Okwe Obi, Abuja
Secretary to the Government of Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha, has urged politicians against engaging in any form of violence, saying that losing an election is not in any way akin to losing one’s life.
Mustapha stated this at the flag off of a nationwide sensitisation on peaceful elections, tagged “Building a People of Peace,” organised by the National Orientation Agency (NOA), in Abuja.
Represented by the Director of Planning, Research and Planning, David Gende, he further charged religious leaders to always preach peace.
His words: “Violence, as you know, has a very sad string of history in our polity. And it evolves when we start sowing seeds of ethnic difference.
“The election you lose today does not mean life is lost. Four years is like yesterday and we are preparing for another election. So when such opportunities come we should always address the issue of violence,” he said.
He further enjoined NOA to let the message trickle down to every nook and cranny of the country and also target adults because “some adults are manifesting some youthful tendencies they should have left behind them.”
The Director General of NOA, Garba, added that the campaign would be carried out across the country.
“This campaign across Nigeria which will be implemented in the 774 local government of the 36 states and Abuja, will also feature six zonal sensitisation sessions to be coordinated from the headquarters alongside the national stakeholders committee for peaceful general elections who are working closely with our officers at local government, state and national level,” he said.
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