Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has admonished the youth to refrain from engaging in violent activities that could plunge the country into another civil war.
The governor issued the admonition on Tuesday when he spoke at the closing ceremony of the orientation course organized for members of the 2022 Batch B (Stream 2) National Youth Service Corps members posted to Kaduna State.
Represented by the state’s Acting Governor, Dr Hadiza Balarabe, El-Rufai said that Nigeria cannot afford another civil war.
He said as a country Nigeria does not want a repeat of the 1967 civil war, which decimated the Nigerian State.
He described the civil war “as a needless savagery” that Nigeria cannot afford to repeat.
“The youth must remember that the NYSC came into being after the civil war that tore every fabric of the Nigerian state. The war was a needless savagery that we cannot afford to repeat.
“Nigerian youths must, therefore, distance themselves from fanning the embers of violence and war in Nigeria. As a country, we must avoid a repeat of that dark part of our history. And Nigerian youths must refuse to be ready tools for war mongers,” he said.
The governor further explained that the corps members have the capacity to defend what is good for the country and what will build a united Nigeria.
He said they should not fail to do what is right for Nigeria, stressing that the major objective of establishing the NYSC is to promote Nigeria’s unity and enhance development.
El-rufai said the national youth service is a reflection of the hope placed on young graduates as bearers of a greater Nigeria.