The Speaker of Abia State House of Assembly, Hon. Chinedum Orji has asked the political class to begin practising youth empowerment rather than preaching it.
The Speaker stated this at the Special Non-Partisan Stakeholders Town Hall meeting convened by the Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, at the Late Michael Okpara Auditorium, Umuahia, on Monday.
He condemned in strong terms the destruction of lives and properties under the guise of the End SARS protest, urging the protesting youths to allow government at all levels address their demands.
Orji said it has become imperative for political leaders to take issues of youth welfare as a top priority, submitting that the National Assembly should make move to enact necessary laws that will create employment for the youths.
The Abia Speaker emphasised that the current mood of the teeming Nigeria youths called for urgent need by all leaders, especially elected public office holders to develop a clear and defined template towards addressing youth unemployment in the society.
His words, “Let nobody deceive anybody that what is happening is against Mr President who is in Abuja as some people may want it to appear. A lot of people hijacked that protest, we have people from the political divide trying to bring down a constitutionally elected Government. If there is something we must learn from what has happened, it is that we as politicians have become endangered species.
“If you are a politician, you must begin to preach and practise youth empowerment and inclusion. We must be able to de-emphasize destruction of Government properties; those that sent you should remember they also have their own Individual properties.
“Nobody will be allowed to destroy anything if the right things are done. Everybody must put hands together to support the Government; the protest has been hijacked, we got it wrong when we allowed the protest to be hijacked.
“I am pleading with the youths, you have made your points and I want you to stick to it because if you come out with a gun, the Nigerian Police, the Nigerian Army is trained to engage such a person. Wanton destruction of government properties or individual properties will not take us anywhere”.
