The Speaker Taraba State House of Assembly Joseph Albasu Kunini on Wednesday urged young people in the country to shun the deployment of violence and embrace dialogue as a way of finding lasting solutions to their demands.
Kunini who made the call in an exclusive interview with BusinessDay said that everyone in the country is aware that things have gone bad and wishes for a positive change.
He said that the youth have made their demands clearly known and have won the sympathy and respect of most Nigerians but resorting to violent demonstration will only end up jeopardizing their efforts and what they have been able to accomplish so far.
“There is no doubt that the youth have genuine agitations. No one can deny that. We are all aware that things are not the way they should be. We all have better dreams for our country. For the first time, the youth have genuinely aired their voices and I want to strongly believe that the message is loud and clear. We need a better country where things work the right way and the rights of citizens are respected. There is no doubt that this message has sunk deeply where it is needed to.
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“However, I am worried about the violent dimensions the whole protest is taking. It is worrisome. Why ruin such an articulate presentation with violence? Violence can only do more damage than good. Now the youth enjoy the goodwill of most Nigerians. That will not be the case once these protests turn violent. Ordinary people would be made to suffer the brunt of it. The gains they have made so far will all be lost as most of their supporters would inevitably turn foes.
“It is therefore pertinent for the youth to embrace constructive dialogue with the relevant authorities to ensure that their demands are met and we begin the process of putting in place a system that would work for the good of all the people and block all the conduit pipes through which our common patrimony is syphoned for the good of a selected few” he said.
Kunini insisted that Nigeria is at a point where nationwide unrest would not do anyone any good but further stall development and bring even more hardship on the people while preparing the ground for a rise in the crime rate in the society.
“Insecurity is already rife in the country. In Taraba, you are aware that despite the enormous efforts of the state governor in combating crime in collaboration with the security agencies in the state, it has not been easy. Imagine if we allow anarchy and chaos to take further hold of the state. It will be very bad for everybody. Unfortunately, this is our national reality as no section of the country enjoys immunity from insecurity. We must not allow the situation to deteriorate further” Kunini pleaded.
