Abdullahi Aliyu Ahmed, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Interior, has urged Nigerian youths to suspend the ongoing #EndBadGovernance protests and engage in dialogue with the government to address economic and national development concerns.
Speaking on Monday, Ahmed emphasized that while protests are a means to voice grievances, they often provide opportunities for looters and hoodlums to exploit the situation, undermining the original intentions of the demonstrators.
In a statement released to journalists by his Special Assistant on Media, Sardauna Francis, Ahmed expressed concern over the incidents of looting and destruction of property that have occurred in some areas during the protests.
He called for the immediate cessation of the demonstrations, suggesting that constructive dialogue would be a more effective means of achieving the public’s objectives and ensuring progress in national development.
“In the light of reports of looting, destruction, and loss of lives in some parts of the country, I use this medium to beseech all our brothers and sisters to kindly withdraw from the protest and embrace dialogue as a more civilised alternative to drive our demands home for the collective well-being of all Nigerians,” he said.
Ahmed, who is a member representing Musawa/Matazu Federal Constituency of Katsina State, revealed that the voices of the demonstrators have been heard, and both states and Federal Governments have put in place various measures to address the nation’s challenges.
Ahmed, while noting that the right to peaceful protest is enshrined in Section 40 of the Nigerian Constitution, said the looting, killing, and destruction of public and private properties serve as a serious threat to the national economy, growth, and development.
He, however, expressed concern that some hoodlums and unscrupulous elements have hijacked the protest, looted, and destroyed critical national economic assets, stating that such nefarious activities would further compound the problems in the country.
The lawmaker said the halting of the leaderless and spontaneous protest would prevent criminal elements from further hijacking the process and causing disruptions to the relative peace in the country.
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