7th June, 2022
By Adeyemi Adeleye
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has begun the `Youth Vote Count’ awareness campaign in Lagos, to mobilize youths for the ongoing nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).
Mr Olusegun Agbaje, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner said this on Monday, at the event at Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) in Lagos.
He said that the exercise was in collaboration with the EU Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) and the Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth and Advancement (YIAGA).
Agbaje added that the EU was partnering with INEC as well as YIAGA to ensure that the Nigerian youths were encouraged to participate fully in the ongoing CVR and vote in the 2023 general elections.
“We find out that the youth from the records are supposed to be the ones taking the lead. We have many groups in this category of people.
“We can see here many of the youth around, who have yet to register with all the activities we have been doing.
“We feel that one of the areas we can begin to capture them is through concert and that is why this exercise will go on from Monday today till Saturday noon.
According to him, between 2.00 p.m. and 6.00 p.m. on Saturday, the music carnival will hold where many artists of youth admirers will display.
“The only access card expected of them is either their PVCs or TVCs to show that they have registered. We want them to know that the artists they like are going to be around.
“We want to encourage the youth to love Nigeria, politics and governance and participate for us to have a good election in 2023.
“Our goal is not only about registering for PVCs but also to prepare them ahead because the campaign will soon start.
“They must not be used to cause problem or violence either during campaigns or during the election time.
If youths failed to register now before the window of CVR closed on June 30, they would not be able to vote in 2023, Agbaje added.
“2023 election is a battle to save our country and young people have that generational burden to do so.
He said that the YIAGA would also take the concert to Abuja on June 25 and other cities in the six geo-political zones.