Nation
IPMAN Urges Members To Participate In Voter Registration
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has called on all in product distribution chains yet to register as voters to take advantage of the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.
Mr Chinedu Anyaso, Chairman of IPMAN, Enugu Depot Community in charge of Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu States, made the call in Awka.
The Tide source reports that the online registration, which began nationwide on June 28, is being done through INEC’s regis- tration portal https://cvr.inecnigeria.org.
The Tide source also reports that the physical registration exercise, for biometrics capture by INEC, would wrap up the online exercise.
It was earlier scheduled to begin on July 19, but shifted forward due to the public holiday slated for July 20, and July 21, to mark the Islamic festival of Eid-el Kabir.
Anyaso said employers and employees who had attained the age of 18 should check the validity of the past registrations and those who had yet to register should endeavour to do so.
He said it was not enough to use industrial actions to press home their demands but they should arm themselves with voting powers and actively participate in the election process.
The chairman said the petroleum marketers had a good number of members of voting age.
He said they should vote for the candidates that would give them the leadership they desired in the Nov. 6, governorship election in Anambra and subsequent polls in the Eastern states and the country.
He also called on petroleum tanker drivers to take time out of their busy schedules to register and obtain their voter cards.
“IPMAN is working to ensure that our members become politically active just like every other Nigerian.
“We serve the public and due to the nature of service we render, we are busy people; but we should not deny ourselves the opportunity to make inputs in the democratic process.
“So we are calling on filling station owners, pump attendants, lube shop operators, tanker drivers and their conductors, gas station operators and engine oil sellers to find time and regularise their voting powers.
“We thank the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for this opportunity of CVR.
“IPMAN is calling on all members of the depot community to take advantage of it, we want those in Anambra to vote for candidates of their choice,” he said.
Anyaso said IPMAN would continue to serve the public with the best of its ability to ensure that economic and commercial activities ran smoothly.
The Alliance Française Port Harcourt in conjunction with the Embassy of France Nigeria over the weekend joined the globe to campaign against the 2025 gender- based violence (GBV) with the theme: “16 Days of Activism Against Gender- Based Voice”
The event which took place at the event Hall of the Alliance Française Port Harcourt was in collaboration with the Female in Gaming Network, ( FIGN) and partnership with Nexal a body that seeks to promote online safety and responsible digital behaviour.
The Tide reports that the project which was aimed at promoting digital safety and girls inclusion in Gaming, with the initiative tagged ‘Gameover Gender- Base Violence’was part of the global campaign against gender- based Violence.
The activity which experienced a flavour of festivity was full of fun and excitements as participants took part in tournaments on popular digital games such as Mario kart and EAFC 25, with an intent to creating safer and more inclusive digital spaces.
The Director of the Alliance Française Port Harcourt, Mrs Marina Lacal said that these activities were designed to encourage inclusion of girls, team work and fair play on online gaming spaces, saying that the gaming world reflects these inequalities, where female players are often under represented.
According to her the main objectives of the initiative was to provide a supportive environment for girls and female in gaming network.
“GameOverGBV” is a project created to reshape this landscape by offering an innovative inclusiveness of girls on online digital Gaming community and digital environments that provide opportunities for creativity, learning and connection, but also fight against Gender-Based Violence Digital Gaming,”she said
She however, explained that the Digital Game, sport competitions, was launched to strengthen social and digital skills through games, workshops, and raise awareness among all young participants about respect, equality and digital citizenship.
The Tide News reports that in Port Harcourt, the competition brought together 100 young participants from three major universities: University of Port Harcourt, ( UNIPORT),Ignatius Ajuru University of Education(IAUE) and Rivers State University (RSU)as well as students from four selected secondary schools, Oginigba comprehensive Secondary.School, Vine lnternational, Virgo predicanda lnternational, and Excellent Montessori Secondary school.
“This is an approach where girls and boys can learn, play and collaborate in a more respectful and safe space for young women, while ensuring a safe, enjoyable and respectful digital environment. It also expose young women to cyberbullying, exclusion, sexist comments and online hate,” Mrs. Lacal said.
Earlier, a game developer Sophia Nei and her. team had engaged participants in an interactive session with the theme: “Can Video Games Be Safe Spaces For Girls?”
However, Mrs Nei and her team educated the girls on the benefits and violence on online digital gaming and urged them ( participants)to learn to say ‘No’ to Online hate, sexist and cyber bullying, while encouraging them(students) to stand up for themselves by reporting such issues to the appropriate authority.
Highlight of the competition was the awarding of prizes to winners by the Director of Alliance Française, Mrs Marina Lacal.
