In its bid to boost voter turnout during elections, the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) has partnered with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems on voter education.
The Permanent Secretary of the Commission, Dr. Olayiwole Onasanya, spoke at the opening ceremony of LASIEC’s Voter Education in Lagos, saying a strategic plan that makes voter education mandatory for citizens from childhood will have a great impact on the electoral process in Nigeria.
Explaining the need for primary school students to get educated about voting despite not participating in the exercise at their age, Onasanya said “I think one of our major objectives, and which is a strategic plan, is to increase voter awareness to ensure that people are registered, particularly those from the age of 18”.
The Permanent Secretary noted that the acronym RCV stands for Register, Collect your Voters’ Card and Vote, urging persons of 18 years and above not to stop registering for their permanent voters’ cards, just as he implored them to collect the cards and vote on election day.
He said the workshop was organised to review and strengthen the Civic/Voter Education drive of the Commission as well as determine ways to effectively expand political consciousness and participation through Voter Education.
In his address, the Deputy Country Manager of IFES, Obaje Ukeh, said the conduct of a successful election in any part of the world rests on the proper education of the electorate.
“The more people are aware, the more they will be able to make informed choices. As such, we are partnering with LASIEC to ensure that voter education for the State and Local Government elections are properly and effectively done to ensure increased participation of the public in Lagos State”, Ukeh said.
