Ahead of Nigeria’s 2023 general election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday inaugurated its Digital Social Media Team that would help boost and strengthen awareness on the electoral system.
The National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr Festus Okoye, inaugurated the team at the headquarters of INEC urged the committee to help in tackling the challenges posed by social media.
While not competing the social media, he said that the team would always put out the position and perspective of INEC on electoral issues.
Aside correcting misinformation and falsehood concerning INEC and the electoral system, the team should strive to make the public have and sustain confidence in INEC.
The team, he counselled should be abreast with temperate language in a system that has been engulfed with bile, hatred and bad language.
Okoye, urged the team to work within the limits of its terms of reference, which includes developing, coordinating and executing social media campaigns to create awareness about policies, decisions, programmes and actions of the Commission ahead of the general election.
The team will “create engaging content for dissemination to all commission’s other social media platforms’’.
It will enhance the existing online performance of the commission on all social media platforms and improve online engagement and response rate to maximise the opportunity to capture wider audience through social media activities.
“It will conduct impact assessment and analyse performance on social media platform and improve on necessary areas.’’
It would among others also articulate strategic social media approach for all the commission’s social media platforms, identify the target users of the various platforms to ensure that right messages, videos, news items are posted on those platforms.
It will monitor and track social media and digital engagements to ascertain the traffic on various platforms where INEC is been mentioned for prompt response appropriate.
“It will galvanise followership in all INEC’s social media platforms and maximise opportunity for feedback.’’
Responding on behalf of members of the Team, Mr Mohammed Momoh, said that the digital social media tool was long overdue especially in a complex and robust political atmosphere the nation is witnessing.
He commended the commission for making bigger strides in ensuring innovation in the electoral system.
Other members of the team are Cecil Egbele, Tracy Ukpebor, Makanjuola Taiwo, Ayodele Abiodun, Adams Kure, Chinwe Ogbuka, Mary Nkem, Rotimi Oyekanmi, and Mr Victor Aluko.
