As part of this year’s World Poetry Day marked globally on 21 March, Nigerian youths of voting age, who constitute over 80 per cent of the electorate, have been urged to be part of this celebration by participating in the GoNigeria digital poetry challenge. There is a fabulous first prize of One Million Naira Grand to be won by the best entry, whilst the first and second runners-up will receive N600, 000 and N400,000 respectively.
The digital poetry contest, which will run from Thursday, 17 March to Wednesday, 31 March, 2022, is aimed at engaging Nigerian youths with a strong inclination towards poetry to showcase their talents and be part of the enlightenment campaign regarding youths’ participation in the country’s electoral process. GoNigeria is a campaign to sensitize Nigerian youths to participate in the electoral process by registering en-masse to vote and collect their Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs) in preparation for the 2023 general elections.
To be anchored by Dike Chukwumerije, who is a renowned Poet and also a GoNigeria Advocate, the digital competition offers eligibility to persons between ages 18 to 45 years to participate by creating a 30 seconds poetry video while holding or displaying their PVC and encouraging other youths to register and pick up their own PVCs. Participants are required to include the acronym PVC in their video and post the end-product using the hashtag #GoNigeriaPoetryChallenge.
Selection of winners will be entirely at the discretion of the GoNigeria Judges, who will apply terms and conditions that have been designed to ensure fair play and healthy competition.
GoNigeria is an initiative originated and powered by Anap Foundation, a non-profit organisation committed to promoting good governance. The GoNigeria Digital Poetry Challenge is one of numerous activities designed to sustain the momentum of the ongoing voter sensitisation campaign, which is aimed at getting the young demographic that constitutes over 80 percent of the electorate to become politically active. The upper age limit on this Poetry Challenge was raised to 45 years in order not to exclude and/or alienate those youthful at heart and interested in marking the 2022 World Poetry Day in style. The Poetry Challenge should help build awareness and further stimulate the direct involvement of the participants and their contemporaries in the 2023 general elections, thereby shaping the nation’s political destiny.
GoNigeria is an initiative of Anap Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to promoting good governance in Nigeria. Anap Foundation is partnering with enlightened celebrities (GoAmbassadors), corporate bodies eager to support the initiative via co-branding (GoPartners) as well as many enthusiastic young volunteers who will help to amplify the messaging to their age mates (GoVolunteers). The overall aim is to to encourage Nigerian youths to register and vote en-masse in the 2023 General Elections. The 18 Initial Advocates of the GoNigeria Movement are drawn from all the 6 geopolitical zones (3 from each zone). They are: Atedi Peterside (Convener), Aisha Yesufu, Nuruddeen Lemu, Dike Chukwumerije, Folarin Falana (Falz), Bishop Matthew Hassan-Kukah, Arunma Oteh, Hamzat Lawal, Tomiwa Aladekomo, Osita Chidoka, Dr. Tony Rapu, ‘Yemi Adamolekun, Muhammad Ali Pate, HH Muhammad Sanusi II, Dr. Salamatu Hussaini Suleiman, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, Ayisha Osori and Ibrahim Dahiru Waziri.
To know more about Anap Foundation’s GoNigeria Initiative, visit: www.GoNigeria.com
