JOKE ORELOPE @64: LET THE DIALOGUE SERIES BEGIN IN ESSENCE OF 'PROJECT JOFIEC'

From the Editor's Desk

HER political life may not have had any better way of formal introduction than one and the most recent presentation by the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, made at the conferment of a performance award on the person in question by the United Nation. In her eulogy, the highly elated wife of the President said:

“She is a consummate and an accomplished politician of great repute. She is a community and rural mobiliser, who has unarguably distinguished herself in her untiring and selfless service to her community and Nigeria as a whole. Her foray into politics has nonetheless impacted positively on the people to the extent that she became a regular face in Lagos politics and Nigeria since 1999.

“From Lagos State where she was the first woman to be elected into the State House of Assembly, she has a great record which gave the impetus to domesticate the Child Rights Act in Lagos. This went a long way in considerably improving the lot of children in the state. When she became the Commissioner for Women Affairs in Lagos State, she trod the political landscape so greatly that she effortlessly delivered on all her assignments on all fronts.

“She became the Deputy Governor of Lagos State at a time a real team player was required and she contributed her quotas to the transformative drive that catapulted the state to a Mega City that we are all proud of today.

“The position of responsibility as the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SSAP-SDGs) became the clincher and ultimately raised her profile as a relentless servant who prioritises the interests of the people ahead of personal gains. And it is this selfless approach to national service that has brought her this award today and we are very proud of her.

“Looking at her personality and what she has been able to achieve, it is commendable and noteworthy that a global body as United Nations (UN) with proving analytical approach to issues has found her worthy for this award – SDG Champion! It further reinforces her dedication and commitment to the plight of her people in making SDG a success in Nigeria”.

THUS THESE QUESTIONS ON THE PASSION OF YOUTHS’ PARTICIPATION IN POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE IN NIGERIA 1): To what extent is politics beyond service to humanity? 2) To what value do the Nigerian youths hold elections as precursor to leadership? 3) To what essence of value do the Nigerian youths hold politics? 4) Have the youths imbibed the right leadership orientations from the right quarters and the right personages? The answers may be found in this Executive Summary below.

An opinion poll before the last elections had revealed that “59% of registered youth voters in Lagos State will not vote in the 2023 General Elections”. This prediction of the poll conducted by Runs & Win in June 2022 came to past as we could all see in evidence. It has also been evidently established by JOFIEC’s post-election evaluation study that by the turn of 2027 election cycle, Lagos would need to ensure that a cumulative total of 616,200 of this youth grade (18-25years) called “Gen Z” participate in the Continuous Voters’ Register (CVR) that is likely to end by September of 2026. This is a combined figure of SSCE graduates for both private and public schools.

Although, voter turnout in Lagos increased by insignificant 1.6% from the 17.25% in 2019 to 18.92% of 2023; this marginal increase would appear significant because of the national cry over a sustained upward trend in voter apathy as declining percentage voter turnout since 1979 and reached its lowest worst yet in the 2023. Empirical evidence nevertheless showed that the improved turnout in Lagos could not have been from the youths.

Further from the Runs & Win poll, it was revealed that the distribution of the anticipated youth's voter apathy showed 59% for Gen Z and 41% for the Millennial youths (25-35years); their reason being largely “Lack of systemic trust”. Other reasons, according to the poll’s result aggregately includes “mistrust of elections”, given inclusively as: i) lack of trustworthy candidates; ii) bad governance; iii) insecurity/violence during elections; and iv) not owning a PVC.

Evaluating the given reasons, JOFIEC findings showed that they are largely misconceptions enhanced by undeniable facts from the past. Consequently, it is believed that if this Gen Z could be given an inspirational orientation about the positive values of politics, it should make a 95% potent antidote to their wrong beliefs.

But such inspiration must be through a living testimonial from unusual quarters of gender; one with household political brand name and verifiable evidence of achievable values from politics. A former Deputy Governor of Lagos State was found to be the most-fit. Hence this this Project JOFIEC that aims to build an enduring and Reliable Institution of Youths Electorates (RIYE) for Lagos. While the medium-term targeted electoral cycle is 2027, it is hoped that the first impact evaluation of the project's success shall be measurable in the Lagos Local Governments' Elections due in less than 2years from now.

As JOFIEC “so hold, genuine stakeholders in electoral matters do not need to wait until Nigeria is faced with elections again before “moving the pawns on the chessboard. They need to anticipate the future now so that they would not have to move mountains in 2017”. This is the JOFIEC's philosophy!

Thus that by “Action Plan” thence this year, an Annual Dialogue Series shall commence in commemoration of the Birthday of Her Excellency, Adejoke Victoria Orelope-Adefulire in manner of Leadership Grooming through “Capping Practical Course on the subject of Civic Education” for the final year students of Senior Secondary Schools in Lagos State with the sole aim to ensuring that the 616,200 of this youth grade (18-25years) are captured in the Continuous Voters’ Register (CVR) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by the turn of next election in 2027. The core goal is to build a “Reliable Institution of Youth Electorates (RIYE) under the auspices of JOFIEC.

The Dialogue Series does not only intend to put this huge size of youths in the CVR. Rather it goes more to inspiring them into building conscious interests in the electioneering process as well as having the good cause to participate in governance around them. The inaugural version is scheduled to hold about the fourth week of October, 2023. How better can the lovers of Mama Alimosho celebrate her beyond a vision of endowment like this?

It may be necessary to emphasise it further that the Civics Weekly has come in as collaborator driver of JOFIEC with the RIYE designed in line with its Corporate Social Value (CSR) as a media organisation. Through the CSR, it has been engaging in means of building informed society to discharge its constitutional role as a part of the Fourth Estate of the Realm the media sector is generally classified to be. Accordingly, it should be right for any discernible mind to see this collaboration as a mission of non-state actor to help the governments at state and national levels achieve their statutory duty and constitutional objectives as explicitly set out in Sections 14(2) and 15(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

WELCOME ON BOARD TO ‘PROJECT JOFIEC’ – Joke Orelope For Inspiration to Every Child – driven by Civics Weekly Magazine!