MI-VotE
General Elections to elect the Nigerian President and National Assembly were held in February 2019. Dubbed ‘MI-VotE’, our communication project aims to improve inclusion and participation in the election cycle by using a variety of media to reach Nigerians across the country – particularly those who are often marginalised.
We have been helping people to discuss issues that are important to them, bring them together with leaders and decision-makers, provide key electoral information, and build their overall engagement with the electoral process - both in the lead up to the elections and beyond.
We do this through:
Weekly radio shows
Talk Your Own and Mu Tattauna (Let's Discuss) are weekly radio magazine shows, broadcast in Pidgin English and Hausa respectively. The shows feature a mixture of one-to-one interviews, in-depth features and ‘town hall discussions’. Talk Your Own airs on over 160 radio stations nationwide, while Mu Tattauna airs on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Hausa Service and on over 40 radio stations across Northern Nigeria.
In 2016, Talk Your Own reached 19.7 million Nigerians, while Mu Tattauna reached 11 million. 89% of the Mu Tattauna audience reported improved knowledge of key governance issues from listening to the programme, while 93% of Talk Your Own listeners agreed that the programme played a role in holding the government to account.
Town Hall discussions
Recorded debate shows feature experts and influential local and national leaders sitting face-to-face with, and answering questions from, a live audience up and down the country. Audience members are selected to ensure diverse representation, a range of voices, and spirited and informed discussion. The town hall discussions are broadcast as special episodes of Talk Your Own or as stand-alone specials on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ Hausa Service.
Public service announcements (PSAs) for TV and Radio
Typically 60 seconds long, each of our PSAs covers a single electoral issue, like the one above. They are designed to inform, raise awareness, or highlight a particularly relevant issue. They also reinforce and emphasise our content broadcast on radio, tv or online, and help spark further discussion.
Online content
The highly successful hashtag (Don’t just sit down and look) encourages people to get involved in their communities, and join the conversation around the elections. We share celebrity interviews, short videos, and other engaging, relevant and impactful content through ´óÏó´«Ã½ Media Action Naija’s , Twitter and Instagram pages - and through partner media stations, celebrity guests, and other stakeholders’ social media pages
Training
We’re supporting 12 radio and 7 TV stations across the country to produce their own inclusive, informative elections programming for their local audiences. Our experienced trainers and producers work side-by-side with local media practitioners to help enhance their skills, and we engage with station managers to help ensure that these new initiatives and skills are embedded and championed.
Project information
Project name | Mi-Vote |
Funder | The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), UK (formerly DFID) |
Dates | 2018 – 2021 |
Themes | Governance |
Outputs |
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'Social media first' approach to youth participation
Findings from the 2016 Nigerbus Survey showed that 37% of young Nigerians feel they are ‘not very well’ represented in governance and decision-making processes, and 29% were reported as ‘not at all’ involved. Our own research in 2016 revealed that levels of participation among young people (15-24) were lower than in any other age group we surveyed.
Using a ‘social media first’ approach, this project aims to strengthen the political knowledge, understanding, discussion and civic participation of Nigerians between the ages of 18 and 24.
#Woke4Naija (Woke for Nigeria)
We’ve set up separate groups for people between 18 and 24 on both our Pidgin English and Hausa language Facebook pages where we’ve launched discussions under the hashtag (Woke for Nigeria). Our high-quality social media content on Facebook and Instagram aims to engage young people around electoral and political issues in a balanced and responsible way. In , Nigerian music star Korede Bello talks about voting.
Training and resources
We are training 10 local Nigerian media stations in Abuja to produce high quality social media content that is balanced and inclusive, speaks to young people, and addresses issues that are relevant to them. To extend the reach of this training, we’re creating online training courses that will be made available to all media practitioners starting in early 2019.
Project information
Project name | Using Social Media to Strengthen the Political Participation of Young Women and Men in Nigeria. Part of the wider |
Funder | The European Union |
Dates | 2018 – 2021 |
Themes | Governance |
Outputs |
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Our projects in Nigeria
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Challenging attitudes on disability: The return of Story Story
Our popular radio drama reflecting the lives of ordinary Nigerians is back on air across sub-Saharan Africa with a new focus – to transform attitudes around people with disabilities, with storylines, actors and writers that reflect their experiences. -
Inclusive Futures: media for a fairer world
As part of the Inclusive Futures consortium, we’re working through media to improve knowledge of the rights of people with disabilities, and challenging stigma, discrimination and negative social norms related to people with disabilities. -
Leave no one behind: Improving participation in the 2019 Nigerian Elections
We’re helping people in Nigeria become more involved in political processes and hold their leaders to account. With an emphasis on reaching young people, women, and people with disabilities, our content aims to ensure traditionally marginalised groups are heard. -
Helping improve child health through radio in Nigeria
Helping families and the wider community make informed decisions about childhood immunisation - with the aim of reducing preventable death and disability. -
Encouraging accountability in Nigeria
´óÏó´«Ã½ Media Action's radio dramas and discussion shows are encouraging political accountability in Nigeria. -
Tackling pneumonia and diarrhoea in Nigeria
A multiplatform media project - running between 2014 and 2016 - aiming to stop two of the biggest killers of children under five in Nigeria. -
Improving family health in northern Nigeria
Weekly radio show Ya Take Ne Arewa (What’s Happening up North) tackles health issues facing women, families and communities. -
Responding to HIV and AIDS in Nigeria
Between 2009 and 2014 ´óÏó´«Ã½ Media Action provided accurate information about HIV and AIDS and tackled stigma through radio shows, short films and training for media professionals.