From Tony John, Port Harcourt

A nonprofit, Connected Development (CODE), has sensitised secondary school students in Rivers State on civic participation, with stress on accountability, transparency, integrity and good leadership.

The event, organised with funding from Oxfam, is to create awareness on social issues in regard to young Nigerians and how they can add value to society in their own way.

Speaking, Project Coordinator, Oxfam Novib, Henry Ushie, said the participating students were expected to set up integrity clubs in their schools, aimed at confronting social injustices.

Ushie said areas of target included accountability in the extractive industry, budget, fair taxation, among others.

‘We want to create consciousness and build their capacities around these issues. So that once they come of age, they can hit the ground running by picking up critical campaigns that will bring the needed change in their communities,’ Ushie stated.

‘The campaign is basically to catch young people to look at the injustices around them, to make advocacy against it and also add value to the society.

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‘In our world today, especially in Nigeria, there is so much injustice. There are resources to go around everyone, but these resources are in the hands of a few people.

‘So, we are carrying out these campaigns to create awareness among our future leaders and see how we can encourage them to ask the right questions and demand accountability and responsibility from the government.

‘So, they are expected to go back home and establish civic clubs like Integrity Clubs in their schools, and step down the knowledge to their colleagues to also participate in the civic space.”

Also speaking, CODE Executive Director Hamzat Lawal said the event was imperative in order to start building the next generation of leaders and to inculcate integrity into them.

‘Very soon, we will start having quiz competitions and we will incentivise these young people particularly students, as they grow to become adults and to ensure they lead an integrity filled lifestyles.’

One of the students, Jude Ubulom, of Niger Delta Science College, Rumuola, said he has learnt how to cultivate and also carry out advocacy on transparency, integrity and honesty and how to teach others.

Nwanne Barieredum Favour, of Girls Prefect of Community Secondary School, Rumueprikom, said she has learnt to always speak the truth to power, regardless of what is involved, saying that she would carry out advocacy on integrity in her school to ensure that students uphold integrity.