In a bid to curb election rigging in Nigeria, scholars have suggested that massive employment of youths will reduce the rate of rigging during election.
Hon. Uche Onyeagocha made the remark at a one day annual lecture series organized by National Association of Seadogs, Pyrates Confraternity in Port Harcourt with the topic, Good Leader to strong institutions. What does Africa need to sustain her democracy?
Hon. Onyeagocha a legal practitioner and a member of Civil Society and one of the discussants at the event explained that if government at all levels create employment opportunities and engage the youths, the issue of election rigging will be drastically reduced to the barest minimum, noting that politicians will not see who to engage for such act.
He advocates that true federalism is the way out of some political challenges, while Nigeria should strive towards a home grown democracy where the state must be accountable to the people as the family is the most important unit for growth and sustainability of the country.
In his presentation the key note speaker Prof. O.V.C Okene, Head of Department of Business Law, faculty of Law Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt maintained that Africa needs strong institution and at the same time need good leaders to strengthen great institution.
Represented by a senior lecturer in law department RSUST, Barr. Edwin Jonathan further tasked Nigerians to insist that the right thing be done saying that the nation needs good men to establish good institution while observing that Nigeria has too many laws against stealing yet people are been corrupt suggesting that President Mohammadu Buahari will be a momental success in the fight against corruption.
Prof. Okene further suggests that Africa leaders must allow political opponents to operate within the confine of the law and they should shun greed, avarice and lust for power by all cost, “Men who will not leave office unless and until they are forced out. Men who convert nation’s common wealth to their personal one” he stated.
He condemned the way African leaders hunted opposition leaders into prisons or killed for holding a contrary political view.
In his contribution, Prof. C. N. Ekon, a Professor of Economics stated that Nigeria is starting afresh because of the 50 years rape of our democracy.
He said Africa leaders must go back to the drawing board and bring back over selfless and benevolent leaders while explaining that democracy is not new in Africa as our traditional system was operating something similar to democracy.
In an interview shortly after the event the state cap’n of the association, Mr. Herbert Nwaka told journalists that the event was part of their contribution of their Social Corporate Responsibility to enhance an egalitarian society. ###
Pius Dukor
