The Student Union President, Ebonyi State University, Osim Tobias Nkwegu, has urged youths of Ebonyi State to always make themselves instruments of value, not violence.
He said this at the Ebonyi Human Rights Awareness and Dialogue-Not-Damage Youth Convergence in the State.
The event, organised by a Civil Society Organisation, Development and Integrity Intervention Goal Foundation, was held at the International Conference Centre, Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital.
It was done in collaboration with Leadership Effectiveness, Accountability and Professionalism Africa, with support from Nigeria Youth Futures Fund.
The SUG president’s call came on the heels of campaigns and other activities gearing up towards the July 20 local government elections in Ebonyi State.
Delivering his message, Nkwegu maintained that though government empowerment was necessary to curb youth restiveness, personal development was of utmost importance to avoid being used as instruments of discord, conflicts and violence by self-seeking politicians.
Nkwegu noted that youth leadership should be based on knowledge, creativity, enterprise, skills and innovation rather than political patronage so as to be able to positively influence actions and harness contributions for peace building.
He added: “Even as a student leader, I own a farm where I do a range of crop and animal farming.
“Youths should not put all their needs on the government because the government has a lot of competing priorities.
“Be an instrument of value, not instruments of violence.”
Brainstorming on the best approaches to peace building across communities in Ebonyi State, participants recommended none government/political interference in selecting community leadership, use of traditional community leadership hierarchy in dispute and conflict mediation and management, and creating greater awareness on the positive role of effective parenting, among other recommendations.
A youth speaker from Afikpo, Uche Inya, stated that in his community, the age grade system has remained a strong platform for peace building and conflict management, and recommended that its gains be harnessed by other communities across the state.
Inya said: “In my community, the Essa age grade is highly revered and serves as the community lawmakers, while the Eto age grade helps in executing the traditional rules for general peaceful and violence-free existence.
“No matter how highly placed or rich one is, such a person cannot override the moral dictates or sanctions of the community as protected by the age grade system and laws.”
Speaking also, Moses Ekeke of the Human Rights and Conflict Resolution Centre, a Non-Governmental Organisation, stated that an early warning monitoring approach can help mitigate conflicts in communities.
Key resource persons at the event were the State Coordinator, National Human Rights Commission, Chris Okorie; and the State Commander, Drug Demand Reduction Department of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Godwin Erepa; as well as a Principal Psychologist with Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Eze Nsi Ude.
They took turn to expose participants to some issues which encourage the heightening of violence and crises.
While Okorie harped on the need to enthrone equal rights and justice in Nigeria’s social system, Erepa warned the youths against drug abuse, emphasising: “Where there is drug/substance abuse, violence will surely follow.”
Erepa emphasised: “About 80 percent of patients in hospitals today are suffering from drug related cases.”
Ude assured that drug addicted patients can be treated and rehabilitated when discovered early as a means of checking degeneration to violent actions.
Others who spoke, including the Executive Director of the anchor organisation, DIG Foundation, Oliver Chima Ajah, and the organisation’s Advisor, Dr. Emma Abah, encouraged participants to take the message of the convergence to their various Communities to drive the needed change.
They enjoined participants to stand against being used as thugs and perpetrators of conflicts and violence by politicians, during the forthcoming Local government elections in the State.
Ajah explained that the organisation’s mapping revealed that almost all the local government areas in the state have one form of crisis or the other in differing magnitudes.
He noted that the event was organised as part of his organisation’s contribution to the United Nations Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, observed June 26 of every year.
Ajah added: “We are going to train these Youths as Ambassadors of Peace in their various Communities.”
The event was attended by the representatives of relevant government Ministries Department and Agencies, including the Ministry of Border Peace and Internal Security, Security Agencies, community leaders and the media.