By: AUSTINE AGBO EMMANUEL, Kaduna
Days to Nigeria’s presidential elections, a Non Governmental Organization (NGO), Justice, Development and Peace Caritas (JDPC) Kaduna has sensitized electorate on the power of voters in Kaduna State.
The Coordinator, JDPC Kaduna, Rev. Fr. Joshua Achir at a one-day sensitization exercise held at the Catholic Social Centre, Kaduna said the seminar is aimed at educating the people, after discovering that there are numerous challenges in the country that could lead to voter apathy.
Rev. Achir noted that the fear of insecurity, fuel scarcity and the recent Naira swap of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) can affect the psychology of voters, therefore, it is important to bring the people together from different quarters to brainstorm on the way forward.
The cleric said, “what informed this gathering is the fact that, looking at the situation we have found ourselves in Nigeria, there seems to be as if there is going to be a voter apathy because of the insecurity, the fuel scarcity and naira redesigned other challenges bedeviling us as a nation. These are a concern to us.
“So we put this program together so that we can bring in representatives from all of our parishes, society and association as an organization so that they can come for us to brainstorm, educate ourselves and educate others who think this election may not even hold.
“Of course you are aware that when election is near, there are tensions here and there and you hear various comments from people as to why they see no reasons to exercise their franchise. So we are saying to ourselves that inspites of all these challenges we have found ourselves, we should still go out and ensure that we are able to cast our votes.
He urged the participants to go to their various parishes on Sunday and conveyed the message to all the congregations on the need for people who are of eligible age to come out and vote in the forthcoming election, while appealing to the independent national electoral commission, INEC to ensure that the election is free, fair and verifiable just as they have promised.
Speaking with Journalists shortly after the event, one of the participants, Jessica Pius, said the program is apt, adding that enough lessons were learnt and would be communicated to everyone within her reach.
Another participant, Mr. Ali Anthony Joseph, applauded JDPC for the sacrifice, stressing that the program is a good step in the right direction.
He said he is ready to cast his vote against those who has brought pains and distresses to the Nigerian populace, urged fellow eligible voter’s to come out en masse and vote for credible leaders with good track records to salvage the country from her present predicament.
