By Olukayode Idowu
Nigerian parents have been called upon to appeal to their wards to desist from participating in any activities that may risk their lives or the lives of others.
Director General of the Nigerian Technical Aid Corps, Rt. Hon. Yusuf Buba Yakub, who made the call, Friday, in Abuja during an interactive session with newsmen, described the planned nationwide protest as an ill-wind that blows no good.
He expressed confidence in President Tinubu’s ability to address the current challenges being faced by Nigerians,while also stressing that most of what Nigerians may be considering internal challenges at the moment are actually fallouts of what the entire globe is currently witnessing.
Buba observed that all the current economic and development indices across all areas of life in the country point towards an era of positivity for Nigerians and advised all aggrieved persons to, rather than engage in any form of agitations that may pull the country back from the gains already made by the Tinubu Administration in the past one year, toe the noble path of dialogue.
“It is common knowledge that no progress can be made in a time of chaos.So it beats the imagination why any sane person will at this material time want to resort to protests to make a point.What point if I may ask?
“Nigeria is not an island.We are all witnesses to cost of living crisis across countries of the world,even in the most developed ones.We cannot be completely insulated from such realities being felt in the UK,in the United States, France, Russia,South Africa and such other places.It is not easy anywhere now across the globe; and there are factors that are causing all of this.
“All of these have arisen as a result of the ongoing war in places like Russia and Ukraine,which are major hubs in grain production and distribution.There is also the problem in the Middle East,where the Israeli-Hammas conflicts have snowballed into parts of Lebanon,Iran and the rest of that economically important corridor. You know this is the hub of oil production.Every tension in that area has a serious backlash on the global oil market and on the economy itself generally.Again,I’d like to stress that we are not insulated from any of these global challenges, including the effects of global warming!
“My advice this time is to give His Excellency,Mr President and his lieutenants time and offer the Renewed Hope Agenda the enabling environment and the requisite co-operation needed for the desired results to come.These required results cannot come from any form of disorders or negative eruptions nationwide.I can categorically tell you that the President we know and voted into office is not sleeping on anything concerning Nigeria. He is the father of the nation and no father will sit down and watch his home go into flames.
“Again, it bears repeating here that a period like this must be witnessed before we start to fully enjoy the golden era that awaits Nigeria. Mr President has continued to emphasize this fact. So, we have a group of leaders who know what they are doing and if you ask me, all that they need now from us to succeed are our prayers and goodwill. Protests have never put food on anyone’s table. Instead, what you get is what Kenya is facing today, which should even be a wakeup call for Nigeria as the big-brother country to rise and remain ever peaceful and united. Together, we know we must win.”
The former federal lawmaker, who also revealed the global respect and goodwill, which the President Tinubu Administration has continued to attract for itself for the impactful in-roads being made by the Technical Aid Corps Scheme, using technology transfer and diverse volunteering efforts in African, Caribbean and Pacific countries and beyond, said it would be absurd for Nigerians at home to chide an Administration that has in the last one year continued to win notable accolades abroad for the various policy and economic decisions it has brought to bear on the arena of political governance and social sector re-engineering.
