A group, under the aegis of Voice of Democracy (VD) in collaboration with Student Union Government (SUG), Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK), has staged a rally in Akwanga local government area of Nasarawa state to advocate violence-free general elections. The convener, Comrade Newman Solomon Maitoro, said Nigeria politicians are causing more harm than good in their campaigns for political offices.
Maitoro who doubled as the organiser and SUG president, said it was very sad that politicians were trading on human blood via the employment of political thugs in order to intimidate opponents and their supporters instead of campaigning on issues.
He frowned at the recent murder of a youth corps member, Samuel Dauda Mankeni, protocol officer to Honourable Davematics David Ombugadu, PDP gubernatorial candidate in Nasarawa state by a thug who was simply identified as Jibrin of Agwan Baba Arago in Akwanga.
The rally which was to cover 13 LGAs in Nasarawa, was flag off in AKwanga and rounded up with the presentation of a paper. The paper was presented by Madaki Festus who borrowed Chinua Achebe’s book, ‘Things Fall Apart’ as title.
In his presentation, he noted that the motto on the nigeria’s Coat of Arm is ‘Unity and faith, peace and progress’, but the national unity is under threat and citizens are losing hope in their country.
He stated that a Nigerian university graduates with First class degrees and second class uppers are roaming the streets in major cities in search of jobs that are nonexistent due to the federal character principle, ethnicity and nepotism.
He further said that a mother who took her child to the hospital and watch the child die as a result of doctors’ strike or unavailability of drugs is a dent on the national psyche. He therefore, cautioned political leaders to ensure that citizens develop a sense of belongingness towards their country, and appealed to Nigerian youths to resist from attempt by politicians to use them for their selfish motives.
