Starrays
By Benedict Iorgyer – Lafia, Nasarawa State.
The National Coordinator of Tinubu/Shetima Strategic Alliance, a northern based support groups that campaigned for the victory of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2023 Presidential Election, Amb. Adamu Abdul Loko, has cautioned Nigerian youths against embarking on a nation-wide protest to vent what he described as ‘purported grievances’ against the government.
Amb. Loko issued this warning in Lafia, Nasarawa State capital while interacting with journalists on Wednesday. According to Mr. Loko, there are many ways the youth who are agents of development, can register their perceived grievances against the government without embarking on protest. In his opinion, protest is supposed to be the last resort if every available option of communicating to the government fails. However, such civil options have not been explored by the youth calling for nation-wide protest neither have they been neglected by the administration of President Tinubu.
According to Mr. Loko, President Tinubu is an open and receptive leader who always bears his heart to the voices of the people. He noted that when the organized labour called for an increment of national minimum wage, Mr. President swung into action and requested that the issue should be critically reviewed and today, an increment of over 100 percent minimum wage for workers across diverse sectors and tiers of government in Nigeria has been approved by President Tinubu, which is contingent to upward review after every three years.
Thus, any reasonable request presented by the youth to Mr. President will not be ignored but comprehensively reviewed for the betterment of the country. According to Mr. Loko, the thrust of Tinubu Administration is encapsulated in his slogan of “Renewed Hope”, which is designated to achieving the uttermost good for the citizens. Hence, the youth should not be carried away by antics of the anti-government who are blindfolded by sentiments and have deliberately paid deaf ears to the reality on ground with the sole aim of overheating the polity and destabilizing the administration.
Amb. Loko therefore cautioned that the planned nation-wide protest is a recipe for disaster as it is likely to be hijacked by hoodlums, antics of Tinubu Administration and anti-masses syndicates. In his words, “History has shown that protest in Nigeria is a less civil way of voicing out citizens’ grievances against leadership in the country. Often, planned protests are hijacked by hoodlums and criminal syndicates whose utmost goal is to distort governance through riots and organized looting. The aftermath of EndSARS protest is still fresh in our memory and any attempt to tow such path will be a recipe for wanton disaster”, Amb Loko stressed.
He pleaded with the youth to sheathe their swords for whatever reason and give the President the benefit of the doubt to fulfill his electoral promises. Mr. Loko assured the youth that in a little while they will experience drastic reforms that have for long eluded Nigeria, stressing that the government of President Tinubu has so far demonstrated that it has the welfare of the masses at heart and is committed to making life easy for every citizen through its social-oriented policies and reforms in diverse sectors of the economy.
“The administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu believes strongly in the ability of Nigerian youth to do things for themselves. The 8 point agenda of Mr. President is tilted towards facilitating the release of the potentials of Nigerian youths to achieve their optimal potentials and express themselves maximally and efficiently in whatever area of human endeavour they choose”.
Amb. Loko said it has not been rosy for the administration since it assumed the mantle of leadership of the country on 29th May, 2024. However, it is working tirelessly to ensure that Nigeria makes a leap forward and achieve the best for each of its citizens. According to Mr. Loko, the President is carrying out reforms in the oil sector, which will bring succour to every Nigerian. Besides, he has initiated many social programmes to improve the welfare of the citizens and has just approved a new minimum wage with the aim of increasing the income of the workers.
In his words, “Although the administration took off in a turbulent weather, it will land safely because the pilot [Bola Ahmed Tinubu] is a well-experienced leader. He is a veteran who has a flair for good governance and is working around the clock to fix the wrong and make Nigeria great again”.
Mr. Loko therefore advised the youth to cue into the social programmes of President Tinubu, support the government and ensure that it achieve its vision of Renewed Hope for the citizens. “My advice to the aggrieved youth is that instead of embarking on protest, they should connect to the 8-Point Agenda of Mr. President at all levels of government and see how they can partner with Mr. President to achieve a greater Nigeria”, he stressed.
Recall that there are speculations paddling the social media with calls from certain youth for nation-wide protest against hardship in the country. However, many Pro-Tinubu groups have disassociated themselves from the protest with the recent appeal by Tinubu/Shettima Strategic Alliance, emphasizing that the government needs more time to fulfill its electoral promises and bring good governance to the people.
