IPC takes voter education campaign to grassroots

THE International Press Centre (IPC) Lagos last week took its voter education campaign to the grassroots educating representatives of women, youth, artisans groups and people with disabilities on the need to enlighten and sensitise members of their community to participate actively in the forthcoming election in a non-violent manner. 

 The Coordinator, Strengthening Citizens Engagement in Electoral Process (SCEEP) Lagos Project, Sanmi Falobi, said that the election mobilization meeting is with the specific objective to support citizens, especially women, youth and persons living with disability (PWDs) to participate in and influence the 2015 electoral process.

   “This meeting is part of a broad election and democratic governance project tagged: Strengthening Citizens’ Engagement in Electoral Processes (SCEEP) being implemented across ten (10) States by ACTIONAID Nigeria, funded by UKAID through The Department for International Development (DFID).

   “ActionAid Nigeria is an affiliate of ActionAid Global Federation. It started operating in Nigeria in 1999 and transformed into autonomous national organisation registered with the CAC. ActionAid work is in using human rights based approach, to strengthen people’s action to hold government and corporates accountable as well as to enhance people’s access to quality services, advance the rights of women and girls, promote their safety and participation in public and private, advance the rights of children and support young people in building a just, democratic and inclusive society including enhancing human security and livelihood for the poor and excluded.”

   Falobi hopes that at the conclusion of the meeting, there would be robust discussions and engagement on actively participating in the electoral process and making our votes count. 

    “Beyond that, it is our expectation that we shall all be equipped with new information, knowledge and capacities to put our communities on the part of actively engaging the electoral and democratic process such that elections does not only be about voting, but using the power of our votes to engage elected leaders on community demands and development infrastructures after the elections,” Falobi said.

  Midway into the engagement, there were panel discussion by each of the groups invited to the discussion to look at the challenges and the way forward on how these groups could actively participate in the elections. 

   Assumpta Khalil of Centre for Citizens with Disabilities noted that nobody is immune to disability which is why everybody should be positively concerned about people with disabilities and their participation in the electoral process. She maintained that he ongoing sensitization is not enough therefore more needs to be done. 

   A woman market leader, Alhaja T. Dele Badu called on all market leaders to enlighten their members on the need to vote right.  

   Also, Abiodun Elugbaju appealed that when people who are visually impaired are being assisted to vote, their choice should be respected and not upturned because they cannot see.