As campaigning for the 2023 elections gets underway next week, Nigerian youths have urged politicians to make their campaigns issue-oriented rather than centered on personal preferences.
They claimed that manifestos should be centered on accomplishing the nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which include eradicating poverty, promoting equality, and many other goals.
Young people want to hear candidates' solutions to the nation's challenges, according to Follow the Money founder Hamzat Lawal, who made the appeal. He listed topics like eradicating poverty, starvation, ensuring justice, equity, and fairness as some of the problems the nation faces.
Lawal made the call in Abuja at a hangout organised by Follow the Money, marking the Global week to #Act4SDGs, which brought together stakeholders to reconnect over the SDG goals.
He said, “We know that in a few weeks campaigns will start in Nigeria and this week is World Democracy Week.
“We want to use this opportunity to say that as campaigns start and in the spirit of flipping the script, we must ensure that campaign messages are based on issues, not sentiments and do away with voter apathy by encouraging voters to collect their PVS’s and turn out on election day.
“For us as Follow the Money, we would be mobilising over 20,000 observers across Nigeria, not only to send the message of the SDG’s but to inform the electoral process so our democracy will be stronger.”
“Flipping the script is about organising and mobilising more young people through education and sensitisation, using digital technology.”
Executive Director Dean Initiative, Semiye Michael, said organisations are trying to mobilise actions and make statements to leaders, holding them to their promises.