By Abasi Ita
Female students of Rivers State University took the lead in mobilisation efforts during a voter registration exercise organised on campus by the Centre for Development and Support Initiative in collaboration with the Nigeria Youth Future Fund and the Independent National Electoral Commission.
The exercise, which lasted 10 days, recorded massive participation from students, with women accounting for nearly 80 per cent of participants.
Speaking on the outcome of the exercise, the Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for Development and Support Initiative, Prof. Mina Ogbanga, commended the students for embracing civic responsibility and described the turnout as encouraging for democratic development and youth inclusion in governance.
She said the organisation remained committed to supporting initiatives that promote civic education, voter awareness and responsible citizenship among young people.
Programme Coordinator of the Centre for Development and Support Initiative, Joseph Mbga, said the voter registration drive significantly improved political awareness on campus and strengthened students’ participation in the democratic process.
According to him, more than 30 per cent of participating students completed their voter registration during the exercise, while about 70 per cent pledged to conclude the process immediately after the programme.
Mbga added that the initiative recorded an estimated 80 per cent improvement in voter registration participation among students of the institution.
He noted that the collaboration among CEDSI, NYFF, INEC and the university management helped transform the campus into a centre for civic mobilisation and voter awareness.
The university management also introduced measures aimed at encouraging wider participation among eligible students.
Part of the measures included the adoption of a campus policy encouraging students to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards, while student ambassadors were assigned to mobilise their colleagues for civic engagement activities.
The university further announced that voter registration services on campus would remain free for students.
In response to the growing turnout, the Independent National Electoral Commission deployed five additional voter registration machines to support the Continuous Voter Registration exercise and reduce congestion at registration points.
Speaking during the exercise, INEC official Gwegwe Evelyn described the students’ response as impressive and encouraging.
She said the high turnout, particularly among female students, reflected growing awareness among young people about the importance of participating in the electoral process.
Evelyn urged students who had yet to complete their registration to take advantage of the ongoing exercise and obtain their Permanent Voter Cards ahead of future elections.
Despite ongoing examinations during the exercise, students continued to troop out for registration, a development observers described as evidence of increasing political consciousness among young people in Rivers State.
Meanwhile, the VOICE RSU Project has commenced an expanded voter outreach campaign aimed at extending civic education and voter mobilisation beyond the university community into surrounding host communities in Port Harcourt.
Organisers said student ambassadors would engage residents and business owners in neighbouring communities to encourage broader participation in the electoral process.
The exercise also witnessed increased participation from members of staff and faculty of the university, many of whom took advantage of the registration exercise facilitated by the newly deployed INEC systems.
In another development, the Dean of Student Affairs, Professor Okpara, was inaugurated as Patron of the VOICE RSU Project during a ceremony attended by representatives of INEC, NYFF, CEDSI and student leaders.
Speaking during the inauguration, Professor Okpara pledged support for mass mobilisation efforts on campus and assured that no eligible student would be excluded from the democratic process.
Also speaking, Student Union Government member, Emmanuel Clement, welcomed students back to school and urged them to take advantage of the voter registration exercise to secure their future participation in elections.
Organisers expressed optimism that the collaboration among the university administration, INEC, CEDSI and student groups would further strengthen voter awareness and improve youth participation in future elections across Rivers State.