The Director General of the National Council of Arts and Council, Otunba Runsewe has challenged Nigerian youths to desist from violence as a means to expressing their agitations to the government of the day.
Runsewe spoke during the council’s launch of it’s Culture, Peace and National Rebirth: An Agenda Setting conference, aimed at placing culture and peace at the forefront of national discourse for the incoming administration.
According to Runsewe, there are times for elections in every country; time to vote and time to swear-in a president elect. But in Nigeria, this normality, have been unnecessarily tension-filled.
“There is too much tension in our land for no reason. We must respect each other’s cultures. Trust one another and believe one another and patronize each other. We need peaceful co-existence. That is why NCAC is setting agenda to put some of this situation behind us, and focus on what unites us and makes us stronger.”
He went further to challenge Nigerian youths to desist from resorting to violence as a means to expressing their agitations with the government of the day. Referencing the END SARS protest and the accompanied violence, Runsewe said the act discourages foreign investors, which in turn negatively impacts the nation’s economy.
“END SARS is a struggle. Do you know how much damages END SARS did to this country? No investor will come to Nigeria if it knows we have such situations. There is nothing wrong with having issues to address, but we can sit down and look at it. In other parts of the world, they disagree but sit down and look at it. You cannot disagree forever. Even Ojukwu prayed that he will never be a part of something as the civil war again. It doesn’t pay anybody. Let’s calm down and approach things peacefully.”
However, despite setting Nigerian youths straight on their misconceptions that the Japa option offers an easier and stress-free life, and urging youths to be patient and digging deeper into the culture to find ventures for success, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), HADID Consult & Event Management, Rebecca Ede stressed that government should provide the enabling environment for the youths to thrive.
“There is a young Nigerian who built a solar-powered tricycle (Keke Napep). Nigerians have the brains to do anything. If youths come together, and begin to collaborate and network, I tell you END SARS is little compared to what we will see.
“It is impossible for government to do everything, but government can help by providing youths an enabling environment and some assistance. Nigerians are not asking for everything, and are grateful for the little that they can get. Giving them the enabling environment will help them do a lot,” Ede concluded.
