Lorine Emenike
The Social Development Integrated Centre (Social Action) in partnership with another sister NGO in Port Harcourt organized a workshop to enhance youth capacity in Rivers State to enable them campaign and as well combat corruption in the state.
Miss Stella Ekine, a 26 years old blind lady, who also represented the physically challenged in Rivers State at the workshop, told theportcitynews.com news reporter, Lorine Emenike, that the workshop is a huge step towards combating corruption especially in Nigeria and for the physically challenged who are largely undermined in Nigeria compared to another part of the world.
With sad look on her face, miss Stella alleged that the Rivers State government had promised the physically challenged in the state three schools where they will learn under the same roof with those without disabilities to check the rate at which people with disabilities are treated and discriminated against in the society; but unfortunately, the Rivers State Government is yet to fulfill that promise.
Miss Stella used the medium to appreciate the organizers of the workshop. She also called on other youths in the state to consciously desist from corruption, as the repercussion will still bounce back on their generation yet to be born as benefits of corruption are temporal and the effects, long-lasting.
Also speaking, Miss Doris, a final year HND student of Maths and Statistics at the Ken Saro Wiwa polytechnic who participated in the workshop, appreciated Social Action and her partners for organizing the workshop.
She said “ I understand very well that after this, we are going to come out good. I am more than ready to fight corruption. I am happy that we are having this workshop”.
She used the medium to advice other youths not to be used against their will and manipulated by anyone. She advised Nigeria youths to say no to corruption, adding that Nigeria youths are not being given the opportunities they deserve in the society, and for that fact, she called on all the youths to join hands together to combat corruption in the country.
On his part, Mr. Ken Henshaw, one of the facilitators of the workshop noted that corruption is the violation of people’s fundamental human rights.
Mr. Henshaw maintained that youths are mostly victims of corruption. He added that youths are the highest bribe payers and as a result, they lose lots of their income and revenue to corruption and that because they are the future leaders of the country, they have to be engaged to fight corruption.
Mr. Henshaw said that if corruption is eliminated or reduced and that the perpetrators of corruption are given severe punishment, that the kind of development which the country is capable of will be realized.
On his part, Mr. Prince Ekpere, the lead of the anti-corruption project in Nigeria, said that the idea behind the project is to empower youths with some kind of tools and strategies to strengthen them in their participation in the fights against corruption in Nigeria.
Mr. Ekpere emphasized that for the project to be a success, his organization will be involving active youths in the society, students, and youth groups in communities in Rivers State.
Continuing, he said the motivation behind the move is to see a Nigeria where everybody is at peace and where the resources of the people give them value for money and taxes paid are accounted for.
He added that government representatives who represent the people at any level will stop making personal decisions for them as they want to see a Nigeria where the available resources are used for the betterment of the people
