Don't Fight The Youths, Keep Them Busy - Rev. Fr. Mike Obi

As a religious and social leader Rev. Fr. Mike Obi enjoys a favourable position in experience relating to both religious and social issues. Also being at the center of events of the just concluded cult clashes in Ogep-Osokom I believe he is in the best position to infer a solution or in the least his opinion should not be seen as inconsequential.

After the Ochibe Boki meeting yesterday at Gen. Moses Obi's Compound in Oku-Bushuyu, Fr. Mike emphasized a point which he made during his speech at the meeting.

He said, "Don't fight the youths, keep them busy, empower them". He blamed the recent cult clashes and other vices in Boki on the Joblessness or idle state of the youths.

He further stated that using violence to combat this issue is rather a temporary solution to a permanent problem as the case has been several times when the police leaves the place, the problem starts all over again. The police only succeed in scaring them instead of changing them, which is not the best solution to the problem.

Another striking point he made was that fighting the youths does not serve as a solution but will rather lead to more bloodshed as was seen in the last time the police attacked the Boys which only led to destruction of properties and the Police DPO getting shot on the head.

He opined that the issue is better solved through dialogue and not force, as all the years of employing force has yielded no results but rather increased the problem.

"Maggog" which he said was the demon behind cultism needed to be treated with care as it is the demon of unforgiveness and any violent act towards it will be a time-bomb as it will one day fight for vengeance, whether it was right or wrong.

In the end he adviced political leaders in Boki to cease using youths with  promising future as political thugs and rather seek a way to help get this youths gainfully engaged as this proves to be the only way to curb all the cult vices in Boki.