By Haruna Salami
As politicians crisscross the length and breadth of the country soliciting for votes, a non-governmental
organisation, Youth and Media Network Organisation (YOMEN) is working hard to discourage vote
buying and vote selling.
Chairman, board of trustees of YOMEN, Amb. Emenike Eme, while speaking with journalists in Abuja said
the problem with Nigerian election is more with “vote selling than vote buying”.
“We don’t see vote buying as a problem in Nigeria. The problem is vote selling because if you go to the
market to buy a bag of salt and you can’t buy salt, I know you won’t buy sand. You go back with your
money. So, the problem is the citizens who are eager to sell their votes. We have come with a package
to address that”.
Another campaign of YOMEN, Ready-To-Vote aims at addressing voter apathy and disabuse the minds of
the youth and electorate generally that their votes count.
“We have been able to put in place a strategy to make people believe that their votes count” adding
“we want youth to know they are the leaders of today, since today was tomorrow yesterday. When you
tell me I am the leader of tomorrow, you are telling me I will never be because tomorrow never comes”.
The NGO, which is in partnership with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Inter
Party Advisory Council (IPAC) and others is of the view that the youth of Nigeria should be given the
opportunity to participate in politics along with the experienced ones and let them (youth) try, fall and
falter and become experts in the long run.
Capitalizing on the aftermath of the EndSARS protests that rocked the nation in 2020, YOMEN said the
youth are glued to their phones, hence the development of the YOMEN Cloud APP becomes inevitable
to take the message to them in the convenience of their homes and offices.
“YOMEN Cloud is an Online campaign for sanity in the nation for an understanding of the Electoral Act. It
is an attempt to bring what INEC is teaching to them in their different locations”.
“Our intention is that every youth in Nigeria should download this App, that is our target. If you have
this App it ensures that your vote counts because it has an installed camera. If you vote and press the
camera on the App, your information and the fact that you have voted will be recorded in our server
that you have voted.
“We have eliminated that fear that your votes don’t count because YOMEN Cloud is a backup to make
sure your vote counts. The other one is the issue of apathy, which has been addressed by ‘vote and win’,
which is in the App. The fact that you are a registered voter and you stepped out of your house to vote,
you win so many things, such as a place in a cooperative in every ward”.
