LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT REFUNDS 145 FORMER SUBSCRIBERS OF EGAN HOUSING ESTATE
admin By Oyebola Owolabi
The Coalition of Yoruba Youth leaders have called on organisers of the proposed August nationwide protest to shelve the idea and remain calm.
A statement by the President-General, Dr Tolani Hassan, said the umbrella body for all Yoruba youth association and organisations is dissociating itself from the protest.
Hassan, who is also the National President of Yoruba Youths Association Worldwide (YYA), said: “The economy is unfriendly; the cost of living is outrageous and out of the reach of the common man. It is also true that inflation rate is in the double digit and unemployment is alarming. So many graduates are out there with no means of survival. The Federal Government has not employed people in the last couple of years.
“However, the Yoruba Youth Leaders do not want a repeat of the ENDSARS saga, hence our call for a cancellation of the protest.”
Hassan urged the organisers to rather employ other measures to make the government across levels understand the economic hardship in the land.
He added: “There should be a more refined manner of getting our leaders to hear our plights other than protest. There are agitations and insecurity in every part of the country, any attempt to have a protest now may cause mayhem which is not the solution to our pressing challenges.
“The apex body of the entire youths in Yoruba land expressly disassociates itself from the planned protest. We will defend the entire Southwest against any form of destruction by disgruntled elements who may want to cause havoc in the region, particularly in Lagos State.
“Nigeria is our fatherland, together we can make it work. Dialogue is the best way. Consultation is a better approach.”
Hassan however pleaded with President Bola Tinubu to listen to the youth, ‘his children’, who are agitated.
“We love you Mr. President, but we are hungry and unemployed,” he said.
The youth leader advised Tinubu to interface with all youth leaders in the zones directly, saying the use of intermediaries would not bring results.
He also called for a National Youth Summit where various youth leaders would discuss with Mr. President and address the prevailing issues.
Stressing the coalition’s continued support for the president, Hassan urged the Federal Government to review both the monetary and fiscal policies in the interest of the masses.
According to him, the lending rate of 26.75 per cent is exorbitant and cannot encourage investment. He called for concerted effort by the public and private sector to engage in massive employment and reduction of job losses.
He added: “The Federal Government should curtail the exodus of investors out of Nigeria and focus more on increasing foreign direct investment to Nigeria. The economy should be friendly to both local and foreign investors. The power sector should be completely overhauled. This is the hub of the economy.”
Hassan also called for a review of the educational curriculum from primary to tertiary level and inculcation of practical skills, including agriculture, to make youths self-reliant.
