Ahead of Nigeria’s election in 2023, more than seven presidential aspirants have declared interest to succeed Muhammadu Buhari, whose eight years tenure as President expires in May 2023.
In an election where dwindling economy, insecurity, mistrust for older politicians, rising unemployment, and the 2020 EndSARS protests will dominate the conversations, the Nigerian creatives and entertainment industry are taking it upon themselves to use their influence to get the young population actively involved in political activities ahead of the 2023 elections.
Nigerian music acts like Falz, Davido, Wizkid, DJ Switch, comedian Debo ‘Mr Macaroni’ Adebayo, among many others, who were at the forefront of the EndSARS protests in 2020, have been leading advocacy to mobilise young Nigerians to actively participate in the 2023 general elections.
Past election statistics show that many young Nigerians who are eligible voters are not registered voters, while those with Permanent Voters Card (PVC) do not show up to vote on election days. In the 2019 general election, only 28.6 million people voted out of 84 million registered voters.
However, the level of political orientation among young Nigerians increased significantly after the EndSARS protests in October 2020, and it is expected to keep rising with the involvement of entertainers in the advocacy. A Neusroom survey, polling 7,000 young Nigerians, conducted shortly after the protests in November 2020, revealed that they now have a strong mistrust for older politicians and want young people to assume the position of leadership.
As young Nigerians become increasingly interested in politics and the kind of leaders elected to run the nation from 2023, Femi Falodun, CEO, ID Africa, said, “Creativity, pop culture, technology, and youthful energy are some of the most powerful forces that can create meaningful social and economic change in Africa today and tomorrow.”
According to him, this is why the ninth edition of NECLive – one of Africa’s biggest and longest-running gatherings of entertainment and creative professionals, will be bringing together key industry players from across Africa to explore how entertainment can be used as a vehicle for driving social change on the continent.
As announced on Tuesday, February 8, 2022, NECLive9 will be held on Friday, April 29, 2022, in Lagos, Nigeria, and this year’s edition will return in-person for the first time in three years as a hybrid event with the theme, “Sustaining The Africa Momentum.”
Registration begins soon!