Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun has appealed to Nigerian youths to constructively engage the government in finding lasting solutions to Nigeria's problems rather than engaging in protests that could cause more harm to the country.
Abiodun made the appeal when he met with the coalition of youth organizations in the state at the Governor's Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
The governor, who recalled the destruction of lives and properties occasioned by the EndSARS protests across the country in 2020, said protests could only aggravate issues without necessarily finding solutions to them.
He said: "And yet again, there are calls for mass protests across the country, and the first thing that agitates one's mind is, is that the way to present our case to government? Is that the way to constructively and objectively engage with government by advertising and planning mass protests? Is there something behind those who are calling for these protests? Is this another plan by those who have tried their luck and have lost? Is this their own way and shortcut to see how to frustrate the government?
"Young men and women, you have no other country than this country. Let me assure you that I have travelled far and wide. I am sure, like many of you, there is no country in the world where you can walk like your own, that country is Nigeria. There is no other place where nobody will accost you, and you would not challenge that person.
"You can not go to London and say do you know who I am and the people there will not look at you and say that you have an identity problem. But in Nigeria, you can look at somebody in the face and say "do you know who I am?"
"There is a Yoruba proverb that says 'beheading is not the solution for an headache'. If there are issues, let us discuss them, let us find a way around them, let us manage and correct them. Let us not cut off the head or attempt to cut off the head because of a headache. That will amount to decapitation," Abiodun advised.
He said Nigeria, like many countries across the world, was going through difficult time, hence the need for the youths to bring in their vibrancy, zeal, ingenuity, and technical know-how in solving the problems.
The governor acknowledged the maturity displayed by the youths in the State during the EndSARS protests.
He added: "This engagement will not be complete if I do not thank you, the Ogun State youths. I will be ungrateful, and it will be the peak of ingratitude if I do not appreciate your matured conduct during that period.
"I want to remind you that there was EndSARS, when there were protests in different parts of the country, particularly in Lagos, Abuja, and other parts where there were looting, burning and the likes. They were attacking anything attackable, but you, the youths of Ogun State said though we are angry and dissatisfied with the ways things are, we are not criminals, we are not looters, we will not participate in the protest, to that I say a big thank you."
While taking time to explain some of the policy thrust and the direction of his administration in the last five years, Governor Abiodun said emphasis were placed on Infrastructure, Social Welfare and Wellbeing, Education, Youth Empowerment and Job Creation and Agriculture as encapsulated in the ISEYA mantra.
He said his administration has done well in health, education, infrastructure, and security, which, without them, no meaningful socio-economic development could take place.
Abiodun who also spoke on the recent attacks on his person and administration said: "I normally don't get disturbed by such things because one of my mentors in politics told me that in politics, you must make sure that you are mentioned either for the right or wrong reasons, but be continuously mentioned because if you are not mentioned, you are just part of the crowd.
"For me, I am not bothered that I have been under attacks by faceless people on social media because I know what I am. I know who I am. I know what I did before I became governor. I know how long I have been in this journey. I became a senator before I was 35, the youngest at thet time and I have been on this space in the State contesting on different platforms from that time until God decided that He was going to make me a governor and someone would imagine that after all that I had gone through to get to this position, all I will do is to be bitting my fingernails. That person must be a joke.
"I became the governor under the most torturous and most difficult circumstances. I can't go through that baptism of fire to get to the office and become complacent.
"Our Internally Generated Revenue was around N50 billion a year before. But in four years, we have grown it to almost N200 billion, and someone says Dapo Abiodun is just sitting in Ogun State and doing nothing. That has to be a joke," the governor stated.
While maintaining that his administration has young brilliant men and women who are contributing their quota for the development of the State, Prince Abiodun said the meeting was to rob minds on the current realities in the country as it affects the youths in the State, calling on them to remain focused and not pay attention to distractions that could jeopardize their future.
Speaking further, Governor Abiodun said that he had to sign an executive order to split the Ministry of Youths and Sports into the Ministries of Sports Development and Youths Development to create an avenue for the proper development of the youth constituency and Sports in the state.
He assured the youths that the Ministry of Youths Development would soon get its own commissioner, who he said would be young, brilliant, and vibrant.
"I believe that it took us a bit of time to formalize the creation of that ministry. When you create a ministry, you must have a permanent secretary and other paraphernalia of office for it to be a ministry.
"Not having a Commissioner for Youths Development is not deliberate or intensional. I want to promise you that you will get that commissioner and that commissioner will be one who will be able to relate with you and also articulate the needs of your generation to the cabinet," he added.
Speaking earlier, one of the youths, Motolani Oyediji, called for more youth inclusion in government, while the State Chairman, National Youth Council, Kolawole Soremi, called for the appointment of a Commissioner for Youth Development to handle youth related issues in the State and also regular interface between the youth and government to address issues that may cause misunderstanding.
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