GRACO Executive Director, Armsfree Ajanaku, addresses young voters during preparations for the Civic Digital Skills Outreach in the FCT.
As Nigeria intensifies preparations for the October 18 Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections, a civil society group GRACO, has launched a new drive to address low voter participation by tackling digital literacy gaps.
The Grassroots Center for Rights and Civic Orientation (GRACO), in partnership with ByteOasis, will on Saturday, September 13, 2025, host its maiden Civic Digital Skills Outreach.
The initiative is designed to help citizens, particularly first-time and young voters navigate the digital components of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) process.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), recently devolved registration to ward-level centres to ease access.
However, low awareness and limited digital skills remain barriers for many residents, a challenge GRACO says it intends to close.
Speaking on the campaign, the organisation’s Executive Director, Armsfree Ajanaku, said the choice of venue, a football viewing centre, was deliberate to capture the attention of young people.
“We need them to understand that with the deadline set by INEC, those who intend to vote in the FCT Area Council elections must come out and get registered now,” he stressed.
In a statement signed by Mr Ajanaku, explains that the outreach, will go beyond voter registration to also address the spread of online misinformation, with practical sessions on fact-checking viral content.
It says this focus is critical to encouraging women’s participation, as online disinformation and safety concerns often discourage female voters.
According to the statement, the programme will be live-streamed on Instagram to reach a wider audience.
GRACO maintains that building citizens’ capacity to register, verify, and safeguard their votes is central to deepening democracy and strengthening electoral credibility in Nigeria.
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