Over 3,000 members of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) on Thursday staged a protest at the headquarters of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in Abuja over the deregistration of the council.

The protesters, led by the NYCN President, Amb. Sukubo Sara-Igbe Sukubo, launched a 30-day continuous demonstration, demanding the immediate dismissal of the CAC Registrar-General, Hussaini Ishaq Magaji (SAN), whom they accused of acting unlawfully and politically against the council.

Sukubo was re-elected as NYCN President during the council’s national convention held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, from September 19 to 22. Days later, the Federal Ministry of Youth announced that the CAC had deregistered the NYCN despite several pending court cases on the matter.

The protesters, chanting solidarity songs and waving NYCN flags, blocked major access roads leading to the CAC building and shut down its main entrance. They carried placards with inscriptions such as “Registrar-General Must Go,” “Nigerian Youths Reject CAC Tyranny,” and “Deregistration of NYCN is a Security Threat.”

Addressing journalists, Sukubo condemned the deregistration, describing it as an affront to the judiciary and a threat to national security.

“If it is true, then the Registrar-General’s action is an affront to the judicial system in Nigeria. This matter has already been addressed by Justice Okoro at the Federal High Court and is still pending before the Court of Appeal in Abuja,” he said.

He alleged that some of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s appointees were undermining the Renewed Hope Agenda through incompetence and poor judgment.

“The Nigerian youth have supported you, Mr. President, but today we face significant challenges in your government due to inefficiency and poor political judgment from some appointees. We are calling on you to remove Magaji, SAN, as Registrar-General of CAC,” he added.

Sukubo said the protest would continue for 30 days until the deregistration was reversed and the NYCN reinstated. He also urged the Senate President and the National Security Adviser to intervene and ensure Magaji’s removal.

NYCN National Secretary, Comrade Gara Nongha, described the CAC’s decision as illegal, while former Secretary-General of the council, Barrister Abubakar Suleiman, accused Magaji of sabotaging President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda by deregistering the NYCN despite pending court proceedings.