* Harps on importance of PVC collection.
As the 2023 General Elections draw closer, a Non Governmental Organisation, Lugard Youth Development and Empowerment Initiative LYDEI in Collaboration with Nigerian Youth Future fund , alongside LEAP Africa with funding from Ford and McArthur Foundations has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to put up necessary machinary in place to conduct free, fair and Credible forthcoming general elections.
This is as it challenged the youths to consider their own future , so as not to be used for thuggery to perpetuate violence b unscrupulous politicians.
The Executive Director, Oseni Okutepa, made the call yesterday at a one day seminar for Critical Youth Stakeholders from across the state held in LoKoja.
The Executive Director noted that the seminar was for the youth engagement and Sensitisation for the collection of permanent Voters cards PVCs for the coming general polls.
Okutepa who disclosed that his Organisation has developed a community charter of demand to identify the youths priority needs for candidates to understand the enumerated projects to be implemented by the eventual winners.
He said the Organisation which is implementing “Light Up Youth Democracy Project” is to mobilise youths for the collection of pvc to enable them exercise their franchise as they are often at the receiving end of election’s outcomes.
He tasked INEC as the election Management body to step up voters education to the grassroots.
He urge them to come up with programmes that will build trust among the electorate as regards their preparedness capable of allaying the fears of violence in the forthcoming polls.
He appealed to INEC to avail the Organisation with statistic of collection rates across 21 LGCs to enable her to deploy resources towards stepping up awareness campaigns.
According to him” We have series of activities to engage in voters education so that we can deploy our resources. We have engaged INEC to furnish us with accurate date on pvc collections on local government by Local governments basis.
” We have equally identified hotspot areas, where we know that this place or that place is noted for election violence, as revealed by the violence analysis we have done.
” From our assessment, we hope that pvc collections will be high as we are targeting 80% success rate” He assured.
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