Rep Preaches Dialogue, Pleads With Organisers To Shelve Anti-Hardship Protest

A member of the house of representatives, Hon. Fatoba Olusola has appealed to those behind the planned nationwide hunger protest to proceed to the dialogue table with President Bola Tinubu and support his efforts at putting Nigeria back on the right track.

The lawmaker representing Ekiti Central Federal Constituency 1 urged Nigerian youths to shelve the proposed protests slated for 1st to 10th of August, 2024, in the general interest of the citizenry.

Fatoba who is the Chairman, House Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values said although the country is presently going through some challenges, he believes that the structural adjustments that will bring lasting solution to the country’s economic challenges are being worked out.

Making the appeal during an interactive session with Journalists on Thursday, the lawmaker said, “I want to use this medium to appeal to all our youths to shun the protest in the interest of peace and progress of the country. Yes, corruption is really battling the country, and instead of protesting and disrupting the economic activities of the country, I implore our youths to rather form a pressure group which will join hands with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to make sure that whoever is alleged to have embezzled public funds be made to face the consequences without any interference in the course of judgement.”

Fatoba expressed the belief in the ability of the youths in mobilising their pressure groups to courts and to ensure that there is no miscarriage of justice in the proceedings to make the country better off for everyone.

“If a contract is awarded, the youths should ensure that those saddled with the responsibilities to execute such projects are made to do it within the stipulated time, and if anyone is arrested or on trial for alleged embezzlement of public funds, such cases should be monitored by the pressure groups created by the youths to ensure the trials are not tampered with,” he stressed.

He further expressed confidence in President Tinubu’s ability to fix the challenges confronting the country, saying that protests should be the last thing on the minds of Nigerians considering the enormous task before the President to make Nigeria a working country.

“You will agree with me that the President is not resting on his oars, and he is working round the clock. I hope the youths embrace dialogue rather than protest because honestly, protests at this time won’t help the country,” he concluded.