–Say, it is antidote to ending agitation
By Nwogha Ndubuisi Andy
The Apex Socio-Cultural Organization For Igbo Youths popularly known as Ohaneze Youth Council (OYC), has identified unemployment, bad governance, injustice, corruption, disengagement of youths as the major challenges confronting the nation, said only sincere restructuring, true federalism among others would solve the looming crisis in the country.
The President General of the Organisation, Comrade Igboayaka O Igboayaka, dropped the hint in Abakaliki, the State capital on Friday 3th October,2020 during a National Press briefing organized by the Group on measures to end the protest of the aggrieved youths confronting the Nation.
He said that a lot of things would need to be amended to bring about the desired long lasting solutions to all the quagmire and multifaceted issues fanning the embers of agitation by the Nigerian youths.
According to him: “if the Federal Government implement this restructuring and true Federalism, I do not think that ethnic nationalities in the country would be clamouring for separatism”
“The Nigerian Government must engage the youths with the view to effectively implementing legitimate concerns, the agitation for a better Nigeria is justified”
“We wish to restate that Nigeria needs massive restructuring, the country was a prosperous State when we were practising True Federalism with three Regions in the 60s ”
“The only antidote to the continuous crisis in the nation is to have a “United State of Nigeria as obtainable in the United States of America”
Comrade Igboayaka said that the ENDSARS protests which was simultaneously conducted for two weeks across the country was peaceful until the invasion and shooting by military personnel at lekki tollgate, however regretted the destruction of private and public businesses, assets to discredit the End SARS movement.
”We must admit that the ENDSARS protests was the tipping point the youths employed to register their anger, and frustrations over the reign of bad governance’ corruption, police brutality and other injustices orchestrated against the youths”
He noted that the National Youths Council have reached out to other Youth groups and urged them to calm down and they listened saying that government must keep the youths busy.
In furtherance, the National Youth Council demanded the establishment of functional international Airport in Igbo land, connecting the South-East zone to National Electricity Grid and railway in addition to connecting the zone to Industrial Gas Pipe line among others.
More so, Igboayaka hinted that hardship and suffering of the youths aggravated the causes of the protest, saying the problem could be solve only if the country engaged the youths meaningfully, compensation for the victims of police brutality prosecute the attackers of the End SARS protesters, called on the Federal government to construct functional Seaport in Igbo including Oziza river, Afikpo Ebonyi state, Oseakwa river/Osemoto river in Anambra/Imo, Azumini river Ndoki Abia state among others, stressing that the demands, if implemented would make the youths be at peace.
Igboayaka added that the conduct of elections especially Local Government polls, the youths harps on the need for free, fair and credible elections at the grassroot levels.
“The 36 State Governors must endeavour to conduct credible polls at the Council’s, it is a testing ground to prepare youths for leadership challenges” he said
Speaking, the Ebonyi State Chairman of Ohaneze Youth Council Mr Obiya Sabastine admonished youths to remain calm as Federal government will soon look into their matter and called on Government at all levels to strive and inculcate the youths in the governance machinery of the country
