders they want through elections. The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, an electronic device designed to read Permanent Voter Cards and authenticate voters have also helped in boosting the confidence of voters.
5. Recycled leaders
Nigeria has been recycling people who have nothing to offer as leaders for decades. Young Nigerians are now aware of this menace and know that there was no better time for Nigerians to put their acts together to choose good leaders than in the forthcoming 2023 elections. They keep saying the same faces, making the same promises in every election cycle and not fulfilling them. So, they have now decided to take their own destinies into their hands.
2023: GUTS unveils plan, takes sensitization to youths, others
Meanwhile, as Nigerians prepare for the 2023 polls, the Gina Unimke and Trisha Shine foundation, GUTS, has launched a massive plan ahead of the exercise.
In its unveiling statement issued on Thursday, May 5 in Abuja, the foundation stressed the importance of participatory democracy and a credible poll come 2023.
The statement signed by its media coordinator, Mr. Akuma Ukpo, said 2023 was critical for the future of the country and all stakeholders must be committed to ensuring that the future of the country is guaranteed.
2023: FCI to partner with other agencies to combat fake news
On its part, FactCheck Initiative (FCI) has created a team for a cause that will involve partnering with the government and other agencies in other to have free, fair, and peaceful elections in Nigeria void of any form of violence in 2023.
The main aim of this cause will be to spot, examine and respond to the impact caused by any misleading information ahead of the upcoming 2023 general elections in Nigeria.
Adeoye Temitope, country director, FactCheck Initiative says stopping fake news and misinformation is the inspiration behind the project.
Source: Legit.ng
