By Comfort Olayinka
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen Ph.D, has called on Nigerian youths to suspend the ongoing nationwide protests, assuring them that their grievances and demands have been delivered to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In an interview with the BBC Hausa Service, Speaker Abbas said he had fruitful deliberations with over 25 youth groups and reported their concerns to the President, who assured him that he would address the issues raised.
The Speaker cautioned against allowing unpatriotic elements to hijack the protests and cause destruction, and expressed optimism that the Tinubu administration is working hard to address insecurity, inflation, and unemployment. He urged Nigerians to be patient and promised that positive changes would soon be evident.
“We have already started reporting what we discussed with the youths to the President. He was okay with our discussion, and he was equally happy with what we did. He also assured that he would do his best to see that all the issues raised are well addressed one after the other.
“We’ll continue to engage with the President on every issue that we know will affect the lives of Nigerians so that necessary measures can be taken. I, therefore, call on all Nigerians, young and old, men and women, to be cautious. We shouldn’t allow the protests to cause destruction in our country,” the Speaker said.
He stated that Nigerians have the right to peaceful protest, but history has shown that in most cases, even in advanced countries, unpatriotic elements hijack protests and cause destruction of lives and property.
He said some ministers from key sectors were part of the engagement, where they offered explanations to the youth on what the government was doing to address their plight.
