According to the statistics available in Nigeria, the innovative youth community constitutes a large part of its ever-growing population. While the youth continue to dominate various fields across the board, there seems to be an obvious absence of the youth at the country’s key decision-making tables.
With global political conversations shifting towards youth participation in politics, TEN sits with one of the leading youth-focused political non-governmental organisations in Nigeria, My Voice My Future (MVMF), to talk about hindrances to political participation, Nigeria’s impending Electoral Reforms, women in politics, and all things Election, but this time, from a youth-driven perspective.
The Election Network [TEN]: Please tell us about your organisation. What was the reason behind its establishment, and what does your team hope to achieve?
My Voice My Future [MVMF]: My Voice My Future (MVMF) is an NGO dedicated to raising the political consciousness and participation in African youths. We recognize that youths make up to 60% of Africa’s population however, the nature of politics in the continent acts as a deterrent to political interest and participation of the youth in Nigeria. MVMF hopes to inspire youths to get involved in the political process and realize their voices do matter as the youth are the majority and the future of Africa. We hope to achieve this through civics education, mentorship programs, and tailored activities to stimulate the interest of the youth in politics.
[TEN]: Taking up over 50% of Nigeria’s total population, the youth’s in this country continue to play important roles in steering the economy towards sustainable growth and development through production and innovation. However, on the political front, there seems to be a lack of representation from this sect. Why do you think that is?
[MVMF]: So, it’s a question we often ask ourselves in the NGO, why are youth not interested? Do they realize that they can be the change they want to see? The answer is simple, the political climate in Nigeria and Africa is hostile to youths. Innovation thrives in the business world because we practice a free market that is open to new ideas regardless of their age. However, politics is a different ball game. If you watch closely, you notice that most of the political leaders in Africa are from the ‘independence era’ and have refused to encourage or allow new and fresh ideas suggested by the youths to come in. In Nigeria, it’s no different even with the “NOT TOO YOUNG TO RUN” agenda. Youths are still experiencing barriers that prevent them from running for office either financially or culturally. For some youths, they are not old enough to participate, and well, politics is not necessarily trendy in this era of social media.
[TEN]: Going by the issues you’ve explicitly explained, what are some probable solutions that could efficiently mitigate this endemic lack of representation at the table of power?
[MVMF]: Firstly, our youths must be willing to change their mentality towards politics. They need to understand that the more they ignore it, the harder it will get to change the corridors of power. Therefore, they must be encouraged to participate and understand that their representation matters. Concurrently, politicians should be motivating youths to participate too. They can captivate their minds through the use of Social Media, Art, and Education, and with the help of the internet, they can connect to millions of youths simultaneously at a click of a button. Youths are more interested in politics when they know they are being invested in.
[TEN]: Just like the youths in Nigeria, women remain marginalized when it comes to a lot of issues, most especially, leadership. With young women constituting a large quantity of Nigeria’s youth population, how do youth and women issues intersect? But most importantly, how do we solve the former in a way that the latter group is not left behind? Tear down the barrier.
[MVMF]: Women make up to 49.4% of Nigeria’s population, yet there are 8 female senators out of 109, and 11 female House of Representative members out of 360 in Nigeria. This is definitely a problem considering that young women make a substantial percentage of our youth population which is growing every day. To tear down the barrier is to tear down the institutionalized barriers that prevent both youth and women from leadership positions. These barriers include and are not limited to; access to funding, violence, cultural and religious stereotypes. If we can overcome these barriers, we can see an improvement in the representation of youth and women. The Nigerian mentality must change, Nigerians need to realize that a good leader can come from anywhere; whether old or young, whether man or woman. And the only way to change the mentality is through education. The idea that every human being should have equal opportunities to reach their maximum potential needs to be encouraged to tackle this problem.
[TEN]: There are many items on the electoral reform bill that has been pending for so long, what is that one important reform you will love to see take effect in future elections?
[MVMF]: We would like to see technology introduced into Nigerian elections. We believe if managed properly, it will reduce the risk of election malpractice, violence, and it will reduce the stress Nigerians go through when trying to vote. However, the emphasis is on ‘managed properly’ because it might be easier to manipulate the results through a system. But the pros outweigh the cons.
[TEN]: Going into the next election cycle, what are some of the questions and issues you would like Nigerians to ask and focus on?
[MVMF]: We would like Nigerians to ask themselves, “Which Nigeria do I want to see in the next few years?” “Which leaders can actualize this?” And then, “what can I do to achieve this?” With regards to the issues, Nigerians should consider education as their utmost priority, because, human resource is the best resource and if we can educate our people, it will lead to a higher-skilled labour force which will greatly benefit Nigerian economy and thus, our quality of life as a nation.
[TEN]: If anyone wants to get involved with My Voice My Future NGO, what should they do? –
[MVMF]: They can drop us an email at mvmfinitiative@gmail.com
This story is part of our new series on Nigeria where we analyse electoral reform in the country ahead of the next general elections in 2023.
