By Tomisin Erogbogbo
Lagos – A non-governmental organisation, Youth Alive Foundation (YAF), on Saturday launched a mobile game, which seeks to help youths to understand their civic rights.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that YAF was established in 2002 with aim to redefine the roles and contributions of the Nigerian youth in governance and development processes.
YAF produced the 3D civic mobile game app, the first of its kind in Nigeria and known as: “Your Excellency”, with support from Innovation Spread the Word Fund (ISWF), an arm of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Your Excellency is an adventure civic mobile game app which is a learning tool for young people on governance.
It is expected to build capacities of young people to engage in governance.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mr Agboola Dabiri, lauded the innovation at the launch, and urged the youth to make good use of the initiative.
“It is a wonderful concept. For the youth to come up with such a laudable project, they need to be appreciated and supported.
“The youth are resourceful; Lagos State does not underrate any youth because we know they are the future.
“I advise the youth to work harder, think outside the box, invest in whatever they have passion for, and build on it,” he advised.
Dabiri urged the youth to shun violence and vote wisely in 2019.
A representative of USAID, Mr Charles Abani, said Nigeria would improve through good governance.
“For things to change, young people need to be more interested and involved in politics.
“We supported YAF because these youths came up with a brilliant idea of this “His Excellency’’ digital gaming as a means of getting young people involved effectively in governance,” he said.
The YAF Executive Director, Mrs Uduak Okon, said that the game launch was apt following the enactment of the Not-Too-Young-To-Run Bill.
“Young people do not really know the rudiments of good governance; this game equips them with the civic capacity to be able to engage in governance effectively and build leadership skills.
“We want to encourage the youth to do something about governance and effect positive changes in the society,’’ she said.
She urged them to make proper use of lessons from the game to contribute meaningfully to the society.
(NAN)