Human Rights organisations under the auspices of Initiative for Social Right Concern and Advancement (ISRCA) have tasked the government to provide youths with skills acquisition and establish industries that will engage them, insisting it’s the only panacea to curbing crime rates in the country.
The group made this known at the rally to sensitise the youths to abstain from crimes and other forms of criminal activities to live a meaningful life in the society.
Speaking at the rally on Wednesday in Warri, the National Co-ordinator of the organization, Comrade Amb. Derrick Oritsematosan Agberen, said the organisation put up this programme due to increase in crime rate as regards kidnapping, armed robbery, and social vices and tasked the youths to shun these heinous crimes and embrace peace.
According to him, part of the reasons the youths engage in criminal activities such as kidnapping, armed robbery and social vices is a result of lack of job opportunities especially for graduates in the country.
He said different universities spring up in the country on daily basis and graduate many students yet, no job opportunities for them.
He asked: “Looking at the ratio of unemployment in Nigeria, we have over two million understates admitted into Nigerian Universities and over six hundred thousand graduates every year, where are the provision by the government to make job opportunities available for the youths?”
The national Co-ordinator of the group said even when empowerment programmes are created by the government, they do not get to the people who really need them but they are done to compensate political parties faithful, which, according to him, does not help matter in this direction.
Agberen urged the youths not to see criminal activities as good ventures but engage in meaningful ventures to make them live life worthy of emulation.
The Human Rights activist who said the organisation has existed for the past three years with the aim of organising symposium, creating awareness by collaborating with relevant agencies to reach government over the plight of the people, will not rest until the society is changed for good.
Agberen said while the government does its part, the parents have the role of monitoring their children and mould their character for good and of course, the society has to add to moral upbringing of the children.
He said: ” The government, parents and the society have roles to play. We all need this collective efforts to shapen the children to be better persons in the society”.
National Secretary of the organisation, Comrade Monday Aberu, said, the increase in crime rate has necessited the programme of this enlightenment as the rate of kidnapping, armed robbery and social vices in the country is alarming.
According to him, for organization to be effective, they have to collaborate the Nigerian Police Force, Delta State Command since they are at the forefront of criminal and crime fight in the society.
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National Treasurer of the organisation, Comrade Onotu Solomon, expressed optimism the next three years, the organisation would have succeeded in reaching every nooks and crannies of the society with the message of the need for the youths to shun crime and criminality in the society as, they would always collaborate with law enforcement agencies to achieve this noble objective.
Speaking on female gender, the National Director of the Orientation Bureau, Comrade Mrs Joan Eseoghene Onoruerome advised mothers to always monitor their children/ wards to enable them stay away from crimes.
According to her, mothers have a lot to do spiritually, morally both at home and school in the upbringing of their children/ wards just as she advised the girl-child to shun crime to become better person in the society.
The high point of the rally saw the public address system campaign to motorists plying the road and the one of one reach out to the passersby, including the sharing of fliers to individuals and residents of the area.