PLANNED PROTEST: APC’s Justice Forum appeals to youths, urges dialogue

By KEMI KASUMU

A political group under the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Justice Forum, has called on the youth in the country to embrace dialogue and shun any action or unterances that can lead to breakdown of law and order.

The group made the call at its meeting held in Ikeja on Saturday July 20, 2024.

Justice Forum was speaking after planned youths protest against hardship in the land received a boost from the United Kingdom, from where a Nigerian in Diaspora and editorial contributor, Abanikanda Olumoro, wrote to say those boasting they would not allow Igbo to protest in Lagos likevtgey did during EndSARS to destroy the state.

In an article titled, “Let Lagos owners speak for themselves, they don’t see Igbo as their problem”, and published by local newspapers from Thursday July 18, 2024, he said those South West Yoruba making such boast and threat cannot stop suffering Lagosians from complaining and protesting.

He warned the purveyors of the threat using the experience of EndSARS to blackmail suffering Lagos people complaining and planning to protest against their suffering to stop.

The Diasporan also warned against any attempt by occupants of Lagos, who he said are Yoruba from other South West states causing problems for fellow Yoruba indigenes of Lagos.

He added that for them to think anybody will join in their ethnic profiling of Igbo as those that destroyed Lagos during the October 20, 2020 EndSARS protest is to make a huge joke.

“Pertinent, however, to say that the EndSARS protest was a mass movement and a coalition of people whose composition included mostly Yoruba of South West origins and who co-led the movement with South East and South South youths. So, leave Igbo out of this.”

Abanikanda Olumoro started the article on a note of an grammatic expression.

“One is flabbergasted to read or listen to some occupants pretending to be more Lagosians than the indigenes claiming the protectorship of the former Colony and capital of Nigeria, and doing so with hypocritical motives to profile some fellow Nigerians for stigma. It is unacceptably wrong.

“They are using the “ebi npawa” mantra that is now rampant in the land to blackmail the criers, who are truly hungry but will not be expected to complain. They say there is hunger in the land and, truly so, they are attestably hungry, poverty afflicted and, it is said a hungry man, as an angry man, can spark into protest at any time.

“Their blackmailers know this imminent yet inevitable protest but are using a case scenario that is general for the entire country to rope the Igbo living and doing their legitimate businesses in Lagos to say they want to, again, launch a protest to destroy the state like, according to them, they (the Igbo) did during the EndSARS protest of October 20, 2020. This is unfair an accusation to make against fellow citizens,” he said in the article.

Realising that the planned protest is real and will be unstoppable once the youths are determined, the APC Justice Forum in Lagos met on Saturday and made their appeal.

The call was contained in a press statement issued at the end of the meeting by the Group’s Director of Media and Publicity, Honourable Razaq Olusola Ajala.

The statement stated that the state Coordinator of the Justice Forum and House of Representatives member, Honourable James Abiodun Faleke advised the youth not to allow some disgruntled elements to use them to achieve a self centerism political agenda.

Faleke cited the ENDSARS protest which took place a few years ago in Lagos and hijacked by disgruntled elements where innocent lives and several properties worth billions of Naira were lost as a result of the senseless action by agents of darkness.

“We all witnessed how innocent lives and properties worth billions of Naira were lost during the so-called ENDSARS protest a few years ago in Lagos when a genuine agitation turned into violence.

“There is need for us to thread softly with the development in Kenya and other similar incidents across the world where genuine agitations have been hijacked by agents of devil and have resulted into loss of innocent lives and several properties destroyed,” Faleke said.

The Chairman of the House Committee on Finance noted that the positive effects of some of the policies of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is beginning to manifest on the nation.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration has just approved a new minimum wage for the civil servant which is more than 100%.

“He has equally removed the duties payable on essential food items, payment of student loans among other efforts by the government to put the Economy back on track,” he said.

“We appeal to Nigerians to continue to support Mr. President in his resolved to institute a sustainable economy model that will benefit all,” he said.

He also implored all leaders that include National Assembly members, serving and former state Assembly Members, serving and former Cabinet members, Council Chairmen and party stalwarts to use their vantage position to educate and sensitize the populace on the needs to understand President Tinubu’s policies and be patient to let those policies manifest to make lives better for the people of the country.