Stories - Page 39 of 54

09 Jun

0

Not Too Young To Run Movement to Host Celebration Conference

by admin1 in programs

Celebrating People, Power and Democratic Renewal
The celebration conference is hosted by the Not Too Young To Run movement to celebrate effective activism and underscore the inestimable value of citizens-state engagement in enhancing the quality of democratic politics in Nigeria. Leaders from political society, civil society, state institutions, academia, international community and media will converge to shape an agenda for democracy, governance and political representation in the pre and post 2019 era.

Recognizing the roles of both the Executive and Legislative Arms of Government, the movement has invited the Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and Speaker, House of Representatives, Honourable Yakubu Dogara to be part of the historic event.

Follow the link below to register

Register Here

06 Jun

0

254 Days to 2019 Elections: Electronic Collation and Transmission of Election Results

by admin1 in News, programs

By Anthonia Adi

Nigeria needs a better electoral system that will eliminate rigging; electoral fraud, and other irregularities to ensure free, fair, credible and transparent electoral process, and this can be done by the adoption and use of electronic collation and transmission of election result. Electronic collation and Transmission of election results is the use of electronic software to send results directly from the polling Units to the INEC database. This to a reasonable level will help detect election malpractices in our electoral system.

In 2012 and 2016, Ghana deployed strong digital components for their elections. In similar light, Namibia held the continent’s first ever digital election in 2014. Currently, Zimbabwe is mulling the use of biometric voter recognition in 2018 while Botswana is considering conducting fully digital elections in 2019. Sources also reveal that Nigeria is warming up to use electronic collation and transmissions of election result come 2019.

The provisions to allow for Electronic Transmission and Collation of Election Results in the amended Electoral Act as passed by the National Assembly if assented will be to help move the nation forward. It will give room for Free, fair and credible elections, and also will reduce the time between voting activities and results publication to the barest minimum, as manipulation of election is often done between voting and the announcement of the results. Generally, it will enhance the election result management system by ensuring the accurate and transparent management of election results from polling units to the INEC Database. There is a saying which goes thus: “Whoever cast the votes, decide nothing, and those who count the votes decide everything”.

The huge cost associated with the deployment is, however, a factor to be considered. The fact that a technology-based election may run a higher risk of uncertain performance failure and can potentially destabilize the process of an election if the situation is not well managed. Like in 2015 general elections, though not widespread, the Smart Card readers failed to capture fingerprints and verify cards in some polling units which led to the spill of elections to the next day. Also during the 2016 Ghana general elections, the Electoral Commission had to abandon electronic transmission of results and resort to manual collation, with the Commission explaining that its electronic systems may have been compromised. If the risk are well manage it will go a long way to improve and build citizens confidence in the electoral process in the country.

Using Electronic devices for collation and transmission of election results will eliminate results manipulation by reducing manual intervention to the barest minimum, significantly promote transparency and accuracy of election results and make the process verifiable for everyone.

Card reader Image credit: Independent News

Anthonia Adi is a Research Officer for YIAGA AFRICA and Zonal Program Officer for South-East under YIAGA’s Watching the Vote.

04 Jun

0

Uni-Ilorin Wins #BounceCorruption public integrity National Debate Competition

by admin1 in programs

…. as ICPC, EFCC Commends YIAGA Africa for initiative

University of Ilorin has carted home the prestigious award having emerged winner of the #BounceCorruption Public Integrity National Debate competition for Students of Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria after beating 8 other universities in a keenly contested final. The Bounce Corruption public integrity tertiary debate grand final which was held on Thursday, May 31 in Abuja gave passionate students from various institutions the opportunity to discuss fundamental issues as regards corruption in the country and the way forward. University of Lagos were the first runner up in an intensive debate which saw, Federal University of Technology Owerri coming third as University of Calabar came fourth. Other institutions who participated in the knockout round that couldn’t make it through the final round includes: Federal university Dutse, university of Benin, university of Maiduguri as well as a swing team who stood in for Gombe State University.

The program which targets the younger Nigerians, believes one of the major ways of fighting corruption is to sensitize the younger generations who are the leaders of today and tomorrow, about the effects of these acts.

The debate competition torch lighted fundamental issues relating to the anticorruption fight in Nigeria. Debaters were made to reject or propose motions with their various strong reasons. These motions were: “This house believes that Nigeria’s present Anti-Corruption crusade is misdirected”, “In The belief that Corruption is more of an economic than a moral matter, this house would prioritize loot recovery ahead of jail terms in cases of financial corruption”, and “This house believes that Nigeria’s present anti-corruption campaign is being compromised by political considerations”.

The competition had panelist from the Civil Society organizations, Media, two of the countries’ anti-corruption agencies(ICPC and EFCC), as well as the All-Nigeria universities debating council (ANUDC) who was chair of the panel during the debate.

Speaking during the debate, acting Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Usman Abubakar, YIAGA Africa, and MacArthur Foundation for investing so much energy, time and resources to organize an anti-corruption debating competition for tertiary institutions across the nation.

Dr. Abubakar made the commendation recently through the Assistant Director, Public Enlightenment Department of ICPC, Edet Ufot, while delivering a goodwill message at the grand finale of the Bounce Corruption Integrity Debate Competition for Students of Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria which took place in Abuja recently.

The ICPC Chairman also used the opportunity to call on other organizations to emulate the noble example of YIAGA Africa by organizing similar events which he said would help to instill and inculcate the virtues of integrity, accountability, and transparency in the youths of Nigeria thereby ensuring a brighter and more prosperous future for the country.

Giving her remark, the programs manager of YIAGA Africa, Cynthia Mbamalu, stated that one of the aims of the program is for Nigerians across the state to start asking questions and demanding accountability.

She added that corruption was not an issue to be left for government to tackle alone. “It has become an issue that every citizen becomes conscious and concerned about and that is what Bounce Corruption is about,” she said.

She further explained that Bounce Corruption was also aimed at mobilizing citizens across the different states of the federation to begin to ask critical questions, demand for accountability, and lead the fight against corruption.

Mbamalu added that the best ways to mobilise citizens in the fight against corruption was to start with the young people because they are vigorous and have a major stake in the wellbeing of the nation.

“We have longer years to live, meaning that if we do not address the issues of corruption now, we will live to bear the brunt of a system that is failing,” she said.

Going forward, as part of the project objectives, Bounce Corruption public integrity clubs will be established in these various institutions. These will therefore deepen the conversations on anti-corruption in the country among the youths, with an overall objective of building that culture of accountability and integrity amongst young Nigerians. YIAGA Africa believes that the fight against corruption is a collective responsibility and that young people must begin to understand its importance and take the lead in demanding good governance and accountability within their communities and Nigeria at large.

04 Jun

0

Not Too Young To Run: A story of people, power and democratic renewal (I) – Samson Itodo

by admin1 in News

Nigeria operates a rigid constitution. Rigid constitutions by their nature are complicated and painstaking to change. It takes time, effort and resources to insert a comma, full stop or delete a word from a rigid constitution. This is attributed to the cumbersome amendment process prescribed in the law that makes it nearly impossible to amend a section of it. As an official document with special legal force, the constitution requires strict adherence to its conditions for amendment. Failure to meet one condition renders an amendment a nullity, resulting in the waste of public resources, as seen in the case of the botched 4^th alteration to the constitution under the previous administration.

In order to alter the constitution, a constitutional amendment bill must be introduced and passed by a two-thirds majority of members in each chamber of the National Assembly and must also be approved by a resolution of the Houses of Assembly of no less than two-thirds of all states in the Federation. Section 58 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), makes presidential assent a condition precedent for the passage of bills into law. That means the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria must assent to any bill altering the provisions of the Constitution before it takes effect. In view of this tedious process, it is not misplaced when stakeholders rejoice at the successful passage of a constitutional amendment.

The Not Too Young To Run bill fulfilled all conditions prescribed in the constitution for its passage. The Senate and House of Representatives passed the bill with an overwhelming majority while 33 out of 36 state assemblies adopted the age reduction amendment. May 31, 2018 will be remembered in history as the day democracy won and Nigeria witnessed a true “youthquake.” President Buhari signed the Not Too Young To Run bill into law, reducing the age for running for the office of the President from 40 to 35 years, House of Representatives 30 to 25 and State House of Assembly 30 to 25. He acknowledged Not Too Young To Run as a “landmark piece of legislation conceived, championed and accomplished by young Nigerians.” What an affirmation of youth power! Democracy thrives when citizens assert their sovereignty through active, strategic and systematic engagement with democratic institutions.

The advocacy for age reduction was conducted against the background of a failing state and loss of faith in manifestly weak democratic institutions, such as political parties and parliaments. The weak relationship between the executive and legislature was not only stifling growth, but it was also undermining democracy and governance. Worst still is the prevailing philosophy that public leadership is hinged on service to self, ethnic or religious affiliation, rather than service to the people. Nigerian citizens, particularly young people, were frustrated, disenchanted, and disillusioned with a country where justice is not for all but for a select few who can afford it. Lastly, building consensus in a pluralistic and politically sensitive nation like Nigeria is an arduous undertaking.

The roadmap to the bill’s success was anchored on the trilogy of people, power and democratic Not Too Young To Run as a campaign began in May 2016 with the sponsorship of an age reduction bill in the National Assembly. The decision to engage the National Assembly on this issue was a departure from previous strategies adopted by Youth Action Initiative Africa, now known as YIAGA AFRICA. Previous advocacy strategies were limited to the submission of memoranda and participation in public hearings, but the Not Too Young To Run campaign adopted a more people-driven, disruptive and strategic approach. Thus, for two years, young people organized and built strategic capacity to push for age reduction.

The campaign was used as a tool to organize its constituents, who are mostly young people, to create the power they need to achieve the common purpose of reducing the age for running for office. From the outset, it was important to ascertain their values, interests and resources as well as their readiness to take strategic actions to address the issue of exclusion which was a common enemy. This was followed by a categorization of the people who share our values and vision into five blocks: Constituents, Leadership, Opposition, Supporters, and Competitors. United by our shared purpose and vision, we then proceeded to build a strong community of people who exercise agency interdependently on behalf of those values or interests. We recruited and developed leadership within our constituency. Driven by our snowflake or interdependent leadership model, we built leadership teams at the national, state, and local government levels to achieve our goals. Every individual or organization involved in the campaign took responsibility for advancing the cause in their sphere of influence. Through it all, the movement remained about the people, not any individual.

Our approach to power and power dynamics contributed in no small measure to the success of our struggle against inequality and gerontocracy. We approach Power as a relationship rather than a status. For us, “power” is the influence created as result of the intersection between interests and resources. The convergence of interests and resources establishes the influence we need to take action. As a movement, we organized around two forms of power: “power with” and “power over.” According to Marshall Ganz, “power with” is created just by organizing our resources with others, creating the power we need to affect the change that we want (e.g. community union, or interest groups, etc.), while “power over” refers to situations where others hold power over decisions or resources that is needed to create the change that you want. In such cases, we have to organize our power with others first to claim the resources or decisions that will fulfil our interests.

Through interdependent collaboration, we organized to create power with one another. We built strategic partnerships with several organizations and stakeholders from different aspects of human endeavor like civil society, trade unions, professional associations, faith-based and community organization etc. Media groups like Channels Television, African Independent Television (AIT), TV Continental, Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Premium Times, Sahara Reporters, The Cable and YNAIJA played a key role in public sensitization and agenda setting. It also took a collaborative effort to organize series of public demonstrations, advocacy visits, town hall meetings, and public debates to push the campaign. When the Senate and House committee allegedly killed the bill, it took the collaborative power of different actors for it to be rescued.

As a movement, we also organized to challenge ‘power over’ held by decision-makers in the constitution review process. They include; Senate President and Speaker of House of Representatives; Deputy Senate President and Deputy Speaker who act as chairs of constitution review committees; 46 members of Senate committee on constitution review and 47 in the House; Senators and Honorable members; Speakers and members of State Assemblies. The movement also engaged four categories of influencers in our power map – leadership of political parties, traditional/religious leaders, godfathers and drafters and consultants to the committee on constitution review. Four questions guided our engagement with these actors: What change do we want? Who has the resources to create that change? What resources do we have that they need? and What do they want? The demands of the movement were clear – reduce the age for running for office – but then the power to amend the constitution was vested in the national and state assemblies, not young people. We recognized lawmakers leverage on the youth vote to win elections, hence our campaign that youths will withdraw their vote and support for any legislator who voted against the bill. It worked.

Democratic renewal is specific and concrete. Our demand was specific – open the political space by reducing the age requirements for running for office in the constitution. As it stands, the age requirement for running for the office of the president, house of representatives and state house of assembly has been reduced and of binding effect. Although this falls short of the demands of the movement, it is a progressive step towards fostering inclusive electoral politics. Maximizing the gains of this landmark constitutional amendment will certainly require increased voter participation in elections. It is therefore crucial for qualified unregistered young voters to participate in the ongoing voter registration, ensure they collect their Permanent Voter Card (PVC), and show up to vote in the 2019 elections.

Samson Itodo is an elections and constitution building enthusiast. He is the Executive Director of YIAGA AFRICA and Convener of the Not Too Young To run movement. Send comments and feedback to sitodo@yiaga.org He tweets @DSamsonItodo

04 Jun

0

A FINAL WORD: THE BOUNCE CORRUPTION PUBLIC INTEGRITY DEBATE COMPETITION

by admin1 in News, programs

It was a balmy morning on Thursday, the 31^stof May 2018 at Sheraton Hotels, Abuja. The guests began to arrive early, clearly filled with anticipation for the impending moment: the Grand Finale of the Bounce Corruption Public Debate Competition.

It had taken months of consistent traveling, preparations and logistics, short rehearsals and lots of enthusiasm in the drive to fight corruption in Nigeria to get here. Supported by the MacArthur Foundation, the Bounce Corruption Initiative has taken major steps in the persistent advocacy of curbing corruption not just at the corners already affected, but from the grassroots. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) have also been partners in this mission, prompting the need for more discussions and discernment of why it is necessary to address the issue from where it can affect gravely—our youths.

Various debates have earlier been held across select tertiary institutions in the nation’s geopolitical zones. The winners from those phases moved on to the Finale, which was held at the Sheraton Hotels, Abuja. Now vying for success as representative winners of their various Zones, and also as the overall winner of the Competition itself, it was definitely going to be sweat-inducing battle. As done as the former, the teams will have no pre-emptive idea of the topic to be debated on—they will only be told by the Judges at the grounds, and then given minutes to prepare. This idea is to enhance critical thinking and spontaneous ideas, and to give the students a chance to not feel monotony, as one would be if given the luxury of routine and earlier rehearsals. The idea of the Debate is to get the students think quick and more constructively.

As the Judges took their place at the stage, the atmosphere in the room became intense, palatable with expectations. The Judges made up a fine list: they were from reputable positions of offices; most were also already conversant with the program from its initial stages. They consisted of: Mr Kingsley Obi from the International Corporation Unit of the ICPC, Sam Amaddin, the Head, Enlightenment & Orientation of Public Affairs Unit, EFCC, Dr Funmi Olubode-Sawe from the Nigerian University Debate Council, Kimberly Nawachukwu from Nigerian Info, and Amara Nwankpa, Director of Public Policy, Yar’adua Foundation. The event began with the semi-final stage, which would garner further participation to the finale stage.

The semi-finals began with the topic of the present Anti-corruption crusade. Sectioned into mock groups that represented the Government and the opposing school as the other side, with titles of the first speaker as the Prime Minister, the speaker began her debate by stating that the crusade was misdirected. She began by arguing on the points that Nigeria’s fight against corruption has not changed. Little sums of money were being recovered in comparison with the vast sums that were looted, and recovered funds were not necessarily being managed transparently. The Leader of the Opposition countered that Nigeria had experienced over 100 years of endemic corruption, uninterrupted through independence and all subsequent civilian and military administrations. It seemed like a spar of words, but it was diplomatic and true, making options in-between for various speakers to individually raise questions and demand explanations of points that seemed too ambiguous. Soon the audience began to reel in, following in tandem with the conversation. Step by step, it was imperative to note how the speakers gave resilient points that addressed all aspects of the various steps already initiated to tackle corruption in Nigeria (such as whistle-blowing), how and if those steps have been working and doing enough, and if the Anti-corruption crusade was more of a novelty than an effective motive working to fight corruption. It is also admirable to note how the students were innovative, some using points of law, and even as organic as notable cultural references to buttress their points for better understanding. This made the debate more intriguing, and the audience were fully supportive in their response to every point made.

At the Final stage, the points were shortened, sticking to necessary inputs and imaginative ideas for the curb of corruption. Deliberations and decision-makings by the Judges were heightened, but finally there would be one overall winner, which emerged as the University of Ilorin. The Judges praised their abilities to raise points that garnered concrete establishments of their debates, and also by their tenacity to come up with incisive ideas in respect to the topics addressed. However, as this Finale stage was a hurdle that all the selected schools had been successful enough to cross, everyone was a winner in their light, as each school walked away with individual awards and certificates of memberships to acknowledge their participation!

It was indeed a memorable evening, one of joys and smiles as the schools gathered around for one last photograph. One thing that will definitely remain in the hearts of the students, the Judges and above all, the supporters (MacArthur Foundation), the organizer (YIAGA AFRICA) and the partners (EFCC and ICPC), it is that the BounceCorruption Debate Finale was not just a success story, but an example of what happens when hard work, endurance and creativity comes in play. A unified front to establish conversations that will drive the need to get youths engaged in the mission to end corruption in Nigeria.

04 Jun

0

STATEMENT BY THE NOT TOO YOUNG TO RUN MOVEMENT ON THE SIGNING INTO LAW OF THE AGE REDUCTION BILL (NOT TOO YOUNG TO RUN) BY THE PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI

by admin1 in programs

Ladies and gentlemen of the Press.

We welcome you to this press conference organized by the leadership of the Not Too Young To Run movement on the signing into law of the age reduction bill by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari. The Not Too Young To Run movement is a movement of youth and civil society groups advocating for the reduction of age for running for elective offices to mainstream young men and women in electoral politics. Not Too Young To Run is Nigeria’s largest and most successful youth movement in recent times. The movement is driven by the compelling need to restructure the country’s political system to address the deeply entrenched system of political exclusion and institute inclusive politics, transformative leadership and electoral competitiveness in the electoral process.

On May 21, 2018, the movement gave President Buhari an 8-day ultimatum to assent to the Not Too Young To Run Bill. The movement requested the president to bequeath to Nigerian youths a memorable democracy gift by assenting to the Not Too Young To Run Bill. In his Democracy Day address, the President announced his decision to assent to assent to the bill. On May 31^st 2018, Mr. President signed the bill into law in the presence of the leadership of the movement and young people drawn from 36 states of the federation.

This is a pivotal moment in history of our democracy. The signing into law of the Not Too Young To Run Bill is an affirmation of our belief in inclusive democracy. Unarguably, increased youth participation in politics is an indicator of democratic development. We are therefore taking intentional steps as a nation to harness the demographic dividend by expanding the political space for increased youth participation. The campaign has shown that democracy thrives when citizens assert their sovereignty through effective, strategic and systematic engagement with democratic institutions.

The journey to the historic passage/assent to the bill began two years ago, on May 26, 2016, when the Not Too Young To Run Bill to reduce the constitutional age requirement for running for elective office in Nigeria, was first read on the floor of House of Representatives. On 26 July 2017, the Nigeria Senate passed the bill with an overwhelming majority (86 -10). The Bill was passed, again by a large majority (261 – 23), in the House of Representatives on 27 July, 2017.

The journey continued to the state Houses of Assembly, recording acceptance and affirmation from one state legislature to the next, including the historic second vote by the Taraba State House of Assembly, who changed her previous No to a Yes vote. The Bill secured a YES vote from 33 state Houses of Assembly, eight more than constitutionally required. Lagos, Kano and Zamfara abstained from voting, and have been inducted in our Hall of Shame for disregarding the yearnings of the youth they represent.

The movement engaged with the leadership of the national and state legislatures through visits and personalized letters to all 109 Senators, 360 members of the House of Representatives and 991 House of Assembly members; National Days of Action in 24 states and the FCT with an estimated 10,000 people participating; appearances on all the major media stations in Nigeria and the international media; as well as sustained interactive social media conversations.

The movement appreciates President Buhari for assenting to this bill. The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo is recognized and appreciated for his solidarity and support for the campaign. We also thank specially, the leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives who demonstrated unparalleled belief in youth leadership and inclusive politics throughout the campaign. To the 86 Senators and 261 Honorable Members who said yes to the Bill, thank you for writing your names in gold, and putting Nigeria on the global map as a country fully invested in meeting the needs of its youth. It is worthy to note that the UN, ECOWAS, and the AU have adopted this Bill, and other countries on the continent have been inspired to seek reduction in age for political participation.

We thank the leadership and members of the 33 state assemblies that voted in support of the bill. We must specifically thank Hon. Tony Nwulu and Senator Abdul-aziz Nyako for sponsoring this bill at the House of Representatives and the Senate respectively. The movement has been inspired and motivated by your commitment to youth development, transformative politics and democratic renewal.

Another category of people to thank are the members of the strategy team and state/LGA coordinators of the Not Too Young To Run movement, without whom the vision for a reduction in the age for political participation would have remained a pipe dream. We thank the international community and development partners for supporting this movement in this journey. Special thanks to civil society, media and youth groups for their solidarity and support. Lastly, we thank the Nigerian youth for demonstrating leadership and patriotism in the defence of our democracy through their participation in the campaign.

We acknowledge that the signing of this Bill marks the beginning of a new era in the politics of our great nation, enhancing democratic development, deepen intergenerational dialogue and learning, reduce political violence and instability, enhance competitive politics, but above all, fulfil an essential requirement of democracy which is to facilitate the implementation of the fundamental right of political participation for Nigeria’s youth, which form 65% of the population and 53% of registered voter.

The bill as assented by the President reduces the age qualification for the office of the president from 40 to 35; House of Representatives 30 to 25 and State House of Assembly 30 to 25. The age qualification for Governor and Senate was retained at 35 years contrary to the demands of the Nigerian people. The movement maintains that the retention of the 35 years for both Governor and Senate positions is unfortunate and disappointing. The National Assembly should revisit its vote on the age qualification for both offices.

As we prepare for the 2019 general elections the imperative for youth inclusion especially as candidates for all elective positions is not a matter for debate but an imperative. The movement would like to place the following on record;

The 2019 elections present an opportunity for young people to assert their power not only as voters or campaign merchants but also as qualified electoral candidates. The movement is therefore committed to inspiring and supporting more youth candidates with content and character to run for office through its Ready To Run initiative and other interventions aimed at promoting youth candidacy in the next elections.

Data from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) indicates that about 52% of registered voters are young people between the ages 18 – 35 years. The movement will continue to mobilize more young people across the country to participate in the ongoing continuous voter registration exercise, collect their Permanent Voter Card (PVC) and turn out to vote in all elections. The vision of this movement can only be achieved if young people come out to vote in 2019.

To the political class – If you want the youth vote, reserve tickets for youth aspirants; uphold internal party democracy to safeguard the emergence of more youth candidates and most importantly commit to non-violent elections.

The movement notes that signing this bill into law is not sufficient to guarantee youth representation in political office. It will require reducing the cost of politics, democratic primaries within political parties, affirmative action/quotas and most importantly credible and peaceful elections. The movement therefore makes the following demands;

The National Assembly should review its vote on the age qualification for the Senate and Governors. This review should be in tandem with the proposal by the movement (President – 30 years, Governor – 30 years and Senate – 30 years)

Political parties should reserve 50% of party tickets for capable, competent, and morally upright youth aspirants across all elections in 2019;

Expedite action on assenting to electoral reform bills bordering on limiting campaign expenditure and cost of securing party nomination;

Uphold the principles of transparency, democracy and accountability in party primaries.

To celebrate this landmark achievement, the movement will be hosting a Not Too Young To Run Celebration Conference on June 28, 2018 in Abuja. The Celebration Conference is convened to celebrate effective activism and underscore the inestimable value of citizens-state engagement in enhancing the quality of electoral politics in Nigeria. The conference is also hosted against the upsurge of new questions on the nature and quality of public leadership Nigeria requires to make sustainable progress. At the center of this debate is the question on whether young people possess the competencies for public leadership or the economic power to navigate the tide of Nigeria’s expensive political process. Leaders from political society, civil society, state institutions, academia, international community and media will converge to shape an agenda for democracy, governance and political representation in the pre and post 2019 era. The Vice President, Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives will be delivering keynote addresses and participate in an intergernerational dialogue for democracy at the conference.

We cannot conclude without restating our commitment to inclusive politics, transformative leadership and democratic governance. The movement will retain its identity as a non-partisan and citizen-led movement of citizens dedicated to the defence of democracy and nation building. The movement will not be transiting into a political party.

We enjoin youth across the country to take up the challenge to serve our great country Nigeria.

One Shared Value, One Shared Goal, #NOTTOOYOUNGTORUN

Our Shared Value, Our Shared Goal, #NOTTOOYOUNGTORUN

Signed

Activista
Abuja Global Shapers
African Youth Initiative on Population, Health & Development (AfrYPoD)
Connected Development [CODE]
The Election Network
League of Progressive Ambassadors of Nigeria (LEPAN)
Mind Capital
The Nigerian Youth Parliament
Orodata,
Project Pink Blue
Social Good Nigeria
TechHer NG
The YALI Network
Youngstars Foundation
Youth Hub Africa
YIAGA Africa
Amplified Radio
Media Insight
Say No Campaign
Vision Alive Foundation, Abia
Youth Initiative for Better Change, Adamawa
Young Activists Initiative Nigeria, Akwa Ibom
Integrity Youth Development Initiative, Anambra
Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development, Bayelsa
The Bridge Youth Development Foundation, Benue
Exit Lanes, Borno
After School Centre for Career Development, Cross River
DIG Foundation, Ebonyi
Connected Advocacy, Edo
Inspiration Care Centre, Ekiti
New Century Initiative, Enugu
Dandalin Matasa Initiative for Rapid Development, Gombe
Development Dynamics, Imo
Centre for Environmental Research and Development, Jigawa
One Project Afrika. Kaduna
Centre for Advocacy in Gender and Social Inclusion, Kano
Youth Entrepreneurship Support Hub, Katsina
Youth Consensus Forum, Kebbi
Youth Emancipation for the Society (ProjectYES), Kogi
Brain Builders International, Kwara
Grassroots Mobilization Initiative, Nasarawa
Nigerian Young Professionals Forum, Niger
Youth Future Savers Initiatives, Ogun
Youth Aglow Initiative, Ondo
Kimpact Development Initiative, Osun
Young Care Initiative, Oyo
Centre for Youth Participation Advocacy, Plateau
Golden Star Development Initiative, Sokoto
Rural Integrated Development Initiative, Taraba
North East Youth Initiative Forum, Yobe
Golden Stars Development Initiative, Zamfara
Modaville Centre for Development, Lagos
National Organization for Citizens Orientation (NOCO), Rivers State.
Nigerian Youth Action (NYA), Rivers State, Nigeria

03 Jun

0

ICPC Commends YIAGA Africa for Anti-Corruption Debate Competition for Tertiary Institutions Students

by admin1 in News

Acting Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Usman Abubakar, has commended the Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth and Advancement (YIAGA Africa), together with the MacArthur Foundation for investing so much energy, time and resources to organize an anti-corruption debating competition for tertiary institutions across the nation.

Dr. Abubakar made the commendation recently through the Assistant Director, Public Enlightenment Department of ICPC, Edet Ufot, while delivering a goodwill message at the grand finale of the Bounce Corruption Integrity Debate Competition for Students of Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria which took place in Abuja recently.

The ICPC Chairman also used the opportunity to call on other organisations to emulate the noble example of YIAGA Africa by organizing similar events which he said would help to instill and inculcate the virtues of integrity, accountability, and transparency in the youths of Nigeria thereby ensuring a brighter and more prosperous future for the country.

He also commended the participants from 24 universities across the country who had gone through the rigours of the zonal championships and emerged victorious to participate in the grand finale.

Earlier in her opening remarks, Cynthia Mbamalu, Programme Manager, YIAGA, said that the aim of Bounce Corruption was to harness voices of young people especially students against corruption.

She added that corruption was not an issue to be left for government to tackle alone. “It has become an issue that every citizen becomes conscious and concerned about and that is what Bounce Corruption is about,” she said.

She further explained that Bounce Corruption was also aimed at mobilizing citizens across the different states of the federation to begin to ask critical questions, demand for accountability, and lead the fight against corruption.

Mbamalu added that the best ways to mobilise citizens in the fight against corruption was to start with the young people because they are vigorous and have a major stake in the wellbeing of the nation.

“We have longer years to live, meaning that if we do not address the issues of corruption now, we will live to bear the brunt of a system that is failing,” she said.

The climax of the event witnessed presentation of awards to the overall winners and runners-up.

At the end of the debate, University of Ilorin contestants who spoke in favour of the motion that “Nigeria’s Present Anti-Corruption Campaign is being Compromised by Political Considerations” emerged as the overall champions, followed by the University of Lagos which opposed the motion.

Federal University of Technology, Owerri which also opposed the motion came third, while the fourth position went to the University of Calabar.’

Source: ICPC.gov.ng

03 Jun

0

YIAGA Africa Deploys Pre-Election Observers to all 16 Local Government Area in Ekiti State

by admin1 in programs

….to recruit observers from sampled polling units

Having Observed the Political party primaries in Ekiti State, YIAGA’s Watching The Vote (WTV) project has also trained and deployed Long Term Observers (LTO) to observe the pre-election environment in Ekiti State. The Long Term Observers are also expected to recruit polling unit observers from sampled polling units. The Long Term observes who also double as Local Government Supervisors were deployed to each of the 16 Local Government Areas in the State to report on events, activities and critical incidents using a spescialized checklist and critical incident form. The observation reports from the field are sent in form of coded SMS to the WTV Data Center bi-weekly while the critical incidents are sent in as they occur and properly escalated after verification.

YIAGA Africa’s Watching The Vote Pre-Election observers will observe issues related to the; activities of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ranging from voter education and information campaigns to the collection and distribution of Permanent Voters Card, activities of political parties like the rallies and campaigns, activities relating to security agencies and incidents capable of undermining the electoral process. Pre-election observers will also observe and report Voter information campaigns by National Orientation Agency (NOA) and other Civil Society Organisations.

At YIAGA Africa, we believe and promote social justice and inclusiveness thus voter education and campaigns targeted specifically at Youths, Women and Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) will be followed closely and duly reported by Observers during the pre-election period. Even as political parties launch their campaigns across the state, our election observation team are interested in campaigns and rallies associated to various political parties while also observing if youths, women and PWDs are also in anyway canvassing for votes.

Through the Pre-Election observation, YIAGA Africa will track early warning signs and any form of incident that can hinder the successful conduct of the elections. In this vein, WTV pre-elections observers will observe and report issues relating to hate speech campaigns, intimidation and harassment of any electoral stakeholder and attacks on media or INEC officials. LTOs will also report government restrictions on political activities or unjustifiable military influx into the state. This will enable YIAGA to verify and report this information to relevant authorities for proper action. Pre-elections observation findings will be shared to the public via various channels of communication including social media.

As a civic hub dedicated to the promotion electoral integrity and credible elections and as an INEC accredited observer group, YIAGA Africa will also be deploying citizens’ observers to observe the Election Day activities. YIAGA invites the people of Ekiti State, Election Stakeholders and citizens to follow the pre-election observation report and engage using the findings of the reports.

Signed

YIAGA Africa

Executive Director,

Samson Itodo

03 Jun

0

Ekiti REC Excited Over WatchingTheVote Election Observation Deployment Plan

by admin1 in programs

….as WTV pays Advocacy visit to INEC, Police

The Ekiti state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof Abdul-Ganiyu Olayinka has said he is excited over YIAGA Africa’s WatchingTheVote (WTV) plan to deploy technology to observe the upcoming Ekiti State Governorship Elections. The REC lauded YIAGA Africa’s WTV electoral reform effort, saying the information and data provided by the project is very useful to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The REC said this when he received the WTV team in his office at Ado-Ekiti as he declared his excitement towards the project’s plan to deploy observers technology.

According to Prof Olayinka, YIAGA Africa is a formidable Organisation that strengthens democracy thus the commission will continue to welcome support and partnership on voter education and electoral transparency to correct the mindset of citizens while also building the confidence of electorates going into the elections.

While hoping that YIAGA Africa’s WTV deploys observers to flash points, the REC stressed that WTV deploy competent personnel who have passion for democracy while warning observers about the implication of manipulating data.

Speaking on the Commission’s preparation for the July 14, Governorship Elections in Ekiti state, the REC stated that INEC has launched a citizen voter education program that YIAGA Africa can be part of. He also revealed that, the commission has stepped down Voter Education Town hall meetings to all 16 Local Government Areas in the state. So far 520,000 Permanent Voters Card have been collected by citizens ahead of the election according to the REC.

He also said, INEC will make use of E-collation for the Ekiti election as it had done internet analysis of all the Polling Units in order to identify the best Internet Service Providers for each Polling Unit. According to Prof Olayinka, INEC will also set up and Election Operation Support Centre to monitor and track Election Day procedure to mitigate violence saying INEC’s Election Risk Management desk have identified flashpoints.

The Advocacy meeting was also joined by critical INEC officials like head of Election Party Monitoring, Head of Voter Education, and also key officials from Gender and also Information Communication Technology department.

Police Assures Security of Ekiti Polls

The Nigerian Police force has assured maximum security ahead of the upcoming Governorship Elections in Ekiti state. This was revealed by the Police Public Relations Officer, Caleb Ikechukwu, while receiving YIAGA Africa’s Election observation team in Ado- Ekiti. The PPRO revealed that the Police force will deploy at over 6,000 unarmed Police officers to secure electoral materials, personnel and citizens for the July 14^th Governorship Election in the state.

According to Mr Ikechukwu, the Nigerian Police will also deploy 25 tactical units of 63 mobile officers who will be armed at 100m from each Polling Units to protect voters and ensure law and order during elections. He said, there will also be patrol teams with vehicles and also aerial surveillance as he declared that the preparedness if for Pre, during and post the governorship elections in the state.

Mr Ikechukwu urged young people to eschew violence and not allow themselves to be used by politician saying no citizens is expected to be seen with light or heavy weapon. He urged Nigerians to report to the Police if they have any information that will help protect the citizens.

03 Jun

0

History is made as Buhari signs Not-Too-Young-To-Run Bill

by admin1 in programs

It was on the 31st Day of May, 2018 at exactly 2.30pm as news emerged from the Presidential Villa that President Muhammadu Buhari has assented to the Not-Too-Young-To-Run Bill.

Indeed President Muhammadu Buhari has signed the Not-Too-Young-To-Run Bill into law. The president signed the bill this afternoon inside the Council Chambers of the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Buhari had, in his Democracy Day broadcast said he will be joined by Nigerian Youths to sign the Age Reduction Bill. The President kept to his promise by inviting members of the NotTooYoungToRun movement to the Presidential Villa to witness the signing of the historic bill.

The bill was passed by the National Assembly last year to alter Sections 65, 106, 131, 177 of the Constitution to reduce the age qualification for president from 40 to 30; governor from 35 to 30; senator from 35 to 30; House of Representatives membership from 30 to 25 and State House of Assembly membership from 30 to 25.

Speaking during the event, the President said, the coordinators of the Not Too Young To Run movement have now established a formidable legacy – which is that, in our maturing democracy, if you really want to change something in Nigeria, and if you can organise yourselves and work hard towards it – you can achieve it. The remarkable effort by the movement according to the President has resulted in the heroic task of enshrining in law, a reduction of the minimum ages for elective office in Nigeria.

“You, the young people of Nigeria, are now set to leave your mark on the political space, just as you have done over the decades in entrepreneurship, sports, art, media entertainment, technology, and several other fields. You are undoubtedly Nigeria’s most important resource – not oil, not agriculture, not solid minerals – but you and all of us. Your energy, intelligence and talent are what will drive and develop Nigeria, long after we are all gone”, the President said

According to him, “this is an opportunity for me to affirm that this Administration will continue to do everything in its power to make Nigeria work for you”. He also urged young people to take advantage of this constitutional amendment.

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