As the Gambia moves closer to the April legislative elections across the country, the Program Officer for Peace, Security and Justice at the National Youth Council (NYC), Mr. Omar Bah, has exhorted the young people to vote for a competent candidate who can represent their voices.
Bah was speaking at the recent NYC training of young people under ‘Pilot technologies and innovation’ that support youth inclusion in governance and mitigation of violence, on the theme “Strategies that Propel Youth Inclusion in Governance and Peace Building”. Reminding the participating young people that the legislative elections are at the corner, Program Office Bah enjoined, “As young people, lets us be very mindful”, adding they should elect a young person who is competent and can represent their voices and aspirations. “If you don’t have the opportunity to contest, you have an opportunity to vote”, he stressed to them. He said the peace building fund aims to encourage the interaction among young people and contribute to peace building, as well as counter and eradicate hate speech and social bullying.
Information spread on the social media platform may be positive and negative, as such it is significant for the young people to use social media judiciously, by giving information that are relevant and can effect change in the society, the young people heard. He described as unfortunate, the spreading of unverified information, lamenting that such information might result in a devastating consequences.
“The purpose of the training is to discus with the youth leaders and stakeholders to a discussion, so that they can have discussion on their roles in terms disseminating information on the social media platforms, that can effectively contribute for positive change”, the Council’s Program Officer for Peace, Security and Justice noted. Bah used the opportunity to challenge young people to take responsibility, to be able to effect the required change.
“You cannot be outside the box to correct the wrong issues. Be inside the box, correct those issues to be able achieve the desired change,” he urged.
Ms. Isatou M. Secka, the Youth Chairperson of Kanifing Municipality, in her remarks said the training corresponds to the innovative and technology trends through which the globe is moving, and as young people have been utilizing the social media as their main advocacy tool.
He advised that the social media should be positively utilized to prevent violence, stressing that the training was timely, apt and critical in the mitigation and prevention of violence.
KMC’s Deputy Mayor, Madam Binta Janneh-Jallow, told the trainees that young people have the potential to hold the governance to account, and they have right to hold the government accountable, and also have a critical role to play in communal development.
“In terms maintenance of peace and the mitigation of violence, young people are in the forefront, and therefore, the young people must not be left behind in the governance processes of the country.
“We want the young people to take a lead role in the governance process and we will support them, to become exemplary leaders in their communities”, said the Deputy Mayor.
The young people, she held, are the peace builders, reasoning they must not give up and must not be allowed to be left behind but instead, come together and work for the betterment of the country.
