2023 election: NEMA calls for proactive measures to forestall violence

The head of the Niger State Operations Office of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, in Minna, has underscored the need to adopt proactive measures by relevant stakeholders to forestall violence and unrest during the forthcoming elections in the state and the nation as a whole.

Hajiya Zainab Sai’du, who stated this on Thursday, said: “Only proactive, as well as preventative measures, would ensure a peaceful and orderly electoral process. NEMA is concerned about the potential of electoral violence and unrest which can have devastating effects on lives and property of the people of the state and the country as a whole.”

She explained that it was for this reason that the agency is calling on all political actors, community leaders, and citizens to exercise their franchise peacefully and refrain from any form of violence or intimidation during the electioneering period.

“Prevention is best in disaster management, and it is expedient for the agency which is responsible for managing disaster to continue to sensitize the people on the need to remain peaceful, particularly during the conduct of the general elections,” she stated.

Sai’du also called on politicians to ensure that their supporters operate within the ambit of the law, urging them to imbibe the spirit of sportsmanship and channel their grievances to the appropriate constitution.

Furthermore, she called on the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, and other relevant authorities to take all necessary measures to prevent and manage electoral crises through training of its officials and adequate deployment of security personnel.

She also urged Nigerians to support the agency’s efforts in promoting peace and stability during the electioneering period for peaceful and successful polls at state and national levels.