CAVE advocates non-violence election through football
Ukpono Ukpong – Abuja
In a bid to raise the awareness for a peaceful electoral process in Nigeria, a non-governmental organisation, Campaign Against Violence Election (CAVE), has taken its advocacy program to the youths on the pitch in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The CAVE National Coordinator, Stephen Ushie while addressing the Journalist after a football match tagged “Sport for Peace” in Abuja called on the youths who are majorly used to perpetrate violence during the election period to refuse such jobs irrespective of the offer as “no man’s political ambition worth destroying or shedding another human’s blood”.
Ushie noted that football was selected as a means to raise the campaign due to its ability to unify the people especially the youths irrespective of tribe and religion.
“The campaign started as a result of the silence of the Nigerian populace towards violent election in Nigeria. We try to create an environment where political violence would be a thing of the past.
“We picked football because the same way crime is a global phenomenon, football is the only game that is loved by all irrespective of tribe and religion.
“Football is the only thing that can equal violence head to head. Wherever you find violence, you will see football, so we want to use it as a mechanism to fight election violence to a standstill.
He expressed satisfaction on the level of turnout for the event noting that the youths are gradually coming to understand that nobody’s ambition is worth the human life.
