The National President of the Abia State Law Students Association, Light C. Onyeogaziri, has issued a passionate call to Nigerian youths to obtain and protect their Permanent Voter’s Card, describing it as the single most important tool any citizen holds in shaping the country’s future.
In a statement released this week, Onyeogaziri argued that the Permanent Voter’s Card is far more than a piece of plastic. He described it as volume, as voice, and as the instrument that turns the hopes of millions of Nigerians into an actual national mandate. According to him, a better Nigeria is not something that falls from the sky or arrives through wishful thinking. It is built, deliberately and physically, at the ballot box, and the only credential that carries weight at that box is the PVC.
The ALSA president drew a vivid comparison to make his point land. An eligible citizen without a PVC, he said, is like a soldier without a weapon on the battlefield of democracy. Such a person may pray, may hope, may post on social media, may complain endlessly, but lacks the actual power to determine who leads the country next. Prayer moves God, he noted, and optimism moves the spirit, but it is the PVC that moves government.
Onyeogaziri’s message leaned heavily on the idea that hope without action changes nothing. He reminded Nigerians that the country is full of believers, full of people who pray and prophesy for a better future, but stressed that faith without works is dead and patriotism without participation is empty. He called on citizens to back their hopes with the simplest possible action: register for a PVC, keep it safe, and use it when election time comes, since the vote is the bridge between the Nigeria people dream of and the Nigeria they currently live in.
He also grounded his appeal in constitutional law, an area where his position as a law student leader gives him particular authority. He pointed to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, noting that Section 77 guarantees the right of citizens to vote and to be voted for. That right, he explained, is meaningless without the PVC in hand, since the card is the proof that a citizen exists within the political equation. Without it, a person remains a spectator while others decide their taxes, their schools, their roads, and their future.
A significant part of the statement was addressed directly to fellow law students under the ALSA umbrella, whom he affectionately called ALSANITES. He reminded them that the law itself teaches that rights left unused eventually become rights lost, and that law students are trained to speak for the voiceless and defend the oppressed, but that this kind of justice begins with participation. He urged ALSA members across Nigeria to lead by example, to be the generation that turns complaints about Nigeria into concrete improvement, and to actively sensitize classmates, family members, and neighbors about the importance of the PVC.
“Your PVC is your power. Don’t waste it. Don’t sell it,” he said, addressing ALSA members directly.
Onyeogaziri closed his statement on a note of cautious optimism, insisting that a better Nigeria remains possible, but only if belief is matched with action. With a properly used PVC, he said, Nigerians can reject bad leadership and elect men and women of character, competence, and conscience. He emphasized that real power does not sit in Abuja or in any Government House, but inside the small card that every eligible Nigerian has the right to hold.
His call to action was direct and specific. Nigerians without a PVC were urged to register immediately at the nearest INEC office. Those who already have one were told to guard it as carefully as they would guard an ATM card. And those whose friends or family have not yet registered were encouraged to actively bring them along to do so. Nigeria, he insisted, will not change because of shouting on social media, but because citizens show up physically at the polls.
He ended with a simple summary of his entire message: get your PVC, use your PVC, defend your PVC, because a better Nigeria is possible, and it starts with the individual citizen.
Read his full statement below:
> YOUR PVC: THE POWER IN YOUR HAND
> By Light C. Onyeogaziri, National President, Abia State Law Students Association (ALSA)
> The Permanent Voter’s Card is not just plastic. It is volume. It is voice. It is the amplifier that turns the hopes of millions into the mandate of a nation.
> A better Nigeria does not drop from the sky. It is built at the ballot box. And at that box, the only credential that speaks is your PVC.
> Without PVC, You Are Muted. An eligible citizen without a PVC is like a soldier without a weapon on the battlefield of democracy. You may pray, you may hope, you may post, you may complain but you lack the power to determine, nor decide, the next leadership.
> Prayer moves God. Optimism moves your spirit. But PVC moves government. If you are 18+ and you do not have your PVC, you have voluntarily handed your future to someone else to decide.
> Hope Must Be Backed by Action. We are a nation of believers. We pray. We prophesy. We are optimistic that Nigeria will rise. But faith without works is dead, and patriotism without participation is empty.
> As much as we pray, as much as we hope, as much as we believe for a better nation, we must back those hopes with action. The action is simple: get your PVC, keep it safe, and use it when the time comes. Your vote is the bridge between the Nigeria you dream of and the Nigeria you live in.
> It Is Your Constitutional Right AND Responsibility. The 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria empowers us not just to vote, but to be voted for. Section 77 guarantees your right to vote and be voted for. That right is useless without the PVC.
> Your PVC is essential because it is proof that you exist in the political equation. It is your ticket to the decision table. Without it, you are only a spectator while others decide your taxes, your schools, your roads, your future.
> ALSANITES, Lead the Charge. To my fellow ALSANITES (Abia law students) across Nigeria the law teaches us that rights unused are rights lost. We are trained to speak for the voiceless, defend the oppressed, and uphold justice. But justice begins with participation.
> Let us lead by example. Let us be the generation that turns “Nigeria is bad” into “I made Nigeria better.” Sensitize your classmates, your family, your neighbors. Tell them: “Your PVC is your power. Don’t waste it. Don’t sell it.”
> A Better Nigeria IS Possible. I believe it. You must believe it too. But belief alone is not enough. With our PVC, we can get it right. With our PVC, we can reject bad leadership. With our PVC, we can elect men and women of character, competence, and conscience.
> The power is not in Abuja. The power is not in Government House. The power is in your hand, right inside that small card.
> The Call. If you don’t have a PVC, register now at the nearest INEC office. If you have one, guard it like your ATM card. If your friends don’t have one, drag them to register.
> Nigeria will not change because we shouted on social media. Nigeria will change because we showed up at the polls.
> Get your PVC. Use your PVC. Defend your PVC.
> Because a better Nigeria is possible and it starts with YOU.
