Federal government has reiterated it’s determination to mitigate the recruitment of youths by bandits to curtail insecurity and other societal problems bedevilling the country.
The Kano State Director, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Alhaji Lawal Haruna Makarfi made the assertion during an advocacy visit to district head of Kano municipal.
According to him, the agency has commenced advocacy visits to traditional rulers, religious leaders and opinion leaders to seek for their cooperation to bring an end to the recruitment of youths by bandits to cause mayhem.
The State Director explained that, the advocacy visit was part of activities mapped out by National Orientation Agency, to educate the public on dangers of banditry, method of recruitment and how parents, guardians and peer groups can stop the penetration of vulnerable youths.
Alhaji Lawal Haruna Makarfi noted that NOA would visit Ward heads, district heads, pastors, council of ulama and youth leaders among others, across the state before cascading the visit to local government areas in the State.
He said the federal government was committed to empowering youths through enterepreneurship and vocational skills to make them self reliant.
“We want them to know their method of recruitment as their recruits always come from the teeming youths we have” he added.
“We have started with advocacy visits, we will later graduate into the various media outfits as well as our various social media platforms”.
In his remarks, Wakilin Sarkin, acting district head of Kano municipal local government, Alhaji Abdallah Salisu attributed child delinquency, and other criminal activities to negligence of family responsibilities, and lack of good moral upbringing among youths.
He said Kano emirate council would collaborate with relevant stakeholders, to ensure that youths in Kano were protected against being recruited by bandits.
Alhaji Abdallah Salisu charged the public to compliment governments efforts, by sending their children to schools and engaging them in enterepreneurship skills that would uplift their standards of living.
Radio Nigeria reports that, NOA Director General, Dr. Garba Abari had earlier reaffirmed the agency’s commitment, to align with the Nigerian armed forces to engage citizens and ensure the on going clean up of insurgents and the containment of emerging security threats across the country are successful.
KHADIJAH ALIYU