The voter registration for the forthcoming elections is going on in Lagos this month, and some of the people who’re standing in line to register are teenagers who recently turned 18 and will be voting for the first time next year.
Nigerian law says anyone who is 18 or older can vote. Now these young people have a chance to practise some of the things they’ve learned in civic education and government class.
A lot of them are keen about this opportunity and are looking forward to the elections. Ahmed is 18 years old. He says, “I just finished secondary school this year and I’m very happy that I now qualify to vote. I feel like I now have the power to choose the government. So instead of complaining about what’s wrong in the country like some young people do, I’m glad that I can now put my thumb where my mouth is.”
Mercy says too, “It feels good to be part of the electorate now. I feel this sense of responsibility, and I’m looking forward to voting next year and exercising my civic right.”
Unlike Ahmed and Mercy, though, many Nigerian teenagers seem disillusioned and apathetic about the opportunity they now have.
Bimpe says, for example, “I’m eligible to vote today, but I’m not in any way moved by this. It doesn’t mean much to me. I don’t even intend to register. It’s like a waste of time to me, because at the end of the day, they’ll rig and whoever will win will win. So why should I bother myself or be excited that I can now vote? It doesn’t really count.”
Bimpe
Yetunde also says, “We all know what things are like in this country. We can see the way things are turning out, and even if you wanted to vote, the things that you see everyday would discourage you. So I don’t really see why I have to queue under the sun to register and vote when things are probably going to remain the same way afterwards. Besides, the INEC registration procedure is not really convenient to me.”
Yetunde
Nigeria’s election history of violence and fraud has clearly diminished the confidence and enthusiasm that these young people, who make up a substantial part of the electorate, have concerning the system. The worse thing is, many of them may carry on this apathy for the rest of their lives.
So when a lot of young Nigerians think about elections today, they have images of bloodshed, pandemonium, fraudulent results and all that kind of stuff. These are images they’ve formed over time based on things they’ve picked up from the media and from older people in the society.
However, recent elections haven’t been that negative. In all the elections that have happened after 2011, votes were openly counted and results fairly announced. Security was tight. There was virtually no violence. The elections were generally peaceful, and in all the elections, the people’s favourite candidate won the election even if he or she wasn’t from the ruling party. These are signs that things are changing for better.
Dr Felix Awosika, who was at the political science department at the University of Lagos. He says, “When a part of the electorate feels apathy for the system, the effect is obvious. These young people who want nothing to do with voting would be less inclined to take part in public affairs.
They’ll feel they don’t fit into the system and that they don’t have to play a role. So they’ll withdraw and go on with their lives with a weak sense of patriotism. This has serious consequences for the country in the short term and long term.”
Some people argue anyway that these teens aren’t yet mature enough to appreciate voting and its implications. Perhaps they’re right.
Teenagers at the Registration Center
At one registration centre this week, teenagers were among those who jostled to get their name on the list and they appeared to be eager about registering to vote. However, some were actually there because they simply wanted to get a voter card.
Julius was at the centre. He said, “You know sometimes you want to open a bank account, they’ll ask you for some ID. I don’t have a driver license, a national ID card or a passport. So this voter card will be useful to me in case I need some ID for some documentation anywhere. So I really need this card.”
However, Deborah didn’t think like that. She said, “I’m here to register because I want to be part of change. We need change in this country, and I want to be able to choose those who can make that change happen. I want to be part of the movement.“
READ MORE: http://www.naij.com/336586-nigerian-teenagers-weigh-in-on-2015-elections.html
No comments:
Post a Comment