GoNigeria, in line with its stated objective of becoming an important voice for driving Nigerian youths to actively participate in the nation’s electoral processes and redefining the political trajectory of Nigeria come 2023, has launched the GoNigeria Pidgin Rap Challenge, a contest for young Nigerians between the ages of 18 to 34, with incentives ranging from N1, 000,000 for the 1st prize winner. Other prizes include N600, 000 and N400, 000 for the first and second runners-up respectively.
Spurred by the enormous resourcefulness of talents and skills that abound in the creative space amongst Nigerian youths, GoNigeria is seeking to harness this energy plus the anger in the minds of some youths in a positive direction. These GoNigeria competitions act as an incentivizing platform that should also boost political participation by Nigerian youths, as the messaging requires participants to showcase their communication skills beyond entertainment alone, but by also delivering an important message through rap that is consistent with the ongoing GoNigeria advocacy campaign. GoNigeria believes that the vibing components of Rap which combine rhyme, mime in its flow and delivery can be impactful, particularly amongst the younger voters. Rap can serve as a strong communication platform as riveting messages have emanated through it in the past that have helped to impact and change societies and/or attitudes in some countries.
The Pidgin Rap Challenge will be anchored by Folarin Falana (FalzThe Bad Guy). This on-line rap contest will run from Saturday, 14 May, 2022 to Saturday, 11 June, 2022. Only Nigerian youths between the ages of 18 to 34 years and who have PVCs are eligible to participate. Participants are required to send in a 60 seconds rap video, in which they must show their Permanent Voters Card (PVC) or registration slip and play with the word PVC or Permanent Voters Card in their rap production. The video must adequately communicate the important need for Nigerian youths to GoRegister and get their PVCs before 30 June, 2022. The judges will consider ‘’content originality’’, ‘’flow’’ [rhythm, rhyme], and ‘’delivery’’ [cadence, tone], and potential impact. Contestants must post the video on all their social media platforms with the hashtag #GoNigeriaRapChallenge and tag @AnapFoundation.
Videos which are longer than 60 seconds and/or videos without a PVC component will be disqualified.
The selection of winners will be entirely at the discretion of the GoNigeria Judges, who will apply terms and conditions that have been designed to ensure fair play and healthy competition.
While the thrust of the rap challenge is aimed at engaging Nigerian youths with a strong inclination towards rap to showcase their talents, the real objective is aimed at encouraging Nigerian youths, within the eligibility demographics of the challenge (those aged between 18 and 34 years), to go and register with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and collect their PVCs before the expiration of the Commission’s last Continuous Voter’s Registration [CVR] deadline of 30 June, 2022 in preparation for the 2023 elections. This is in line with the ongoing GoNigeria advocacy campaign aimed at encouraging eligible young Nigerians in the country and diaspora to actively participate in the nation’s electoral processes leading up to the 2023 elections, as their direct involvement should be pivotal to reshaping the country’s political destiny.
GoNigeria is an initiative of Anap Foundation, a non-profit organization which is committed to promoting good governance. Via its GoNigeria Initiative, Anap Foundation has been partnering with GoAdvocates and enlightened celebrities (GoAmbassadors), corporate bodies eager to support the Initiative via co-branding (GoPartners) as well as many enthusiastic volunteers who will help to amplify the messaging to Nigerian youths (GoVolunteers). The overall aim is to encourage Nigerian youths to register and vote en-masse in the 2023 General Elections.
The 18 Initial Advocates of the GoNigeria Movement are drawn from all the 6 geopolitical zones (3 from each zone). They are: Atedo Peterside (Convener), Aisha Yesufu, Nuruddeen Lemu, Dike Chukwumerije, Folarin Falana (Falz), Bishop Matthew Hassan-Kukah, Arunma Oteh, Hamzat Lawal, Tomiwa Aladekomo, Osita Chidoka, Dr. Tony Rapu, ‘Yemi Adamolekun, Muhammad Ali Pate, HH Muhammad Sanusi II, Dr. Salamatu Hussaini Suleiman, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam, Ayisha Osori and Ibrahim Dahiru Waziri.
Participants and others who wish to know more about Anap Foundation’s GoNigeria Initiative, are advised to please visit: www.GoNigeria.com
