Politicians should not use youths as thugs– NGO boss

Ahead of the April 11 elections, politicians have been advised not to use thugs to cause mayhem, fraud and violence so that the country will have a hassle-free and transparent transition.

This is as plans are underway to support and empower women and children who have been displaced by insurgency in the north east region of the country.   

President and founder, Rescue Votary International, RVI, a Non-governmental, not-for-profit organisation, Mrs. Violet Davidson Uwakwe, who stated these in a chat with newsmen recently, called on Nigerian youths to stop offering themselves to politicians to be used as thugs and mercenaries.

“Thugs and fraud should be ruled out so as to achieve a credible democratic transition in accordance to the Nigerian Constitution.  The politicians are expected to condemn any form of violence as it undermines the democratic system.

Whatever their belief is, every politician should seek the opinion of God about him, through fervent prayers and God will use the voice of man to express His opinion and deliver His verdict”, she said.

Mrs Uwakwe while calling for the establishment of national incentives for the benefits of youths noted that there ought to be a rehabilitation revolution both at the national and international levels for youths and women.

According to her, there is need to establish national incentives for the benefit of youths some of which include improving youth careers, cut in school and university fees, free medical treatments and infrastructures for youth leisure centres.

Speaking on the Internally Displaced persons owing to the insecurity in some regions in the country, the NGO boss stressed that the organisation has put mechanisms in place to help some of the displaced people especially women and children.

“The situation generally now is that they find it difficult to rehabilitate themselves in their new environments.  Some of them are already facing poverty­- homelessness, starvation, malnutrition, disruption of children’s education. These problems make their metabolism susceptible to infections and consequently have impaired their mental development and intellectual performance. This unpleasant situation has also exposed them to oppression and indiscriminate exploitation. 

We hope to restore their businesses through co-sponsorship of other institutions, recommendation of educational institutions for their children, introduction of business seminars based on the nature and business environment. We would need to showcase their predicament to the government, so that they can provide structures for shelters and trading as an initial action to salvage the on-going turmoil.  We therefore make clarion calls to the most privileged in the Nigerian society to invest their compassion on victims of disasters by financial, material and moral empowerment to Rescue Votary Interventional”, she said.

The RVI boss who revealed that the first stage of their empowerment project will be to enhance the quality of food available to the women and children added that her NGO will help the women establish small scale farms and provide improve seeds and hybrid varieties to support the women.

“Our first proposed project is enhancement of food resources and food processing. In this respect, we will introduce small scale farming project- home vegetable gardening, cat-fish, snail farming, yam, cassava planting, hot pepper, seasoning plant.  This will take place in vacant pieces of lands or within their residence.  These lands are hired from individuals and local bodies for the purpose of farming only. 

Mrs. Violet Davidson Uwakwe, President and Founder RVI

Relevant seeds, plants, fish eggs, snail eggs and most importantly, fertilizers will be supplied to them.  Vitamins A, Iron, minerals and calcium from locally available fruits and vegetables will be planted.  In addition, we will provide nutritional supplements from Holland and Barracks based in the UK”, she said. 

While enjoining other global partners to support RVI on this charitable course, she called on governments at all levels to put hands together to ensure that more women are empowered.

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