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As the 2023 general elections draw nearer, misinformation, fake news and toxicity have become sources of worry especially on social media platforms. This has in turn muddled up messages on governance, campaign messages and national issues making it difficult for many to make informed decisions on issues.
Many Nigerians are forced to take decisions on issues especially in the process of electing new leaders from warped and misconceived narratives of political parties and their supporters. And these decisions are formed as they erroneously swim in the tide of selective hearing and misinformation.
And due to the fact that many that fall within this range are women especially in the grassroots as women constitute over 50 % of the Nigerian population in addition to the fact that they are divided between their roles as support systems in the home and silent mannequins in the outer space of leadership, there had been constant efforts to sensitise women to identify the power they hold and use it well for the development of their family and the nation as a whole.
There had been campaigns targeted at empowering them beyond aspiring for leadership positions but also to speak up and be active participants in the process that will shape their future and that of their children.
One of such is from the Ogun State team of YIAGA Africa in its Powerof18 campaign led by Adetula Simileoluwa of InclusiveNaija, which beyond vying for leadership positions, fought that women should be encouraged to speak up, voice their concerns, protect their future and be active participants in shaping the future of the country.
The team took this message to over 235 women in different markets and to nursing mothers and pregnant women attending ante-natal in Local Primary Health Centers In Iju Ota, Ogun State.
According to the team while speaking to women at the health centers, “the country and society in general, is shaped by policies and leadership decisions, we may not all take offices as leaders but when we take responsibility to collect our PVC and vote wisely by electing right leaders who can create safe spaces for the fetus in our womb, these babies we hold in our hands, our young children at home and even our husband, we are fulfilling our roles as mothers and responsible citizens.
Speaking at the market campaign, Mrs Bamgbade popularly known as Iya Aje among market women said, “it is high time we stopped wearing free ankara to dance under the sun for these politicians, let them tell us how the cost of goods will reduce in the market and how we as traders can make profit on goods while selling at reasonable prices to customers, after all, we are all Nigerians suffering under this economy hardship.”
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The outreach was also a means to sensitise the public on the danger of electoral apathy and why they need to vote as citizens while correcting the widespread belief that their votes doesn’t count because leaders are elected corruptly through a system of the highest bidder.
The team set out to dispel the beliefs that allows voter apathy thrive in the society by making people disengage from the electoral process especially the belief that votes do not count no matter how they try.
The group highlighted the prospects of increased public participation in voting during general elections especially in the face of reports that more than 60 percent of registered voters do not vote for various reasons during elections.
Giving reasons for the prevalence of voter apathy, the group listed disengagement of people from the electoral process due to belief that the votes do not count, violence during campaigns and at polling units, fear of brigandage, inability to make free choices, intimidation, belief that government does not care for the masses and loss of confidence in the process among others.
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