NESS

For the past 12 years, NESSACTION has been dedicated to mobilizing communities to achieve their goals, empowering youth in mentorship, strengthening democracy and governance institutions, creating workable systems for institutional capacity building, and providing electoral and political development support to EMBs. Thank you to our donors, volunteers, partners, beneficiaries, team members, board, advocates, fundraisers, and supporters. Together, we continue to make lasting impact and transform lives!

Activism meets Governance for Youth Mentorship ahead of Local Council Polls

In the words of New York State Senator of the United States of America, Senator Kevin Parker, "civil society and governance are similar but different. They're twins, they're ibeji - one person and two bodies. Both advocates and the people in government both want the society to be better. The tools they have to use to make it better are different. People in civil society should be doing what we refer to in public policy as agenda setting and telling elected officials what's important. The people in government have the leverage of power and the ability to manifest the things that their community wants."

He said this in an interview with Amb. Eniola Cole, Executive Director of NESSACTION in a special broadcast on 'Leadership in Action' aired on www.youtube.com/ a platform developed on the NESSACTION Mentorship Program where elected and appointed politicians as well as leaders in civil society come together to impart knowledge and experience for youth mentorship on leadership.

The platform currently holds more than ten of such remarkable interviews with leaders in civil society and governance sharing their experiences for youth mentorship. It was developed as part of the NESSACTION Mentorship Program which empowered student union leaders in Lagos State to secure local council jobs and prepare to run for office in the 2025 Local Council elections or become effective leaders in their communities. Over 200 youth members, including young women, were also galvanized for future mentorship, alongside the development of a 12-chapter Mentorship guide.

Please visit YouTube and encourage youth in your sphere of influence to take advantage of this platform.

Lagos, Nigeria – July 24, 2024 – NESSACTION, a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering youth leadership and civic engagement, is proud to announce the successful launch of its Mentorship Program and Orientation Workshop for Student Union Government Leaders in Lagos. This landmark event, held at Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja on July 24, 2024 marks a significant step in empowering young leaders and preparing them to drive positive change within their communities.
The workshop, which forms a critical component of the NESSACTION Mentorship Program, aims to equip student union leaders with essential skills in leadership, advocacy, and governance. Participants had the unique opportunity to engage with experienced mentors, including established politicians, civil society activists, and industry experts, who provided invaluable insights into effective leadership practices and civic responsibility.
In her welcome address, Amb. Eniola Cole, Executive Director of NESSACTION, highlighted the importance of nurturing young leaders and the transformative impact of mentorship. “Our youth are not just the leaders of tomorrow; they are the leaders of today. Through this mentorship program, we aim to empower student leaders with the knowledge, skills, and networks they need to become agents of change in their communities,” said Amb. Cole.
The event also featured the official launch of “Leadership in Action: A Mentorship Guide for Young Changemakers,” a comprehensive resource developed by NESSACTION. This guide serves as a cornerstone of the mentorship program, providing a structured curriculum that covers key areas such as leadership skills, civic engagement, policy development, and gender equality. The guide was developed under the leadership of Amb. Eniola Cole at NESSACTION in partnership with the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room supported by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
Please visit www.nessaction.org for the full story

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We are excited to share our findings in the coming week on the project implemented in partnership with and supported by .

The project conducted an independent assessment of INEC Election Logistics deployed for the 2023 Kogi State Governorship Election and provides useful information gathered using our innovative ELLO! Dashboard.

The project report presentation is anticipated to support in strengthening INEC Election Logistics processes in future elections.

Watch this space for more details.

More data from the ELLO! dashboard of the project show the need for more intensified efforts of in ensuring timely deployment of men and materials including reverse logistics. Election Day reports show that 19% of polling units visited did not have transportation available for men and materials to get to the polling units in time for the opening of polls, 20% of polling units were not opened by 8:30am, 26% of polling units visited had no transportation to return from the polling units and 21% of polling units visited had no security personnel present to make the return trip from the polling units with poll workers and materials deployed for the elections. The project is being implemented by .action in partnership with and supported by

On the project being implemented in Kogi State, as at 12 noon, 27% of RACs visited had problems reported. These included 26% unavailable transportation, 17% of locations visited did not have materials batched and 15% of locations did not have required election personnel present. The team was able to escalate 29 issues observed for resolution and got 15 issues resolved in liaison with INEC leadership at the local level.

As at 08:30am, 17% of polling units visited were yet to be opened, 29.2% had incomplete election materials, 25% of locations had problems recorded and 8.3% election malpractices experienced related to vote buying.

The general public in Kogi State are
encouraged to participate in sharing
their Election Day observations as well
as how men and materials moved back from the PU to INEC facilities on nessaction.org/ellochecklist and nessaction.org/iobserved
The project has identified the need for more transparency and accountability of INEC Election Logistics processes and is positioned to engage in advocacy with INEC to make improvements in ensuring more transparency of the electoral process.
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Take a look at our pre-election findings from across Kogi State last night as captured by our ELLO! Dashboard deployed on the project for the 2023 Kogi State Governorship Election. Thank you to our partners and More updates incoming!

Join our observation team and share your election observation reports for the 2023 Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi Governorship Elections at https://nessaction.org/iobserved

Your observation can make a difference!

Our trained Support Field Agents (SFAs) have been working through the night to assess election logistics and support in resolving issues where necessary. If you see something, say something at www.nessaction.org/ellochecklist
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