By Precious Akutamadu
A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), SOS Children’s Villages, on Friday in Port Harcourt trained youths on the need to promote peace building and non-violence in the country.
The group’s National Director, Mr Erhumwunse Eghosa, told participants at the one-week training that the programme was also organised in other states, including Bornu, Imo, Oyo and Kano.
According to Eghosa, the training and sensitisation programme are part of the European Union’s (EU) support for democratic governance in Nigeria.
He said the training aimed to educate the Nigerian youth on their responsibilities in peace building.
Similarly, Mrs Rosecolette Ottih, the Administrative Programme Officer, Partners for Peace in the Niger Delta, said that education and information were important in peace building processes.
Ottih, the training’s facilitator, who spoke on the theme: ”Peace building, Mitigation Human Rights, Gender and Participation“, advised Nigerian youths to study the country’s constitution and understand the laws of the land.
She said that such understanding would help them to know their rights as citizens and rights to franchise.
Ottih also said that ignorance of the law, infringement and violation of human rights were some of the challenges in peace building.
She said that the non-implementation of law, weak orientation institutions, systematic corruption among others were part of the challenges in peace building.
According to Ottih, ignorance of law will make people infringe on rights to life and right to vote.
“If you know your right, nobody will convince you into accepting stipend to vote against your conscience.
“If you know your right nobody will pay you to instigate violence or be involved in electoral violence.
“When you are ignorant of your rights people will use you to carry out violence in your community or your state,’ ‘she said.
She also advised youths and other Nigerian citizens to participate actively in politics, change the narrative of being used by some politicians as instruments to perpetrate election violence in their states.
She urged them to know their responsibilities and to train other youths in the country positively.
Mr Samuel Bani, the Chairman National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), said that the training had enlightened the participants more on their responsibilities and rights as Nigerians.
Bani, who is also the spokesperson, Committee of Chairman Forum in Nigeria, said that the new electoral act had built more confidence in Nigeria and would bring about peaceful election.
He urged the Nigerian youths to take the bull by the horn and lead Nigeria to prosperity by following the guidelines of the electioneering process for a new Nigeria based on equity and justice.
Bani implored the Nigerian youths to reject any form of vote buying and financial inducement and to uphold peace building in the country.
Furthermore, Mr Chinda Peter, the Coordinator of National Youth Council in Port Harcourt, commended the organisers of the training programme, pointing out that the training had enlightened the participants more on violence-free elections.
Peter said that the National Youth Council would continue to preach and engage the youths in peace building during and after the elections.
He urged the youth to conduct themselves peacefully during the elections, saying that the new Electoral Act has made the voting process easier and violence-free.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some of the programme’s recommendations for participants to promote peace building included early warning of electoral or community violence to the appropriate quarters.
It also implored participants to encourage peace building by putting out accurate information, devoid of violence to the public.
It also called for proper positive sensitisation on peace building from the top to the grassroots level and ensuring that violators of human rights were brought to book. (NAN)
