Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi’s campus to campus outreach tagged “STUDENTS ASSETS NOT THUGS” day three continued today 13th December, 2018 in Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) Agbani which registered a great number of students in attendance.
In attendance was Hon. Ilogebe Chidi, Special Assistant to the governor of Enugu State on student affairs; the resource person, Comrade Igboke Onyebuchi Okadigbo; the keynote speaker – Mr. Humphrey Onyima, Publisher/CEO of Leadership Scorecard magazine; Mr. Abah Joe Idenyi – one of the speakers; National Association of Nigerian Students executives, namely, Comrade Achonye Obinna; Comrade Udechukwu, Obetta Chika Emmanuel; Ugochukwu Anichebe; SUG president of ESUT and a host of others.
Hon. Ilogebe addressed the students saying he brought greetings from the governor who made the gathering possible by bringing students together to sensitize them about the dangers involved in electoral violence and how youths are usually the victims of electoral violence. He advised them to stay away from anything that will make them get involved in violent acts during election.
Comr. Udenyi while speaking made reference to the loss of lives every year during elections as a result of electoral violence, youths are not given platform to participate during the election, they are only told to get PVC and vote on the day of election he said. That is why they decided to carry out this sensitization to educate youths and ensure that come 2019 there will be no blood shed in Enugu State elections. He told the students not to hesitate to go to the Special Assistant to the governor on students’ affairs if they have ideas on how to make the forthcoming election peaceful.
Mr. Onyima emphasized on the need for holistic and sustainable measures to be taken through peace advocacy to curb the potential catastrophe that looms in the horizon for the safety of Nigeria and West Africa at large, he said, the level of insecurity in Nigeria is high. He continued by saying that the government of Governor Ugwuanyi’s desire to see a better Enugu State with mutual peaceful co-existence is calling on the students constituency not to allow themselves to be used negatively by anybody or group of persons. “No amount of commitment in sustaining the peaceful co-existence Governor Ugwuanyi has implanted in Enugu State can be said to be a waste of time, energy or resources. Peace is the ultimate currency for socio-political engagement without which no meaningful development can take place” he said.
Comrade Igboke the resource person for the day enunciated on the need for the youths to learn how to ask the right questions, he advised everyone to get their permanent voters card to vote in 2019 elections. He advised them to make positive impact during the election by being observers in the process and take note of everything that happens, keeping the people informed rather than acting as political thugs. He also told them to be well informed about the electoral process, educate friends and relatives and they will be happy and fulfilled that they are participating and actually doing something good.
Certificates of attendance were presented to all the students that attended the non-violence sensitization lecture. The SUG president gave the vote of thanks. He thanked the S.A to the governor on student’s affairs for bringing the outreach to ESUT and thanked the students for coming out in their numbers. The students in turn promised to be active participants in a peaceful manner as Nigeria prepares for the 2019 general elections.
