Northern leaders are calling on youths to avoid participating in protests due to concerns over possible sabotage. The move seeks to prevent potential unrest and maintain regional stability.
The Arewa Youth Assembly’s proposed demonstrations have raised concerns among influential leaders from the northern region.
During a one-day Arewa Youth Assembly Programme held on Wednesday in Kaduna by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation and the Arewa Think Tank, leaders such as Munir Jafa’aru, Sen Ibrahim Ida, Sheikh Tukur Adam and Sheikh Disina fervently advised young people to avoid being involved in any protests that could be manipulated by agitators.
At the event, Northern leaders emphasized the perils of protests and drew attention to previous instances when benevolent intentions were seized by those with ulterior motives.
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The youth were encouraged to embrace peaceful and constructive approaches in advocating for their rights without succumbing to manipulation.
With an increase in enthusiasm for the impending demonstrations, the leaders have issued words of caution. Though they recognized that young people’s anxieties are legitimate and their voices need to be heard, the authorities stressed that it is crucial for them to engage with officials through constructive conversation as a safer and more effective means of achieving their goals.
At the event with the theme “Fuel your Creativity: Choosing Entrepreneurship for Progress,” Muhammed Yakubu, who organized Arewa Think Tank and also gave a speech, emphasized on empowering Northern youth to be independent and innovative.
Yakubu expressed that in the modern day era of constant change, entrepreneurship plays a vital role in advancement and expansion. It is essential for our younger generation to acknowledge the significance of being less reliant on government jobs, and instead adopt entrepreneurship as an avenue towards sustainable economic growth and individual satisfaction. Cultivating an environment conducive to entrepreneurism enables us to establish prospects not just for ourselves but also for those around us – thereby shaping a bright future ahead.
The Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, renowned for its commitment to empowering the youth, reiterated this stance and underlined the necessity of a targeted collaboration with central players in addressing the predicaments confronting Northern Nigeria’s youngsters.