2019: INEC reiterates commitment to increasing voter education

Ahead of the 2019 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reiterated its commitment to adopting strategic measures that would increase voter education across the country.

INEC Director of Publicity and Voter Education, Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, stated this in an interview with newsmen at the opening session of a workshop for INEC Heads of Voter Education and Publicity Departments in Abuja.

Osaze-Uzzi said that the workshop is part of INEC’s preparations for the 2019 general elections.

“We know the importance of communicating our policies and programmes to stakeholders and that it why we are working to ensure that we communicate in an effective manner to increase voters’ awareness.

“We want to ensure that there is increase in voters’ awareness and their participation in our activities and future elections,’’ he stated.

On the commission’s preparation for suspended re-run elections in Rivers, Imo and other states, Osaze-Uzzi said that the commission was ready to conclude the elections given a conducive environment in those states.

The director said that INEC consultation with security agencies, political parties and their candidates, and other stakeholders were still ongoing.

Also speaking, Nick Dazang, INEC Deputy-Director of Publicity and Voter Education said that the workshop was to review the communication strategies deployed during the 2015 general elections and improve on them ahead of the polls.

Dazang said that the workshop participants would also look at the opportunities in the social media platform such as twitter, instagram, facebook to educate voters.

He said: “More than 79 million Nigerians used the internet every day. That is more than one–third of the country’s population.

“If we can get the attention of at least 14 million of these social media users, then we should be able to succeed in our attempt and efforts to educate them about our activities”.

He added that recommendations from the workshop would later be forwarded to the Commission for approval.