ASABA/Nigeria: Pastor (Amb.) Edewor Egedegbe, Founding Executive Director of the Value Rebirth and Empowerment Initiative, has called on governments at all levels in Nigeria to take urgent and deliberate steps to address the country’s deepening security and moral crises.
Egedegbe made the appeal on Tuesday in Asaba while unveiling the Security Education Advocates (SEA) initiative during a high-level stakeholders’ engagement on the Delta State Action Plan for the Prevention of Violence Against Women and Girls. The event, hosted at Unity Hall, Government House, was organized by the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community and Social Development.
“A bad situation we do nothing about now will degenerate,” Egedegbe warned. “Let’s stop agonizing and start organizing as part of our civic responsibility as citizens.” His passionate remarks set the tone for his presentation of SEA—a grassroots-driven, proactive model aimed at preventing crime and social vices through early civic education and community engagement.
According to him, SEA emerged from a patriotic vision shared by three professionals determined to reshape Nigeria’s moral fabric. The founding team includes Ambassador (Dr.) Mrs. Onyi Ikemefuna, Administrative Director of the Sharmar Educational Foundation with ECOSOC status at the UN, and CSP Omosetemi Agbede-Zuokumor, Divisional Police Officer of Ugborikoko Division in Effurun.
Egedegbe described SEA as a preventive framework that seeks to curb crime, sexual violence, trafficking, drug abuse, and other social ills before they escalate. “We believe in equipping citizens, especially young people, with the knowledge that empowers them to reject crime before it takes root,” he said. He stressed that rolling out the SEA initiative across all 774 local government areas would restore trust in institutions, attract investment, and rebuild national stability.
The SEA initiative was first piloted on January 13, 2025, at Delta Careers College in Warri. Since then, it has expanded to over 60 public and private schools across Warri South and Uvwie LGAs. Its curriculum covers Leadership Development, Etiquette and Proper Conduct, Security Fundamentals, Citizens’ Rights and Responsibilities, Community Policing, and Environmental Awareness.
Egedegbe noted that SEA sessions have sparked enthusiasm and engagement among students, pupils, and local leaders. “Their eagerness to shun drug abuse, sexual exploitation, and criminality gives us reason to believe that a better Nigeria is within reach,” he said.
He highlighted key impacts of the initiative so far, including increased awareness of body autonomy, early detection of abuse, the importance of reporting suspicious behavior, and a growing resistance to peer pressure and drug use. “These are early wins,” Egedegbe noted, “but they clearly show a rising civic consciousness among our young people.”
To broaden its reach and deepen its impact, SEA has opened strategic partnerships with the Federal Ministry of Education, Nigeria Police Force, Delta State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Ministry of Women Affairs, Delta State Police Command, Uvwie Local Government, and the Chief Inspector of Education.
He concluded by saying, “Truly, Nigeria will be great when we collectively drive the narratives that engender positive change as a people and a nation.” He urged stakeholders to support SEA as a credible path to building a secure and morally upright society.
