Posted by By FOLARANMI, Yenagoa on
Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has called for a change in tactics from Niger Delta youths to actualize their demand for improved conditions of living in the region.
Prof. Wole Soyinka
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Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has called for a change in tactics from Niger Delta youths to actualize their demand for improved conditions of living in the region.
Specifically, Soyinka advocated for intellectual militancy to replace gun militancy in their struggle for equity and justice.
Speaking at the commissioning of a community library, which is incidentally named after him and a Youth Esteem Centre both in Opokuma, Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State built by the Family Re-oreintation Education and Empowerment (FREE), Soyinka explained that the library project would be effective in attracting youths in the area to read and refresh their minds.
This he said would help to liberate the region from its present reaction to the struggle as the time is ripe for the region to adopt intellectual approach rather than armed struggle.
Prof. Soyinka disclosed that he was compelled to personally attend the commissioning because of its importance to the advancement of the cause of humanity.
He commended the founder of FREE, Mrs. Alaere Alaibe, for her efforts to see that women in the rural areas and by extension the youths have access to improve standard of living.
He appealed to other notable Niger Deltans to come to the aid of the people and invest in ventures that would help arrest youths restiveness.
Mrs. Alaibe explained that right from the outset, education was identified as the major plank of the activities of FREE.
According to her, it was the belief of FREE that education remains the major weapon through which people could be liberated from the abyss of poverty, low esteem and violence.
She said the main aim of establishing the library, which she said has over 3,000 titles, covering virtually every area of human endeavor, is to provide people the opportunity for self discovery through reading.
Her words: 'We want to provide an opportunity for self discovery through books and this was our primary motivation for setting up this library right here at the FREE Centre, Opokuma in Bayelsa State. The library would serve as a resource centre for youths in secondary and tertiary institutions, as well as reference centre for undergraduates and post graduates studies"
On the Self Esteem Centre, Mrs. Alaibe said it would help in discovering budding talents in music, film and entertainment industry in general and go a long way to curb youths militancy as their energies would be channeled into productive activities.