Days of Rage: Adelabu Warns Youths Against Faceless Protest Sponsors

…As he appeals to Youths to shun violence and embrace dialogue

…As Govt initiatives aimed at reducing youth unemployment

The Minister of Power, Chief Bayo Adelabu, has appealed to Nigerian Youths to exercise patience with administration of President Bola Tinubu and support the reform his introducing to make life easier for them.

The Minister made the appeal while sensitizing and having a stakeholders engagement with the Youth and on planned protest which is in collaboration with the office of the Special Assistant to the President on Monitoring and Delivering of Youth Initiatives, held at Adebayo Adelabu Foundation hall, Jericho, Ibadan.

The Minister of Power, Chief Bayo Adelabu, was represented by Hon. Bolaji Afeez, popularly known as ‘Repete’ said that although the right to protest is enshrined in the Nigerian constitution, youths must be cautious not to join a faceless and unverified sponsors of the planned protest inorder not to cause violence that will move the country backwards.

He noted that he was aware of some individuals with ulterior motives in the diaspora sponsoring the protest to cause chaos and anarchy in the country for political reasons.

Adelabu urged the youths that there alternatives available to them, noting that if they are not pleased with the present administration, they should wait until the 2027 election when they will have the opportunity to vote for their preferred candidate and exercise their right to vote.

In her remarks, the Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Monitoring and Delivering Youth Initiatives, Miss Titilope Gbadamosi, said that youths need to take advantage of the job opportunities the present administration is rolling out for their benefits inorder to curb youthful restiveness.

She further noted that if they apply for the job opportunities, they can be among the beneficiaries.

Miss Gbadamosi added that until they take advantage of the job initiatives provided by the current administration of President Bola Tinubu, they cannot say that the government has not been doing anything for them.

She urged the young people of Oyo State to engage with government processes, be responsible citizens, and establish constructive channels of communication with the government.

Miss Gbadamosi said that the government is open to dialogue instead of protest and urged them not to allow faceless and unrecognized groups to use them for political motives.

She called on the youths to engage with and register for the various opportunities rolled out by the Federal government to escape joblessness.

In his remarks, the Oyo State All Progressives Congress Youth Leader, Prince John Aremu, said that Nigerians need to give the administration of President Bola Tinubu more time to deliver on its promises.

He appealed to Nigerian youths to utilize the student loan and Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) initiatives introduced by the present administration to escape the shackles of joblessness.

In his remarks, the Arewa Youth leader across the 33 local governments of Oyo state, Yasir Ibrahim, also reiterated that there are political motives behind the planned protest to cause chaos and urged the youths to stay away from the protest.

The planned nationwide protest is slated from August 1 to August 10 of 2024.