With the recent appointment of Professor Attahiru Jega as the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Nigerians rejoiced and hope in the April 2011 elections was rekindled because of the academic’s pedigree. After leading a registration exercise deemed as near perfect going by the previous exercises, Professor Jega encouraged the electorate severally to not only vote, but protect their votes by waiting at their polling centres for the votes to be counted and announced.
On the 4th of March 2011, the Canadian High Commission sponsored a one-day roundtable organized by the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Foundation and the Enough Is Enough Coalition. Tagged, ‘ Promoting two way communication between INEC and its stakeholders, the meeting had in attendance representatives from the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Supreme Islamic Council, International Republican Institute (IRI), National Democratic Institute (NDI), Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), the Labour Union, the Police Service Commission (PSC), and other stakeholders.
Statistics presented at the roundtable indicated that out of an estimated 150 million Nigerians, 87million own mobile phones that can send and receive text messages, 44million have internet access, 3million are on Facebook, and approximately 60, 000 on Twitter.
These astounding figures and the opportunities associated with social media led to the rationale that, if the numbers above were educated on their powers as citizen reporters, the hitherto conducive environment that saw election results being manipulated by politicians and their cronies would become shaky.
At that meeting, a framework was agreed on, and EiE was asked to assist INEC with the development of their strategic communications network.
Barely a week later, the Social Media Tracking Center was born. Made up of young, savvy professionals led by Amara Nwankpa, this team was responsible for collating and interpreting messages, reports and comments from an estimated 70, 000 voters. They monitored the use and effect of social media on the entire electoral process as it unfolded, and thus laid the foundation for a Nigerian political system where technology and new media are the new trend.
Some of the members of the Social Media Tracking Center.....well done guys!
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