The Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has urged young people in the state not to join the upcoming nationwide protests but instead, find means to engage in constructive dialogue with the government. The governor made the call when he spoke at the 22nd undergraduate and 13th postgraduate convocation ceremonies of Babcock University, Ilishan, Ikenne Local Government Area, for the award of Degrees, Prizes and conferment of Honorary Doctorate Degrees, noted that the country has not gained anything meaningful from past protests.
“Which investor will be attracted to a nation that is under siege by protesters? Please, do not allow yourselves to be used by a so-called leaderless movement, sponsored by frustrated politicians who tried in the past and lost. We do not need protests. We must not gamble with our democracy. Let us dialogue.
“This current wave of inflation is biting everywhere. It is in the UK, US, Ghana, and Egypt. So, it is not peculiar to Nigeria alone.
“I seize this opportunity to appeal to our youths to constructively engage with government in finding lasting solutions to Nigeria’s problems, rather than engaging in protest that may start peacefully but usually get highjacked and may lead to anarchy.
“What have we ever gained from protests, except losses in productivity. Loss of lives, loss of private and government properties, looting and vandalization of assets,” he said.
Abiodun added that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had to take bold and decisive steps to put the economy back on the track, adding that the government has been in office for just one year.
“This government has only been in office for one year. Cutting off the head is not the solution to a headache.
“Inflation is worldwide. Our president, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, had very little choices when he came into office. He had to take the bull by the horn; he had to remove the subsidy. He had to float the Naira. Otherwise, it would have been worse, trust me.
“This administration has initiated a lot of interventions to cushion the effect of the inflation. Recently, we’ve had the introduction of minimum wage. We’ve had a lot of empowerments. Student loans are in place. Agric and fertilizer input are being given to our farmers. Food palliatives have also been provided, amongst others,” he added.
