Delta Commissioner Advocates For Skills Acquisition For Youth

The Delta State Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General, Mr Peter Mrakpo, has advocated for the expansion of Youth Agriculture Entrepreneurs Programme (YAGEP) and Skills Training Entrepreneurship Programme (STEP) as sure way of ending crime in the Country.

Mr Mrakpor stated this Monday when he took his turn at the ongoing Ministerial Press Briefing held at the Conference Hall of the Ministry of Information, Asaba.

According to Him, the best panacea for prison decongestion to check crime was not to build more prisons but for the state YAGEP and STEP initiative to be broaden all over the country, saying, “I think the best way to reduce prison congestion is to introduce the YAGEP and STEP measures in the Country to engage people. Crime is an option when people have nothing to do. Instead of building more prisons, government should think of meaningfully engaging more people. It will take the grace of God for people not to go back to crime if they are not engaged”.

He described the rate at which youth between the age of 16 and 25 were being imprisoned daily as unpleasant and posing serious challenge on societal value system.

“It is frightening to see the way people between the age of 16 and 25 go to prison every day and this is breaking down our value system”, he said.

He however called on religious leaders, parents and the media to support government in curbing crimes and break down of societal values as well as sustain the value system.

In the same vein, he said that about 40 youths had been remanded in prison for cultism, adding that the state government was working hand in hand with schools in curbing cultism amongst minors, appealing to the media for support.

He bemoaned the rising trend with which youth embrace cultism, saying that it was a generational problem that must be checked.

“The problem is a generational thing, it starts from the homes. Parents should check themselves as some of them are also into cultism” he said adding: “We appeal to our Pastors, to help people understand the ills of cultism. Journalists should also help. As I speak, two persons died this morning due to cultism.”

He also said that Delta State had the lowest rate in the ongoing Fulani inhuman activity of killing villagers on their farmlands, adding that the state government had engaged a committee of Fulani leadership at the grass roots in Delta in order to reduce casualties to the barest minimum.

“The herdsmen issue is a national challenge,” Mr Mrakpor, noted, adding, “We have one of the lowest in areas of conflicts, that is because the State Government has been proactive in the case. The herdsmen are not spirit. They came in with our people’s consent. The government has been able to engage them to reduce areas of conflicts. A bill for a law to check herdsmen activities is before the Delta State House of Assembly. The government is not docile, where necessary we have to use force like the case of Abraka and Ossissa, where mobile police are stationed to protect live.”