How Nigerian Millennials And Gen Z Can Decide The 2023 Elections
Nigerian youths are known for their strong and now influential social media activism. Yet, they have a strong apathy towards politics. This is worrying because they are the largest bloc of the country’s electorate, constituting 51% of the 84 million registered voters. This group also happens to be the most educated and progressive amongst the country’s electorate.
Although there is no official record on how much they contribute to the country’s GDP, former president Goodluck Jonathan stated in 2010 that it was up to 80%. This figure is quite high for people who are constantly overlooked by the government and characterized as “children” and “lazy”.
They are also the dominant demography so it is not surprising that young people are hit the hardest by issues affecting the country. The inflation rate is 14.23% as at November 2020 and it affects young business owners and others who are caregivers and breadwinners. They are also victims of police brutality which includes the profiling, extortion and killing of young people. Another major issue is the frequent ASUU strikes that lengthen the years students attending public universities spend pursuing their education. There is also the high rate of unemployment which is at 27.1%.
The END SARS protest awakened in many young Nigerians, the spirit and will to be involved in governance and politics.
After the clampdown on the END SARS protests, the next line of action on the minds of a group of citizens commonly referred to as ‘Millennials’ and ‘Gen Z’ is how to vote out the current crop of politicians and vote in those who genuinely care about the country and its people.
In the just-concluded US elections, Millennials and Gen Z played an important role in deciding the outcome, especially in critical swing states like Georgia and Pennsylvania which turned blue in Biden’s favour. The election recorded the highest number of voters ever in US history and the highest turnout of young voters who constitute 37% of the electorate.
NBC conducted an exit poll which suggested that 65% of those between the ages of 18 and 24 voted for Joe Biden, that is 11% more than any other age group. This is because of the decisions made by the current government during the pandemic and generally, greatly affected people within the age bracket who are either members of the working class or students.
Donald Trump did not gain as many votes because of his views on issues regarding climate change, the Black Lives Matter movement and the way he handled the pandemic, amongst other reasons. His conservative views did not sit well with the liberal and left-leaning groups, where the majority of educated young people fall in.
In Nigeria however, youth participation in politics continues to be low. Although the number of candidates between the ages 35-40 who contested in the 2019 elections increased, it was barely up to 30% of the total number of candidates. The slight increase was due to the passing of the Not Too Young To Run Bill on the 31st of May 2018.
The level of youth participation also reflects in the ages of members of the National Assembly. The youngest member of the National Assembly is 36-year-old Tajudeen Adefisoye in the House of Representatives while Senator Elisha Abbo holds the record for the youngest member of the Senate at 41.
In Ghana, on the other hand, people aged 18-35 constitute 75% of registered voters, and they are actively involved in the electoral process as candidates, agents or voters. The youngest member of parliament is 27 years old and the average age of members is 48 years.
If 70% of registered youth voters in Nigeria can vote in the 2023 elections, then we already have more than the total number of votes garnered by the top 5 candidates in the 2019 presidential elections. This puts young Nigerians at an advantage in deciding the crop of leaders who come into power. Instead of basing their votes on ethnicity, religious and political affiliations like the outgoing generation, young Nigerians must focus on the candidates’ qualifications, experience and policies. The next generation of voters must look out for competence, above frivolous sentiments.
If Nigeria’s Millennials and Gen Z want to see actual change in the government, then they should be ready to turn out en masse to the next elections just like their counterparts in Ghana and the US. And the work of sensitization and education needs to start now.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has announced that Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise will commence in the first quarter of 2021 ahead of the 2023 general election.
Professor Yakubu made the announcement on the 4th of November, 2020 during a budget defence session with the Senate Committee in Abuja.
He stated that “We will resume voter registration in the first quarter of 2021. And once we resume, it will be continuous for one and a half years, at least until six months to the next general election.”
Once the CVR exercise begins, voter registration will be conducted at Local Government Area offices where you reside or at such other locations within the Local Government Areas as may be designated by the Commission.
Hopefully, one and a half years will be more than enough for Nigerian youths to register for the upcoming elections.
