SAN FRANCISCO, March 19, (THEWILL) – The Borno State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mr. Samuel Madaki, Thursday, in Maiduguri, the state capital, advised Nigerians to shun all forms of election violence, saying “the bottom line is that post-election violence will not do anybody good.”
Madaki gave the advice at an awareness workshop organised by the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) for youth, women groups and other bodies in the state to sensitise them on dangers of post-election violence.
Madaki, in a paper presented on his behalf by the Public Affairs Officer of the Borno office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Tommy Magbuin, said post-election violence “will continue to weaken our nationhood, bringing under-development.”
Maintaining that elections should not be a do or die affair, he warned that “violence when perpetrated knows no boundary,” adding “the youth, women, children and the aged are not spared.”
According to the REC, “For us in the North East region, the present security challenge should teach us a lesson that violence knows no boundary. We cannot afford to be a failed state when many countries are looking up to Nigeria as the pride of Africa and the Black Race.
“All hands must be on deck to ensure that the 2015 general elections are concluded without violence.”
The NEMA Zonal Coordinator for Northeast, Mohammed Kanar, in his welcome address, said the workshop is to among others, educate and sensitise the general public on emergency/disaster curtailment activities during and after the elections.
Explaining that this became necessary because any security breach will result to disaster, Kanar expressed gratitude for the support and cooperation NEMA has received from various stakeholders the efforts to strengthen the country’s level of preparedness to ensure violence-free elections.
The Christians Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Jama’atul Nasiril Islam (JNI) also presented papers at the seminar as they urged youths to eschew violence before, during and after the elections.
