Ekpeye Youths are target audience of electoral violence – Ogboka

Ahead of the 2019 poll, the Ekpeye youth congress (EYC), in Ahoada East and West Local Government Areas in partnership with Social Action (a non-governmental organization) in Rivers State, held a one-day sensitization workshop on capacity building to educate youths against conflicts and electoral violence.

The workshop with the theme: “Conflicts, Electoral Violence and Underdevelopment: The Drivers, Enablers and Way Forward” took place at the Ekpeye Youth Hall, in Ahoada east local government area.

Addressing newsmen, the president of the Ekpeye Youth Congress, Mr Ogboka, stated that with just five months before the general election, the workshop was very timely, especially for the youths of Ekpeye.

“We know that we are the targeted audience of electoral violence, and so, the need for the youths to be educated so that they can kick against violence during the election”.

He added that elections should not be a do or die affair adding that elections should be conducted peacefully, where voters cast their votes for their candidates, without violence nor the candidates using machinery to impose themselves on the people.

The president said the participants for the workshop are leaders, representatives of various wards that make up Ekpeye ( Ahoada east and west LGA), who will, in turn, go back to their various wards to sensitize and impact the knowledge of what they have learnt to their people.

On his part, Hon. Lazarus Ishe, the Council Secretary of Ahoada east local government area, stated that security is Paramount to human existence.

Ishe said the workshop is to sensitize and educate the youth on how best to conduct themselves come 2019 election to ensure a violence-free poll. With this training, he said, 2019 will be violence free.

Continuing, the LGA council Secretary said, ” The council has mapped out projects to ensure that Ekpeye youths stay totally away from restiveness”

On his part, the Program Officer of Social Action, a non-governmental organization, Mr Prince Ekpere, said the essence of the workshop is to build the capacity of the youths of Ekpeye who are primarily the victims and enablers of election violence and electoral malpractices.

He added that Nigerian youths are most vulnerable to election violence and malpractices because they lack knowledge of certain issues.

He added that ” Nigerian youths have reached the point where they should sit down and read, to be knowledgeable about major things”
“Without knowledge, you can not engage. Time has gone beyond when youths engage in activism. We are in a process of advocacy and engagement. So, therefore, the youths must have the knowledge and the right information to be able to engage.

“So it is important for the youths to go back to the reading table and get the necessary skills that will help them in facing politicians.

Mr Ekpere also said the workshop was timely, five months before the election, as the knowledge acquired from the workshop will remain fresh in the memory of the participants were assembled from the 25 wards in Ekpeye kingdom.