Urge youths to embrace dialogue, security forces to maintain professionalism

Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has appealed to youths to constructively engage the government in finding lasting solutions to Nigeria’s problems rather than engaging in protests that could cause more harm to the country.

Abiodun made the appeal when he met with the coalition of youths’ organisations in the state at the Governor’s Office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

The governor, who recalled the destruction of lives and property occasioned by the #EndSARS protests across the country in 2020, said protests could only aggravate issues without necessarily finding solutions to them.

He said Nigeria, like many countries across the world, was going through difficult time, hence the need for the youths to bring in their vibrancy, zeal, ingenuity, and technical know-how in solving the problems.

The governor, however, acknowledged the maturity displayed by the youths in the state during the #EndSARS protests.

Abiodun, who also spoke on the recent attacks on his person and administration, said: “I normally don’t get disturbed by such things because one of my mentors in politics told me that in politics, you must make sure that you are mentioned either for the right or wrong reasons. If you are not mentioned, you are just part of the crowd.”

Abiodun said that he had to sign an Executive Order to split the Ministry of Youths and Sports into the Ministries of Sports Development and Youths Development to create an avenue for the proper development of the youth constituency and sports in the state.

He, therefore, assured the youths that the Ministry of Youths Development would soon get its own commissioner, who he said, would be young, brilliant and vibrant.

“Not having a Commissioner for Youths Development is not deliberate or intentional. I want to promise you that you will get that commissioner and such person will be one who will be able to relate with you and also articulate the needs of your generation to the cabinet,” he added.

SIMILARLY, the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has appealed for peace and calm amid the planned protests in the state.

It also appealed to the security agencies to maintain professional standards to prevent any unpleasant development.

In a statement, yesterday, signed by its Spokesman, Seye Oladejo, the party acknowledged the right to peaceful protests but condemned the violence and hate-speech that often accompany them.

The party referenced the devastating effects of the #EndSARS protests, which started peacefully but resulted in widespread destruction of public and private property, setting the state back by decades.

It, however, urged the government to be sensitive to the needs of the population, especially the youths, and uphold its constitutional responsibility to protect lives and property.

The party also accused the opposition of fanning the flames of violence to soothe their bruised ego after losing the last national elections.