Christian Empowerment Forum (CEF), a faith-based Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) in Abuja, has urged youths to register as voters and use the Permanent Voter Card (PVC) to choose the country’s leaders in 2019 elections.

The Director of the group, Mr Ifunaya Ogbonna, made the call in an interview News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Thursday and said that possessing the PVC would enable the youths to have a voice in the elections.

Ogbonna said that it was time for the youths to make deliberate effort to equip themselves with PVCs, pointing out that “PVCs are the only arm any youth can use to fight and correct the society’’.

He also advised youths who were active on the social media to use it to sensitise their colleagues on their roles in the electoral process, saying that social media were effective platforms to disseminate information.

“Information spread via social media goes viral faster compared to those on television and radio.

“Youths are more active and they get more informed via social media, from Facebook to Twitter, Whatsapp, Messengers and the rest.

“If relevant information like ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) is emphasised on these platforms, come 2019 the youths will not only be voting en masse but their votes will determine who wins,” Ogbonna said.

He said that President Muhammadu Buhari’s declaration to seek re-election in 2019 was a wake-up call to those who had not got their PVCs to try and do so.

He decried the situation in which the youth had continued to lament over bad leadership in the country without seeking ways to correct it.

“We cannot continue to lament over bad leaders in power and not do anything to change it.

“If our youths can get things right by doing the needful and getting armed with their PVCs, I believe that in 2019, the result in respect of the people’s choice in power will be different”.

Ogbonna, also urged youths to be involved in entrepreneurship schemes, mostly provided by NGOs, to enable them to earn a living.

According to him the youths should engage in legitimate money-making ventures and not rely solely on the government to provide for them.

“We will help our youths to acquire skills, mentor them to get involved in politics and deliver to the people,’’ he assured.

The organisation’s director said he believed that Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was doing its best to ensure that every eligible person got registered and issued PVC. (NAN)

– Apr. 12, 2018 @ 13:58 GMT |