On Friday, some experts urged the use of cutting-edge technology to inform the public about politics, a responsible government, and the voting process.
They made their appeal during a panel discussion on the topic of “Emerging Technologies and Civic Engagement” at the ongoing AfricaNXT 2023.
The analysts noted that there had been a consistent fall in voter turnout and claimed that voter indifference has been a major issue in the Nigerian democratic process.
They said that during the general elections in 2019, 51% of the 84 million registered voters were young people, but despite this, 28.6 million votes were cast in favor of the president.
Mr. Kunle Lawal, the Executive Director, of Electoral College Nigeria, said that many people in Nigeria lacked adequate political knowledge and trust in the electoral processes.
“Many Nigerians are politically illiterate, they do not understand governance, hence, it is the job of the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to create awareness by leveraging technology to educate citizens.
“The reason why we experience low turnout during elections is that many Nigerians struggle to make informed choices due to lack of education on the voting processes,” Lawal said.
Bukola Idowu, Team Lead, Kimpact Development Initiative, said that in recent times technological innovation in the civic space had been providing citizens with unprecedented access to information on how to become more active citizens.
Idowu said that citizens, especially youths, were equipped with the knowledge to actively engage elected government officials and policymakers to demand for good governance.
He said that while CSOs had used technology to engage a number of citizens and national parliaments, some Nigerians lack access to the internet or infrastructure and hence cannot engage in politics digitally.
Idowu said: “Our concern now should be how to connect the citizens in the offline territory to those online so that they can work together.
“We need to connect and sensitize those in the grassroots on good governance and why it is necessary to participate in electoral processes,” he said.
Mr. David Ayodele, Senior Programme Associate, Enough is Enough, Civic Technology has increased the power of citizens over political life and made governments more accessible, efficient, effective, and accountable.
He, however, noted that most citizens do not understand the Nigerian constitution, adding that the government should introduce the constitution as a subject that should be taught in schools.
NAN reports that AfricaNXT 2023 with the theme: “Cooperate. Collaborate. Innovate. Unlocking Our Potential, Ensuring Africa’s Prosperity,” is currently in its 11th edition.
This year’s conference brings together tech enthusiasts, founders, startups, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and a broad range of industry stakeholders to engage in a solution-focused dialogue to chart the path for a sustainable Africa.
