A socio-political group, Ojo Ola Oyo, has appealed to youths in Oyo State to look at the “current youth-focused moves” of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration and desist from partaking in “any fruitless protests.”
Tension has gripped the country over planned protests by Nigerians against biting economic hardship in the land, starting on August 1.
While a section of the political space has been saying there should be no going back on the planned protest, others have been calling for caution, citing the example of the October 2020 #EndSARS protest, which led to many deaths and the destruction of both public and private property.
In a statement earlier today (Tuesday, July 23) by its founder, Alhaji Kehinde Olaosebikan, and made available to journalists in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, the non-governmental organisation (NGO) urged the youths in Oyo State to take cognizance of the verifiable moves the Tinubu-led administration had made to secure the future of the youths in the nation.
“If the youths can’t see all those moves, at least, they are aware of the students’ loan scheme of the current administration. This scheme, which gives loans at no interest, doesn’t only cover theoretical academic pursuits, but also the area of vocational training,” Ojo Ola Oyo said.
“Any government that takes away the burden of education financing, we must understand, prioritises the future of the nation.
“Dear youths in Oyo State, we at Ojo Ola Oyo can assure you that your future is secure under this government. You can also see how the government has been clearing the rot in the nation’s social security programme and ensuring that what is meant to assist the most vulnerable among us, this time, gets to the right people.
“While it is the inalienable right of citizens to hold peaceful protests, we must know that usually, fifth columnists would wait in the wings to hijack such protests and throw society into more damning chaos.
“This is why we are appealing to our youths that rather than risk a protest that might end up with everyone licking wounds, we should encourage platforms to engage the government in discussions that would open its eyes to more areas of our needs and open our own eyes to hitherto unseen areas of opportunities the government had put in place.
“Nigeria is the only place we can truly call our own. Those elements who would spur us to actions that would destroy our common patrimony have the means of bolting when the chips are down; most of us don’t have.”Â
The founder, a former local government chairman in Oyo State, disclosed that the NGO was working with other partners to keep youths in Oyo State abreast of information with regard to the current government’s policies targeted at the youth, which many were unaware of.
