By Steve Oni, Ilorin
Ahead of the 2019 general elections, President Muhammadu Buhari, has admonished Nigerian youths to resist being used as agents of destabilisation by some selfish politicians.
The President also charged parents and guardians to impress it on their children and wards the need to behave responsibly before, during and after the elections.
Buhari gave the admonition in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital, at the 34th convocation of the University of Ilorin on Tuesday.
President Buhari was represented at the event by the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission
(NUC), Prof Abubakar Rasheed .
“I urge Nigerian youths to resist
being used as agents of destabilisation of our country by politicians who do not mean well for our democracy and our dear nation in the 2019 general elections. I advise parents and guardians to implore their children to behave responsibly before, during and after the
elections,” he stated.
Director, Quality Assurance, NUC, Noel Salihu read the president’s
speech on behalf of Prof Rasheed.
Buhari added : “My dear graduands your parents and our nation have invested so much in your future and it is my advice not to allow yourselves, who have been carefully trained and continuously nurtured, to
be turned into agents of destruction by selfish few.
“You are the future of this country and so you must not allow the future to be destroyed by anyone no matter how highly placed or materially endowed.
“It is also imperative to make this appeal for authorities of tertiary
institutions in the country to wage a relentless war against all forms of indiscipline towards protecting the sanity of this segment of our population. You must fight examination malpractices, hooliganism,
cultism and sexual harassment.”
Earlier, former Nigerian Ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Prof. Ibrahim Gambari had asked
the federal government to allow the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a free and fair election in 2019 and beyond.
The renowned envoy, who was the Guest Speaker, spoke on
“Education for peace, democracy and development.”
Gambari said: “Nigeria has another opportunity to reposition and deepen its democracy in order to deliver dividends such as quality social services, including especially education and health, prosperity
and security of life and property.
“The 2019 elections must be a game-changer. Nigerians want to see non-selective intensification of the anti-corruption battle on all
fronts with thorough investigations and convictions which serve as credible deterrence. They want to celebrate the end of Boko Haram and end of insurgency; they want to see a fiscal regime that firms up the Naira against the other currencies through effective control of the oil and a well diversified economic culture; they want to see and
live in a society where kidnapping is effectively checked etc.
“Those who lead and govern must be made to be more accountable and transparent in their actions, while demonstrating commitment and
dedication to the growth and sustenance of our dear nation.”
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