Group advises youths not to sell their votes

Wed, Mar 28, 2018 | By publisher


Politics

ANVIL Singles Network, a faith-based organisation in Abuja, has appealed to youths not to trade their voter cards for any material gain or money in the 2019 elections.

The group branch Coordinator in Gwagwalada Area Council, Mr Abraham Omoruan, made the appeal in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday.

Omoruan also advised eligible youths to participate in the on-going Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) to enable them to obtain the Permanent Voter Card (PVC) to be able to vote in all future elections.

He decried the situation in which the youth had continued to complain over bad leadership in the country without seeking for solutions for the leadership issues.

“We cannot continue to lament over bad leaders in power and not do anything to change it.

“Youths should get involved in electoral processes as well as engage in social entrepreneurship to earn a living for themselves,’’ he said.

Omoruan said the youth should see beyond what the government could offer; adding that a lot of opportunities existed for them to exploit.

He advised youths to engage in legitimate money making ventures and not rely solely on the government to provide for them.

He said the network had established an agriculture cooperation to help youths become financially independent, adding: “In that way, no politician will be able to cajole them to sell their votes.”

Omoruan said that investigation had revealed that most youths who indulged in selling their votes during elections did so because of poverty, unemployment and greed.

“We are ready as a group to sensitise them and make them see reason and the negative implications of selling votes.

“So, the focus in the network is that we are going to sensitive youths, especially our youths in the rural areas, not to allow themselves to be used during the 2019 elections,’’ Omoruan said.

He said Nigeria needed a comprehensive campaign to sensitise the people against selling their consciences during elections.

“There is also the need to state the obligations of the youths in a country and d to raise vibrant young urban professionals to take up leadership positions.’’

Omoruan said that members of the network would go all out to meet with young traders, students and youths to create enlightenment and sensitise them to their roles in achieve positive impact.

“We are going to use the Easter break to reach out to youths to get them to realise that they need to take the nation as their own and not to be allowed to be fooled by politicians.

“Our youths need to wake up and do the needful by getting their voter’s card ready and not be left out,’’ he said.

The president said he believed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was doing their best to ensure everyone got registered and issued PVCs.

The organisation which was inaugurated in 2015 Family Worship Centre, Abuja, shows interest in youth development.

The CVR ended for the quarter on March 22 and will resume on April 3. (NAN)

– Mar. 28, 2018 @ 15:19 GMT |

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