An NGO, the Global Peace Foundation, has cautioned youths against being used as tools of violence in the forthcoming local government election in Kaduna State.
The Country Director of the Foundation, Rev. John Hayab, gave the advice in Kafanchan on Thursday, during the Southern Kaduna Youth Dialogue for a violence-free local government election.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event was organised by the Global Peace Foundation in collaboration with the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Jema’a Local Government Chapter.
Hayab said it was high time youths became vanguards of change by seeking to grow instead of engaging in the old order of stagnation.
He urged youths not to mortgage their future by collecting peanuts from politicians during the election but should rather vote based on their conscience.
He implored them to recognise the fact that they were members of one family under God, irrespective of their political affiliation or religious beliefs.
Hayab advised youths to continue to organise and create platforms to interact with each other, which he noted would build trust and understanding between the followers of different faiths.
Earlier, Solomon Samuel, the Youth Coordinator of the council, called on the electoral umpire to ensure the election results reflect the collective will of the people.
According to him, violence usually erupts when the will of the electorate is not allowed to prevail.
He noted that election should not be “a do or die affair’’.
Also speaking, the Caretaker Chairman of the council, Ibrahim Danladi, commended the youth council for partnering with Global Peace Foundation on the need for a violence-free poll.
Danladi restated the council’s resolve to provide a conducive atmosphere for the smooth conduct of the local government election in the area. (NAN)
