ACE Centre and the WeVote Initiative is pleased to have participated in the National Quarterly Policy Desk Review Engagement organized by Savannah Center for Diplomacy, Democracy & Development (SCDDD) in collaboration with Mercy Corps and USAID on Monday, 16th August, 2020 at Bon Hotel Elvis, 2 Monrovia Street, Wuse 2, Abuja.
The essence of the event was to review the recently passed electoral reform bill through a session titled, “Fostering a Peaceful Nigeria through an Accountable Electoral Act, Active Citizens’ Participation and Stakeholders’ Collaboration”. Other legislations targeting the media space were examined in a second session titled “Mitigating Violent Conflict in Nigeria’s Polity through Effective Media Policy: Using NBC/NPC Media Act as a Case Study”.
Attending the event were individuals and organizations including the Director General of the National Press Council, the Chairperson of FIDA Kogi State, the President of the Independent Television Producers of Nigeria, Policy and Legislative Advocacy Center (PLAC), Electoral Hub, ECOWAS Youth Council, the Executive Director, Interfaith Mediation Center, the Executive Director of NESSACTION, the Executive Director of KIMPACT Development Initiative, Sir Emeka Offor Foundation, YIAGA Africa, Advocacy for Civic Engagement Centre, WeVote, Premium Times, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University, Katsina, Bayero University, Kano, Peoples Daily, National Guild of Editors, ThisDay Newspaper, CCD, Bureau for Local Government Affairs and Fusion Nigeria.
ACE Centre program manager and WeVote’s founding member, Vanessa Onyemauwa, contributed robustly to the conversation. At the end of the event, there was a consensus that civil society has a critical role to play in protecting the interests and civic rights of Nigerians. It was a vibrant policy dialogue which produced actionable recommendations, and ACE Centre shall continue to engage and advocate for people-centered reforms.
