Says demands of protesting youths legitimate
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has warned President Bola Tinubu led Federal Government that there could be dire consequences if their demands of Nigerian youths which led to the on-going nationwide protests were not met as soon as possible.
The former president, who made his warning during a visit to his residence in Abeokuta, Ogun State, by six members of the National Assembly yesterday, said the Federal Government should listen to the concerns of the youth which necessitated their nationwide protests.
Obasanjo said this was because what the youth were seeking through their nationwide protests were legitimate. According to him, there could be dire consequences if their demands were not met as soon as possible.
The six legislators are co-sponsors of a Bill seeking a single six-year term for presidency and rotation between the North and the South.
The former president urged the Federal Government to listen to the youth and not treat their concerns with levity. He said, You are what you are today because youre a Nigerian; Im what I am also because Im a Nigerian. So why should they be Nigerians and be languishing in poverty? They make demands and were not listening to them. Many of them are frustrated, desperate,
Obasanjo noted that for Nigeria to attain its highest status, all hands must be on deck, just as our mentality should also change.
According to him, the issue is not whether the country should adopt a single six-year term, or maintain status quo. If the mentality of the people in governance does not change, then Nigeria will remain where it is.
For me, the issue is for us to get it right. Whether we have one term of six years or two terms of four years; where itll work is our mentality. We have to de-carbonise our brain. If you give a person one single term of six years, he will do the same harm he could have done in two terms of four years. If you have a system you can trust; you have an INEC you can trust, then it will not matter the number of years, Obasanjo said.
Speaking earlier, Ikenga Ugochinyere, who led five other lawmakers, said that the country should move toward adopting a single six-year term for president. According to him, there should be a rotational mechanism for governance between the North and the South, just as state governments too should rotate governance among the three senatorial districts.
He called for a rejig of the nations laws to accommodate these changes.
Other lawmakers, who accompanied Ugochinyere on the visit, were Abdulmalik Danga (Kogi), Midala Malami (Borno), Matthew Nwogu (Imo), Peter Aniekwe (Anambra) and Kama Nkemkama (Eboyin).
