Arewa Youths Insist On Nationwide Protest, Call For Fuel Subsidy Return

The Arewa Youth Ambassadors (AYA) has insisted that no amount of intimidation will deter them from proceeding with their planned nationwide protest against the Federal Government, citing ongoing economic hardships as the primary motivation.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Monday, Comrade Yahaya Abdullahi, the National Coordinator of AYA, said the current economic crisis and the difficulties facing Nigerians were as a result of the harsh and anti-people policies of the President Bola Tinubu-led government, just as it called on the President to return fuel subsidy.

Abdullahi said, “In order to promote peace, a government should be honest and just. There is no path to a sustainable future but peace: the link to reason and agreement, the stimulant for development, and the base of remaining alive. Peace should be accompanied by justice to achieve the levels of national cooperation, inclusiveness, and trust needed for resilience. Otherwise, things will surely fall apart, leading to numerous avoidable problems over time.”

He attributed the current severe economic crisis and hardships faced by Nigerians to what he described as harsh and inhumane policies imposed by the President Tinubu-led government.

He condemned the lack of transparency and consensus within the administration, arguing that it seeks to reduce individuals outside of the ruling powers to poverty and beggary.

The abrupt removal of the fuel subsidy, according to Abdullahi, has plunged the masses into a state of misfortune and affliction.

He also condemned the unequal distribution of foodstuffs and money to friends and family members of those in power, insisting that such actions are unacceptable and cannot solve the nation’s problems. He called for the immediate reinstatement of the fuel subsidy.

Abdullahi lamented the suffering inflicted on Nigerians by what he termed reckless public utterances and insupportable economic policies.

He asserted that this leaves the citizens with no choice but to express their frustration and anger through lawful means.

“Protest is our right. We must protest against the ongoing bad governance. We can’t continue living as slaves in our own country. We must speak and fight for ourselves; nobody else can do it for us. The youth must all come out to the streets on the 1st of August. If the government fails to reverse these sugar-coated disasters called economic policies that have subjected us to abject poverty and hunger, the protest will continue until the 10th of August, 2024, or even beyond.

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“We must act to bring change in our fatherland. The government has failed, and the youth must act. People are dying of hunger, and nobody cares. No nation can survive on hunger; even water, the second life, is denied.

“Therefore, our planned protest is necessary and inevitable. There is no backing out. The only way to avoid it is for the government to change course, giving Nigerians a sense of relief,” Abdullahi concluded.