Tony Anichebe, Uyo
The Akwa Ibom State Government in partnership with ECOWAS-EU has flagged-off ‘Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) Control, a disarmament programme initiated to train repentant youths in various skills.
The programme tagged: ‘Strengthening Peace Security and Stability in West Africa’, was declared open by Governor Udom Emmanuel on Wednesday, in Uyo.
The programme, which is supervised by Leadership Initiative for Transformation and Empowerment (LITE-Africa) and the Presidential Committee on Small Arms and Light Weapons (PRESCOM), as implementing partners, commenced with 150 youths as beneficiaries in Phase 1, drawn from Ukanafun and Etim Ekpo, while venues for the training include: Delta, Enugu, FCT and Edo states.
The governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, thanked the repentant youths for heeding to caution and taking the right decision to embrace peace, assuring that Governor Emmanuel, a youth- friendly leader, is poised towards human capacity development and their welfare.
“I really respect you for listening to a peaceful progress-loving hardworking young men centered, God fearing governor.
“During the 2019 campaigns, the governor expressed his desire to make the throng of youths to be engaged in factories, industries or working, it was a thing of concern to him, since he is a man of clear conscience and love for young people.
“I want to thank ECOWAS and LITE Africa for this initiative, I aslo thank Captain Iniobong Ekong, Special Assistant to the Governor on security for his concern, he loves all of you so that in future you become great men and women,” he said.
Addressing the beneficiaries, the Executive Director, LITE-Africa, Dr. Joel Bisina, said the project is an initiative designed to reduce the illicit flow, proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the hands of persons who are not authorized to carry them.
“What we do in this programme is to talk to young men and women who are in possession of weapons individually or as a group working, we are working with the various state governments to see how we can reduce the proliferation of arms, and in Akwa Ibom State we were able to mob up some arms which were destroyed in December 2019 and those who are here today are those persons who made the choice either as individuals or as a group to drop their arms,” he said.
In his remarks, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Security, Captain Iniobong Ekong, thanked the beneficiaries for giving up arms to embrace peace and acquisition of skills.
Ekong emphasized that the right choices in life will always bring peace and goodness, charging them to encourage others that crime does not pay.
The Coordinator of the Presidential Committee on Small Arms and Light Weapons (PRESCOM), Dickson Orji, also advised the beneficiaries of the programme to be committed to the training.
