TO equip them with the right tools to report as citizens during the forthcoming general elections, the federal government has commenced the training of young Nigerians in technology tools.
The training was organised by the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The training, according to organisers, will equip participants with relevant knowledge and skills on the application of technology in elections for voter election,, citizen mobilization, spreading of peace messages and supporting the overall credibility of the 2015 electoral process and beyond.
Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Abdu Bulama, who flagged off the training programme in Abuja, noted that the programme was deliberately planned to coincide with the electioneering activities of the country.
He stressed how social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Blackberry Messenger (BBM), WhatsApp, Linkedin and Instagram, among others, could be deployed for the electoral processes, especially in ensuring quick transmission of results.
The platforms, he added, could also be used in spreading messages of results and spreading messages of non-violence.
He said: “The Ministry is charged with a clear mandate to create technology infrastructure and knowledge base that will facilitate its wide application for development. This, among others, involves strengthening of the political framework for free, fair and transparent elections as well as entrenchment of good governance and ensuring more dividends of democracy.
“The Ministry is therefore, a veritable platform for deployment of innovative technologies that will support electoral process before, during and after the 2015 general elections.”
He further explained the place of technology in electioneering.
His words: “In many advanced countries, technology is embedded in activities related to electoral process which include compilation of voter lists, drawing of electoral boundaries, management and training of staff, printing of ballots, conduct of voter education campaigns, recording of cast votes, counting and consolidation of vote results and publication of election results. Deployment of appropriate technologies assists in the various aspects of electoral administration. This promotes administrative efficiency, reduce long-term costs and enhance political transparency.”
On the role young Nigerians would play in entrenching good governance and maintaining peace and order during elections, he stressed: “In developing countries like Nigeria, youth are mobilized by some politicians to perpetrate violence and other vices during elections. The essence of this training is to produce a new crop of youth that will serve as agents of change through utilization of innovative and technological tools in the promotion of non-violence and spreading of messages of peace during elections. Nigerian youth are the fulcrum of the country’s developmental efforts and therefore, indispensable in the bid to ensure free and fair elections.”
He said another component of the training would involve contest by participants on the use of technology in enhancing peaceful and transparent elections in 2015.
Also speaking, Minister of Youth Development, Boni Haruna, stressed how ICT would play a crucial role in the successful delivery of elections.
He urged young persons to be careful about the messages they post or tweet, while urging them to use the social media platforms to discourage violence.
