Date: 2018-12-21

Ahead of the 2019 general elections, a non-governmental organization, One Campaign has cautioned the electorate against casting their votes on tribal and religious sentiments.

The group urged Nigerians to elect presidential candidate that is best fit to address the issues that matter to them.

The Digital Campaign Officer, One Campaign in Nigeria, Mr Olawale Makanjuola, spoke to Journalists on the sidelines of the Regional Youth Summit themed "Vote Your Future", which was held at the Main Auditorium of the University of Ilorin.

Makanjuola admonished the youths to set aside sentimental considerations in electing president in next year's polls, saying the country needs a leader who will objectively tackle corruption.

He added that the time has come for young people to bring in President that will improve education system in the country.

Makanjuola disclosed that Nigeria needs three million jobs annually, and such could only be achieved when the President that will match the public goal with the private sector goal is elected.

He noted that the summit was organised in changing the way the young people vote in the country because they form the large percentage of the voting populace.

"This campaign is all about changing the way we vote as young people in Nigeria. Before now, young people tend to vote based on tribal and religious sentiments, probably because one candidate tends to be popular than the other. But we felt that, that has not moved Nigeria forward.

"So, we decided that what is the best way for we to move this country from what it was in the past and where we think the country should be for the future. We decided that the best way to achieve this is to create a campaign that will allow young people to understand the issues that affect them as individuals and enable them to vote in the 2019 elections

"Rather than you vote for a candidate because he is from your tribe or because you both share the same religion, we felt that young people should be enlightened to vote based on the issues that affect them as Nigerians in order to protect their future.

"Young people should go to the election and vote for that person that they feel is the best fit to address the issues that matter to us. Nigeria needs three million jobs annually. We need the President that will match the public goal with the private sector goal in creating jobs. We need a President that will objectively tackle corruption. We need a President that will improve education system in Nigeria", Makanjuola said.

Also speaking, the Executive Director, Brain Builders International, Olasupo Abideen, warned the political players against employing the youths for violence and electoral malpractices during the elections.

He also appealed to the contestants in the forthcoming polls to prepare manifestos that will have positive effects on their future.

"We are here because vast majority of the population is formed by the youth. We want them to vote based on issues, based on ideologies regardless of their political parties, ethnic and religion. We want them to set their priorities for whosoever emerges be it for House of Assembly, House of Representatives to the gubernatorial and to the presidential.

Abideen said, "We want them to highlight core issues that worth address by anybody who emerges, and that is the reason why we are launching the youth policy advocacy that will be presented to whoever emerges to adopt and implement when they emerge.

"Our politicians are kind of trickish in a way; they play over our intelligence; they have intentionally injected poverty into our blood stream so that when campaign comes, they dole out money in the name of vote buying to really play on our psychology and have their ways.

"We implore them that for Nigeria to join comity of democratic nations, they should shun electoral violence, vote buying and they should believe in the power of young persons and they shouldn't use them for violence".