Nigerian celebrities, including Big Brother Season 5 Winner, Laycon, Soul artist Falana and Big Brother star Anto Lecky, on Saturday led several stars and dozens of activists to mobilize young voters ahead of the 2023 general elections.
The music festival and summit, themed ‘TheYVoteFest’, took place at the Blake Resort in Abuja.
It featured elite performances and panel sessions featuring top activists and new media champions from across the country.
According to the event coordinator, Ijudaye Shettima, a program officer at Anvarie Tech, TheYVoteFest is a “non-partisan democracy concert and summit that aims to motivate young people to engage and participate in the upcoming 2023 general elections in Nigeria.
“With the 2023 Nigerian elections just around the corner, this might be the most crucial year in the lives of young Nigerians and as the decision we make will determine our future growth, and lay the ground for the coming generation.
“We are living in really precarious times with Inflation, health pandemics, a broken literacy, economic and political structure, climate change, insecurity and the list goes on. Our individual and collective responsibility to respond to these issues cannot be understated.”
A key highlight of the event was the joint performance by Laycon and Falana as they performed their new single, ‘Freedom’
With young Nigerians making up to 70% of the population, it is critical that they understand the power of their collective voices. Event attendees left with a sense of urgency and committed to making their voices heard.
TheYVoteFest was sponsored by the National Endowment for Democracy Washington DC, USA and supported by other Nigerian organizations and partners including Gatefield, gst, Culture Custodian, and Femme Mag.
