2027 Elections: NIPR Calls for Early Preparation, Voters’ Education
This call was made during the NIPR’s 13th annual Children’s Day celebration which was held at the iconic Chinua Achebe Arts Theatre of the University of Calabar. The theme of the event was “Public Relations as a Voter Education Tool for Achieving Credible Election in Nigeria”
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head of the 2027 general elections, the Cross River Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) has issued a clarion call to the government and other pertinent stakeholders to commence the sensitization of the populace towards a free, fair, and credible elections.
This call was made during the NIPR’s 13th annual Children’s Day celebration which was held at the iconic Chinua Achebe Arts Theatre of the University of Calabar. The theme of the event was “Public Relations as a Voter Education Tool for Achieving Credible Election in Nigeria”
During the Institute’s commemoration of the 2023 International Day of the African Child, Chairman Benedict Okache emphasized the importance of nurturing and empowering the youth with proper voter education as a crucial step towards attaining credible elections.
In her speech, the APC national women leader, Dr Betta Edu, expressed her appreciation to NIPR for their efforts in organizing an event that brought school children together to educate them on the importance of credible elections.
Dr Edu, who was represented by the former commissioner for Health in Cross River state Dr Janet Ekpenyong, commended NIPR for their commitment to empowering children as advocates for credible elections.
According to him, “It is our annual event which we use to encourage professionalism and excellence. The theme of this year’s edition was carefully selected because we know that in Nigeria, we just finished our elections and we understand the challenges and all the issues we faced during the elections.”
“So, our view in the NIPR is that we should start early to prepare for the next four years and we are starting with the Voter’s Education. We are preparing these children who are now in their 14-15 years, knowing that in the next 4 years when the next elections come it is expected that these are the children that will register to vote”
His words, “We are letting them know that they should avoid corruption and election violence. They should also go back as our education tool to let people know that the electoral malpractice that we are seeing should not be allowed to continue. We are going to continue like this every year to ensure that we educate and let them understand that it is their responsibility as good citizens to promote credible elections in Nigeria”
Dr Stanislaus Iyorza, who was the keynote speaker at the 13th edition of Children’s Day with NIPR, enlightened the participants on the intricacies of utilizing Public Relations as a powerful tool for voter education to achieve a credible election. He emphasized that the severe economic conditions in Nigeria are significant obstacles hindering the efforts towards a free, fair, and credible election in Nigeria.
Thus, he urged the federal and state governments to urgently address and resolve all economic challenges currently facing the country today and create employment opportunities for the youth.
He further expressed his belief that severe penalties would be imposed on individuals who disturb the electoral process to discourage those who intend to persist in electoral violence and wrongdoing.
In a benevolent address, the esteemed Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof Florence Obi, conveyed through Prof Grace Ita, urged the young ones to regard their education with utmost importance and refrain from indulging in any form of academic misconduct. She emphasized that
mere public relations efforts are insufficient in addressing the intricacies of electoral issues and underscored the indispensable role of education in our nation’s development.
The occasion was highlighted by the ceremonial slicing of the 2023 Children’s Day with a delectable NIPR cake, the issuance of certificates of participation to the 37 secondary schools that vied in the essay contest, and the conferral of honours to the triumphant essay competition champions.
Meanwhile, Odobi Isaac of Police Secondary School secured the coveted top spot in the NIPR 2023 Essay contest with an impressive 94%. Following closely behind, Akande Joy of Estate Secondary School claimed a well-deserved second place, while Victoria Aniekan of Margaret Ekpo Secondary School emerged victorious in the third position. Additionally, the fourth and fifth positions were claimed by Jerry John of FAAN Secondary School and Igbolo Mary of Government Secondary.
