The Nasarawa State Government has urged the youths to shun violence during and after the Oct. 6 local government elections in the state.
Mr Yusuf Musa, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism, said this during a violence-free sensitisation on Wednesday in Wanna, Wamba Local Government Area of the state.
The permanent secretary said the Ministry considered it imperative to educate youths on the outcome and negative implication of violence and to ensure peaceful atmosphere during and after the exercise.
According to him, the moment citizens allow themselves to be used by politicians to disrupt the process of electing their leaders, by implication they mortgage their future.
He admonished the youths to be patriotic and law abiding and use their youthfulness to contribute to the development of the state, urging them to rise to the occasion and propagate violence-free messages.
“As future leaders of the society, you should champion the cause of a free and fair election, don’t allow yourselves to be used to perpetuate violence by disrupting election process, don’t mortgage yours future and the posterity.
“Don’t allow politicians to use you as hooligans,” he warned.
Musa said that the campaign also aimed at educating people to leverage continuous e-voters registration by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register massively so as to enable them participate in the 2023 general election.
He, therefore, appealed to traditional rulers, local government officials, youths leaders and women leaders to champion the cause by stepping down the campaign in their various domain.
Speaking separately, Oriye Rindre, Alh. Lawal Nagogo and Aren Eggon, Dr Bala Angbazo, represented by Aren Akun, Alh. Usman Umbugadu both commended Gov. Abdullahi Sule and the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism for coming up with the campaign.
The traditional rulers assured of their support in ensuring that their subjects avail themselves of the ongoing INEC e-voter registration, and also desist from engaging in violence during and after the local councils polls.
On his part, the traditional ruler of Akwanga, Chun Mada Samson Gumu – Yare, while thanking Gov Sule for his visionary leadership, called on politicians to support the campaign, using their resources to mobilise people to participate in e – voters registration.
He, however, decried the attitudes of some politicians whose stock in trade was to distance themselves from such laudable project geared towards laying foundation for the future, only to surface during election to impose their will on the electorates.(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
