The Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr Solomon Dalung, says a group known as “Voice of the Masses Awareness Initiative’’ is to create funds to support orphans affected by insurgency in the North.
Dalung made this known to newsmen in Gombe on Saturday shortly after the 8th Annual National Congress of the group, of which he is a member.
The minister who was also the chairman of the occasion, said members of the group were mostly artisans and had begun arrangements to launch a fund at the next annual general congress, devoted to paying the tuition fees of such orphans.
He said the fund would also be used to provide loans for members to inject into their businesses.
Dalung said:“In this group, we are not asking for government to give us money but all what we are after is quality and good leadership that will create an enabling environment for us to do our business.
“All we are interested in is quality leadership, not a political party.’’
Earlier in his lecture, the Guest Speaker, Aminu Hassan, a Lecturer in the Faculty of Law, Baze University Abuja, urged the people to elect credible leaders irrespective of party in the forthcoming general elections.
He said although the Nigerian democracy was young compared to countries like America, Nigeria had made significant progress.
Hassan called for unity in the country as a key to success.
“We should bear it in mind that without unity we will never progress. Let us shun ethnic and religious sentiments to pave a way for a better Nigeria,’’ he said. (NAN)
