MAP Media Africa, a non-governmental organisation has begun training of youths in the southwest region on the need for their involvement in active political participation and electoral reform in the country.
The team lead of the NGO, Mayowa Adeniran, said during the one day training in Osogbo that it aimed to increase youth active participation in political processes and electoral reform in the country.
Adeniran, who noted that the training would cut across the six states in the southwest geopolitical zone, said that the project was to mobilise, empower and engage young people for sustainable electoral participation.
He said that the NGO was training the youth by focusing on the top five “youth election reform priorities” in the country.
According to him, the reform include; establishment of an electoral offences commission, timely transmission of election results, interpretation and amendment of continuous registration laws, pre-election petition resolutions and INEC leadership selection process reform.
” At the end of all these, we want to see how we can increase youth participation as the the 2027 general elections approaching.
“The training is to stimulate conversation around electoral reform, the use digital media to engage and the reason for the shift in voter’s aparth.
” The training is also to let the youth see how their participation can reduce political violence and how they can engage their fellow youth to participate in politics”, he said.
Adeniran who noted that the training was a regional project, said it was supported by Canada Funds for Local Initiatives (CFLI)
He also said that the youth were expected to train stepdown the training at their various senatorial district.
Also speaking, Mrs Bunmi Eyelade, southwest director of programmes for Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), an NGO, said that the training was to encourage the youths to continued to participate in electoral processes and its reform.
” We know that at this point, the young people are disillusioned about elections in country , considering what happened in 2023 general elections and thereafter.
” This is training, however, is expected to encourage the young ones to see reasons they need to take active participation in electoral processes” for a positive change”, she said.
Some of the youths who were present at the training commended the NGO for the initiative, describe it as an eye opener.
One of the participants, Adetunji Ajala, chairman of National Youth Council of Nigeria(NYCN) in Osun, said that the training had deepened their understanding on how things should be done in electoral processes in the country.
Ajala, who commended the NGO for identifying with the relevant youth stakeholders in the state, said that they would stepdown the training at their various senatorial district.
Also, Mr Aghanti Smith, the General- Secretary of Joint National Association of Persons with Disabilities in Osun, said the youths must be ready to take active participation in politic for a better Nigeria.
The youths who were drawn from the three senatorial district in the state were taught on importance of of electoral reform advocacy, role of youth-led movement and organisation in promoting political participation, among others.
