How Nigeria is getting out the youth vote, By Rinu Oduala

#EndSARS movement against police brutality has made the Soro Soke (meaning ‘speak up’) generation visible. Today, the Nigerian youth bloc continues to rise. Our democracy needs us.

Social media has provided us with the democracy we have long wanted, and we are increasingly using those platforms, alongside traditional offline advocacy strategies, to effect the change we seek.

Recent partnerships between youth organisations and civil society groups have led to concerts targeted at young people in Lagos and Abuja to promote voter registration. As a result of such efforts, 74% of applications for the country’s recent continuous voter registration exercise were from young people.

I have been leveraging my social media networks to promote political accountability by providing online spaces and debates for young people to engage with politicians. This has included presidential aspirants, like the 13th President of the Senate of Nigeria and former governors, with audience participation numbers as high as 120,000 listeners.

This type of low-cost, citizen-oriented action makes up for our political marginalisation by giving us new dimensions of civic participation, while creating opportunities for mass mobilisation. Social media and technology have allowed us to support candidates who had been relatively unknown through fundraising, crowdsourcing and information sharing.

Online spaces have become democratised, and participatory politics through social media has helped to create a political climate in which the agenda-setting voices of young people are at the forefront.

Educating people is a priority because informed voters are aware of the issues at hand – and the position each candidate takes on them. Our focus is on promoting the election of candidates who are dependable and qualified, and dedicated to serving the public interest and creating a Nigeria that its citizens and young people envision.

Holding politicians to account

It is a national disservice not to question the narratives that candidates push out to voters, as it is easy to get lost in soundbites. We can no longer afford to be passive accomplices or victims of bad governance.

During elections in Nigeria, ethical political behaviour and plans for efficient governance frequently take a back seat, so young activists need to ensure that we are scrutinising the candidates on these issues.

Another major focus for us is mobilising the youth vote by encouraging voter registration. While we use social media as our main channel of communication, we understand the importance of offline mobilisation. Many organisations are recruiting volunteers to assist with supporting others across the country through the registration process for a Permanent Voters’ Card (PVC).

The action my generation is taking gives me hope that we can establish a democracy in Nigeria we can be proud of. There is a possibility that we may not achieve the results we need immediately; however, I have faith our work will move us one step closer to where we want to go.

Recent partnerships between youth organisations and civil society groups have led to concerts targeted at young people in Lagos and Abuja to promote voter registration. As a result of such efforts, 74% of applications for the country’s recent continuous voter registration exercise were from young people.

With nearly eight million new registrations, young Nigerians are presently topping PVC registrations out of 10 million fresh registrants, which boosts the percentage of youth-registered voters from 2019 significantly.

Of course, our struggle faces many challenges.

The power of social media

There is a lack of safe spaces and funding for community-based advocacy groups. We face resignation and voter apathy from our peers. We have received threats of violence towards people on the frontline and those calling for change. We’ve also been labelled as violent groups ourselves.

Social media has allowed us to work outside the control of the government, which explains why blocking social media has become a frequent practice throughout Africa during elections, protests and demonstrations. Will the Nigerian government try to shut down social media platforms during the upcoming elections? We’ll see.

Young Nigerians intend to use this moment to vote on social issues and elect like-minded young leaders. This should serve as a warning to the older generation, who have held on to power by all means possible.

The action my generation is taking gives me hope that we can establish a democracy in Nigeria we can be proud of. There is a possibility that we may not achieve the results we need immediately; however, I have faith our work will move us one step closer to where we want to go.

Rinu Oduala, a brand strategist, was one of the prominent activists of the #EndSARS campaign.

This article originally appeared in The World Today magazine of Chatham House.