By Dipo Olowookere
As part of efforts to sensitise Nigerians ahead of the 2019 general elections in Nigeria, a group of young Nigerians has launched a campaign called #VoteOrShutUp2019.
The movement was unveiled on Monday, May 7, 2018 in Lagos as to create awareness for the group, the conveners staged a walk simultaneously in Victoria Island, Ikoyi and Maryland, Lagos, giving leaflets to commuters and residents of the metropolis.
The aim is to educate Nigerians on the importance of obtaining their PVC and participating in the forthcoming elections.
According to a representative of the movement, Mr Osazee Bazuaye, a hospitality and lifestyle specialist, “It is easy for young people to complain, so many young people don’t bother to vote but they love to complain about the elected officials, we want people to come out and vote, we don’t care who you vote for just vote”.
The movement started silently early this year and has seen a gradual growth in interest from its peers.
Also commenting on the movement, another member of the group, Miss Moe of EventsByMoe, explained that, “We want the politicians to acknowledge the efforts of groups like us, this is something we are passionate about and we are not even politicians so we expect the passion from the politicians to be 100 times more than ours in getting young people interested in supporting them”.
Another representative added that, “The movement consists of part-time volunteers and interests has grown within celebrities and even peer leaders from other states such as Edo, Rivers and Cross River, we really hope we are able to continually raise the funds to remain consistent”.
Nigerian youth make up over half the population of the country and it has been made clear by politicians and business moguls that the youth population is an under-utilised resource.
