Social change activists use arts to create PVC collection awareness

As the 2023 general election draws close, social change activists and advocates with the Speak Up, Stand Out (SUSO) Programme have held an awareness campaign using arts and charged voters on the need to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

The awareness campaign, which took place at Holy Ghost Roundabout and Okpara Avenue, Enugu, recently, had youths campaigning for PVC collection and the need for youths to be part of Nigeria’s electoral process.

The campaign was a round-off of a project by Arinze Okafor, an artist-activist using art to drive social change, youth participation in the electoral process, voter education and PVC registration and collection.

Okafor is one of the 20 activists across Nigeria that were empowered over a 13-month period by the SUSO Programme with the knowledge, skills and resources to organise activism to challenge issues affecting youth, develop innovative ways to engage other young people and social actors to campaign and drive social change.

He said, “Inasmuch as we clamour for change in the system, we also need to change individually. We have to individually apply ourselves for the betterment of Nigeria; it is a collective effort.

“As we have registered for our PVCs, we should equally go and pick it and be ready to vote.

“As an artist, I am using my craft to reach out and try to arouse the interest of people, especially the youths in Enugu State, to go and collect their PVCs because without the PVCs, we can’t effect policies to us as a people.”

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During the campaign, the advocates had body paintings and placards with inscriptions like ‘This is the time to act, get your PVC and vote!’; ‘Do you know if you do not collect your PVC, you are making rigging very easy?’; ‘You have the power, you PVC is your power’; ‘PVC collection is free, go and collect yours today’; ‘Only thing standing between you and the Nigeria of your dreams is your PVC. Collect your PVC and vote.’

The SUSO Programme aims to empower young people with media and information knowledge and grassroots mobilisation skills to participate meaningfully in the socio-political development of their communities by maximising digital platforms for social mobilisation, amplifying youth voices and developing people-led campaigns on issues that affect youth and influencing policies that affect youth.

The SUSO programme is powered by Nigeria Youth, Afrika Youth Movement, Centre for Youth Advocacy and Development, and VOICE as the funding partner.