The Super Eagles winning squad of 1994 and 2013 Africa Cup Of Nations winners will play a PVC novelty match at the Legacy football pitch inside National Stadium Surulere, Lagos on the 9th of February 2019.
Benedict Iroha, Samson Siasia, Mutiu Adepoju, Uche Okechukwu, Alloysius Agu, Joseph Yobo, Emmanuel Emenike among others are expected to feature in the novelty match tagged ‘#PVCFootball’.
The ‘#PVCFootball’ is organised by TAP iNitiative -a nongovernmental and non-partisan organization that advocates for young people’s role in the national reawakening of socio political and economic systems for sustainable development.
The goal of the #PVCFootball novelty match is to use soccer games as a tool to organize and galvanize voices of young people to participate in the upcoming elections and also discourage young people from the enticement of selling their votes.
Through the #PVCFootball Ambassadors, will use the games to encourage young people to be independent election observers and whistle-blowers in case of any irregularity or threat of violence during the voting, counting and recording process.
According to the Executive Director of Tap iNitiative, Martin Obono, Esq. “Young people between the ages of 15 and 35 constitute one-third of Africa’s population. However, youth’s influence on national politics remains limited.”
“There is a general sense that traditional politics and representative democracy—whereby voters determine the outcome of power struggles at the ballot box—fail to attract the attention of younger cohorts who feel alienated from political processes.”
Football activities have been lined up by TAP iNITIATIVE to promote democratic participation of young people at the general elections from voters registration to collection of voters card, voting and ensuring that their votes count.
On the 19th of January 2019, TAP iNITIATIVE will kick off its football viewing centre campaign in Lagos, Imo, Kaduna, Cross River, and Abuja ahead of the #PVCFootball awareness match scheduled for the 9th of February 2019 to dialogue, encourage and educate young people on the need to vote.
The #PVCFootball match is free but spectators will be required to show their PVCs to gain entrance into the stadium.
TAP iNITIATIVE have also partnered with football betting companies in Nigeria to place a wager for punters to predict the outcome of the upcoming general elections.
“The initiative seeks to explore the participation and publicity that betting houses generates among young people to predict and win the number of voters’ turnout through accredited voters in a state.”
