Shun nationwide protest – Middle Belt coalition urges youths

Middle Belt youth leaders and ethnic leaders have told young people in the zone to stay away from the planned nationwide protest billed for August 1, 2024.

DAILY POST reports that there is an ongoing mobilisation for a nationwide protest, which is to call the attention of the government to the magnitude of hardship in the land.

The coalition of over 200 youth leaders and ethnic youth leaders in the Middle Belt said that the planned protest is being stirred by faceless groups of individuals.

According to them, the said group of individuals can go to any length to set the country on fire and to make the government ungovernable at the expense of the lives and property of innocent citizens.

“While we agree that there is hardship, we believe that the present situation is an inherited challenge that should not be resolved at the expense of Middle Beltans,” a statement signed by Nasiru Jagaba, Middle Belt Youth Leader, and over 200 others said.

They said in the statement: “We, in the Middle Belt, believe these efforts to set the country aflame are not motivated by altruism but by selfish ambition.

“We are aware that paid thugs and criminals have been armed to cause chaos and unrest and ultimately destroy lives and property.

“Consequently, we wish to state unequivocally that all Middlebeltans should stay calm and stay away from this planned protest that will destabilise our peace. We will explore a better approach to communicating our thoughts on the current economic setback.

“Our premise for calling for this boycott is the security of our people, the middle Beltans, especially our countless rural dwellers who suffer incessant massacres from militia groups.

“We urge him [Tinubu] to continue to be more equitable, particularly to Middle Belt ethnic nationalities. We assure that we will never partake in destroying this effort to recover Nigeria.

“We exhort the President to get back with his team to craft sustainable ideas that are capable of making life liveable for Nigerians across the length and breadth of our country. If the present team is unable to deliver, the President should headhunt those who can.”