The President General of Ekpeye Youth Congress Worldwide, Comrade Ogboka Umeda has called on politicians and other relevant stakeholders to sponsor Ekpeye youth on workshops that would educate them on how to actively participate in non-violent elections.
Umeda, who stated this, last Friday, at a one-dày workshop on “Youth Against Violence and Electoral Malpractice”, at Ahoada, in Ahoada East Local Government Area, noted that this would guard against electoral violence in the state.
The Ekpeye youth president identified the desperate quest for materialism, greed, lack of education and poor moral values as some factors that cause violence and electoral malpractice.
He also warned politicians against using Ekpeye youth to foment electoral violence, especially as the general elections approach, noting that the entire Ekpeye youth would be mobilized to vote for credible candidates that have their interests at heart.
Umeda commended a Non-Governmental Organisation, Social Action, for partnering with the youth body, and called on participants to take advantage of the knowledge gained for positive change.
Also speaking, the Executive Chairman of Ahoada East LGA, Hon Ben Eke, expressed the readiness of his administration to build the capacity of the youth of the area for positive change, as according to him, “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop”.
Represented by the council’s Secretary, Mr Lazarus Ishia, Eke commended the leadership of Ekpeye Youth Congress for a thought-provoking workshop aimed at redirecting the youth towards achieving non-violent elections.
Lecture series on “Citizenship and Leadership Challenge”, “Electoral Violence: The Diverse, Enablers and the Way Forward”, “Conflict, Violence and Youths’ Underdevelopment” as well as the “Role of Youths as Anti-Corruption Agents”, featured at the programme.