HURIDAC "EYE" Project berth in Ikorodu

HURIDAC "EYE" Project berth in Ikorodu

A West African sub regional human rights and environmental concern organization, Human Rights Advancement Development and Advocacy Centre (HURIDAC) today in Ikorodu Lagos organized a one day youth capacity training workshop on the Election and Youth Engagement (EYE) project.

The workshop which attracted youths of the voting age cadre, was well attended and included representatives of the Nigerian Women Trust Fund a collaborative partner with HURIDAC who were on ground to participate in the workshop. Also in attendance was the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) Lagos State chapter chairman, Comrade Biliamin Lekan Oba and his Ikorodu council executive members among others.

The project manager of EYE Ms Mfon Enoidem who led the HURIDAC team to the event in the ancient town of Ikorodu, took time to enumerate the reasons for the project which is about promoting youth participation in elections and holding elected public officials accountable to their promises to the electorate.

Ms Enoidem urged the youths to step up their participation in elections and holding government accountable by moving beyond their social media presence, to ensure that they register to vote and actually vote on election day for candidates of their choice unlike what obtained in the 2023 general elections where the participation of the youths despite their numbers was abysmally poor.

Ms Veneza Udegbe-Gregory of the Nigerian Women Trust Fund in her address, congratulated the youths present for being privileged to be participants at the programme which is geared towards recognizing and according them the title of "election champions" after scaling the hurdle of the training manual.

One of the resource person at the one day workshop Mr Nelson Ekujumi took time to educate the youths on why they should familiarize themselves with the provisions of the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria and the electoral Act, in order for them to be educated and well informed to know their rights, duties and obligations unlike the peddling of lies, falsehood and misinformation on our elections and electoral system by some persons and interests to mislead and incite to violence.

He listed the requirements and duties of a voter to include among other things, being a Nigerian citizen, being 18 years old and above, registering to vote by making yourself available to INEC officials during the voters registration exercise, ensuring you possess the permanent voters card (PVC), etc. He made it known to the workshop participants that the vote is a voter's power to determine his or her political, social and economic destiny for 4 years in one's life time.

The workshop also witnessed the registration of participants on the EYE portal as they were made to go through the process to enable them test their intellectual skills towards becoming an election champion.

The EYE project training workshop of the youths, is expected to move to other local government council areas of Lagos State.