A member of the House of Representatives representing Ekiti Central Federal Constituency 1, Steve Fatoba, has appealed to aggrieved youths and citizens to shelve the planned nationwide protest and give President Bola Tinubu time to address the country’s challenges.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics, and Values, in a chat with newsmen in Ado-Ekiti on Thursday, explained that the protest scheduled to commence in August would not be in the interest of peace and stability in the country.
Fatoba said that even though the country is currently facing challenges, he argued that “it is a structural adjustment that will enable the country to find a lasting solution to the economic issues it is facing.”
He appealed to those planning to protest to come to the dialogue table and support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whom he believes is on the right path to bringing Nigeria back on track.
According to the lawmaker, youths should form a pressure group to support the activities of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the fight against corruption and financial impropriety.
He said, “I want to use this medium to appeal to all our youths to shun the protest in the interest of peace and progress of the country. Yes, corruption is indeed a challenge for the country, but instead of protesting and disrupting economic activities, I implore our youths to form a pressure group that will join hands with the EFCC to ensure that anyone alleged to have embezzled public funds faces the consequences without interference in the judicial process.
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“If the youths can mobilize themselves to the courts through their pressure groups and ensure that there is no miscarriage of justice in the proceedings, the country will be better off for everyone.
“When a contract is awarded, the youths should ensure that those responsible for executing such projects do so within the stipulated time. If anyone is arrested or on trial for alleged embezzlement of public funds, such cases should be monitored by the pressure groups created by the youths to ensure that the trials are not tampered with.”
Fatoba disclosed that President Bola Tinubu is doing everything possible to address the country’s problems, and “protests are the last thing that should be on the minds of Nigerians considering the enormous task the President faces in making Nigeria a functional country.”
“You will agree with me that the President is not resting on his laurels and is working around the clock. I hope the youths embrace dialogue rather than protest because, honestly, protests at this time won’t help the country,” he concluded.