2011 Polls Critical for Nigeria's Democracym

2011 Polls Critical for Nigeria's Democracym---- Rivers Govt.

Rivers State Government has warned that the coming 2011 general elections are critical for the sustenance of citizens-driven democratic culture in the country.

AkanimoReports on Monday quotes the state government as saying, ''Nigeria will be worse if it fails to deliver the conduct of a credible election in 2011''.

Spokesperson of the government, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, who made the warning in Port Harcourt, the state capital, said the state has concluded plans to partner with students, entertainers and other concerned groups to ensure a successful voters registration exercise in the state.

Semenitari, who is the state Information and Communications Commissioner said government wants to partner with the National Union of Rivers State Students (NURSS), the Coalition of Entertainment Practitioners in the state, and the Port Harcourt campus of the International Institute of Journalism, to sensitise and mobilise citizens for the voters registration exercise.

She claimed that government also wants other student bodies in the state to join efforts with the Governor Chibuike Amaechi administration, to ensure that the 2011 polls were devoid of violence and thuggery in whatever shade.

At a meeting with the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) wing of the NURSS and the board of the journalism institute in her office on Monday, the commissioner claimed that the Amaechi administration believes in mass participation of citizens in governance.

Semenitari expressed appreciation to NURSS for initiating a gender equality campaign to create an enabling environment for women to effectively participate in politics. She counselled the Rivers students to also use the campaign to complement government efforts to mobilise citizens not only to register as voters, but to equally come out massively to cast their votes and ensure that their votes were protected.

Continuing, she directed the board of the journalism institute to do a proposal on their ICT Centre to enable her ministry find ways of supporting the project for the good of their students.

Co-ordinator of the journalism institute, Ibituru Pepple, and President of ther UNIPORT wing of NURSS, Joseph Barango, commended the state government for show-casing what they described as ''unparalleled commitment'' to the welfare of the people of the state.

ENDS

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