A youth group, the National Youth Solidarity Front (NYSFN), has thrown its weight behind the right to protest but cautioned against the potential misuse of such actions for political gain.
At a press conference held on Saturday in Abuja, the group’s Vice Chairman, Hon. Chinazam Ike, stated that while peaceful protests are a fundamental aspect of democracy, there are concerns that the proposed demonstrations could be hijacked by politicians with ulterior motives.
Ike emphasized the importance of protests as a tool for addressing societal issues and holding government accountable. However, he expressed fears that the current situation might escalate into instability if not carefully managed.
The NYSFN also highlighted the nation’s economic challenges, primarily blaming them on the inability to effectively manage the country’s resources. The group appealed to the youth to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s call for caution, emphasizing the potential negative impact of widespread protests on Nigeria’s future.
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The statement reads in part, “We strongly agree with the spirit and the letter of holding government accountable, airing views or even expressing displeasures, these are not just fundamentals of a democracy or free society, they are the very foundations upon which the founding fathers of our nation built it. The move from nationalism that eventually led to the independence of the country and subsequently the battle for the return to democracy are a few of the struggles that have been achieved through relentless and ideological protests. As young people we wholly subscribe to the instrumentalities of a peaceful protest geared towards the actualization of courses that are in the greater good of our dear Nation.
“However, the consequent weaponization of protest to initiate political instability is what we are averse with. We have seen many stories around the African countries where peaceful protests have led to peaceful resolution of social issues, we have equally seen situations where nations crumble at the instance that peaceful protests become weaponized by desperate politicians to create political instability, usurp power of truncate the very democracy that guaranteed the right and liberties of protests in the first place. We have strong reasons to believe that the proposed protests favour the latter, we have confidential and classified information that has alluded to the interference of the proposed protest by politicians who see it as a means of settling their political scores.
“As youth who owe a responsibility to the present and the future of our nation, we find it unpatriotic to go ahead and provide an enabling environment for desperate politicians to take advantage of to concoct instability.
“The bane of the economy of our dear Nation has been our inability to transform our resources into equitable wealth like other oil rich nations have done. As a matter of fact the artificial hardship that the country is facing is occasioned by its inability to provide affordable fuel which powers the economy of the nation. Therefore, we are re-addressing our protests to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who has come out to appeal to us the youth to be careful not to put down this very nation that holds the promise of our bright future.”
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