Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Yahaya, on Tuesday attributed decades of maladministration in Nigeria as the cause of incessant protests.
He made this statement while receiving a coalition of Gombe youths and student groups at the Gombe State Government House, who were on a solidarity visit against the planned nationwide strike.
Yahaya said, “I have heard the demands and protest that you have brought on behalf of the youths. No leader in his senses will encourage violence to prevail in society. If violence is allowed, it means there will be no peace, and when there is no peace, you can’t go to school, and what will follow is the universities will be closed, colleges, secondary, and primary schools. Will you allow that to happen?”
He further lamented the possible consequences of violent protests, saying, “If violence comes and takes place, it will mean all our markets will have to close, and there will be disruption. Will you allow that to happen?”
Yahaya blamed the root cause of the protests on decades of maladministration, stating, “The leadership under my humble self is ready to give you protection, support you, and we have been doing that. That is what President Bola Tinubu is doing at the Federal Government.”
He added, “You see, there are issues happening in Nigeria about maladministration, and miscalculations that took place over the past decades. It’s we as leaders that will now correct all the mistakes and take this country forward to the next level. That is the target. That is why President Tinubu introduced a student loan scheme; it’s support for students and parents. And that is why, despite calls in Gombe State for students’ fees to be increased, I said no. We didn’t increase because we want you to get free, quality education to the best of our ability.”
Yahaya urged those insisting on protesting to obtain necessary approvals, saying, “We say no to protests, demonstrations; we say no to the trouble people are trying to cause in the country despite the economic hardship that will take Nigeria to prosperity.”
