Nigeria has one of the largest youth populations in the world — and it’s a prime opportunity for growth. With nearly 65 million young people, Nigeria represents an extraordinary opportunity for development and growth.
Yet, the government’s indifference and failure to deliver public goods and keep Nigerians safe are instigating and accelerating the demand for change by Nigeria’s young population. Despite representing extraordinary opportunities for development, Nigeria does not seem to care much about the youth other than a few unsustainable tokenistic initiatives.
The youth in the country are trapped in a system of distortion that’s been rigged against them from the start. They’re not equipped with the skills they need to compete in today’s labor market, and they’re frustrated by it. We live in a system that favors the privileged.
Nigeria’s youth make up over 71% of age groups who have completed their Permanent Voters Card registration. All other age groups— the middle-aged, the elderly, and the old—make up the remaining 29%. Some frustrated Nigerian youths have been expressing themselves about the failings of the government in Nigeria using various online and offline channels.
Online, they’re using hashtags on social media to air their displeasure with the state of the nation. Organized social media campaigns have generated millions of impressions. They’ve also used it to share their stories about how they feel about the state of affairs in Nigeria and what changes they will like to see. Meanwhile, these same youths are also posting photos and videos on social media platforms like Facebook where they’re decrying how corrupt the government is (and how they feel it affects them).
The recently released 2022 Africa Youth Survey Report showed that young Nigerians have the most negative opinion in the whole continent about the direction their country is headed, with 95 percent saying things are going badly, citing bad leadership, insecurity, and harsh economic conditions including rising levels of unemployment as reasons for losing hope in the country and for wanting to get out.
In response to the perpetual suffering, the youths are taking their future into their hands by massively building up their electoral armory which is why the M.I.C (Music Inspired Change) project is launching to tap into the enthusiasm of the youths on social media to create real political change in Nigeria.
The (M.I.C) project is a specially curated playlist of politically conscious songs in sang over the years that speak on the issues in Nigeria. The objective of the playlist for the Nigerian general elections is to empower young people through education by using music as a vehicle to remind them of important discussions among themselves. The M.I.C initiative will give youths a platform to share their views on a wide range of issues affecting them directly or indirectly as well as a platform for them to engage with other like-minded youths who are burdened by the state of the nation.
The artwork for the M.I.C projected which is also will be minted as an NFT and sales proceeds will go towards supporting a youth politician in the next elections is an artwork that reflects the many issues that Nigeria faces as a country. The artwork designed by Omotebi Olatunji reflects the decay in Nigeria of today which many young people can relate to as it depicts challenges in corruption, youth unemployment, education, police brutality, and other pertinent issues affecting the lives of young people through discussion communities. The M.I.C team also comprises fasting rising DJ Playsmith who created the music playlist for the M.I.C. project and he describes the playlist as the “vibe of the moment” with fashion designer Haq Otaru also acting as fashion lead and advisor.
In an interview with the convener and campaign leader of the M.I.C project Babajide Esho, he said that “Daring to make real political change in Nigeria will require the use of unconventional means to organize and educate the voting populace on the right decisions to make. And looking at the trends and data of voter demographics we felt it was a cool idea to try something to bind the youths through one voice said Esho. He went further to add that, we believe that if we talk about the Nigerian situation today by passing the ‘MIC’ to each other, we can generate more enthusiasm and organization toward the next general elections, and with the Nigerian general elections barely a few months away the Music inspired change initiative is only trying to reduce voter’s apathy and increase participation among young people in Nigeria through a continuous online discussion”
As the M.I.C project begins its 10-day countdown to the official launch of the M.I.C playlist which will be on all major streaming platforms, the theme of the campaign is to #PassTheMic which simply means to share, discuss and contribute.
For more questions, sponsorships, collaborations, or partnerships please send an email to musicinspiredchange@gmail.com
Follow on Instagram at @musicinspiredchange
Follow on Twitter at @passthemic_ng
