By Olamilekan FAWAS
A former United Nations Under-Secretary-General, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari,on Saturday urged Nigerians to see the 2019 general elections as a means to end impunity, thuggery and manipulation of elections.
He made the call in his address at the 6th Convocation of Kwara State University, Malete.The chancellor also admonished graduands of the university to be good ambassadors of the school and not to allow themselves to be used as political thugs in the forthcoming elections.
“As 2019 elections draw near, never allow yourselves to be used by anybody either as thugs or for manipulation during elections.Rather, get interested in who governs you and how the leaders are elected.
“The government on their part must empower INEC to conduct free, fair and credible elections in 2019 and beyond.
“We must give our support, while insisting on a permanent end to impunity, zero-tolerance for thuggery and manipulation of elections. The election in 2019 must be the game-changer,’’ he said.
The former UN envoy also appealed to well-meaning Nigerians to invest in university education, saying funding of the sector could not be left in the hands of government alone.
Earlier, Alhaji Yusuf Kola Yusuf, the Acting chairman, Governing Council of the university, noted that the institution was faced with a mirage of challenges.
He said source of water for the university community was inadequate, adding that the institution would need reticulation to connect the newly rehabilitated Malete waterworks.
The chairman also urged the state government to fix the deteriorating Shao-Malete road, stressing that potholes had taken over it.
According to him, it has been a difficult task running the school since the state government stopped monthly subventions to the institution.
