President Muhammadu Buhari has said that Nigerian youths would do well to keep the peace, as it is ultimstely in their own interest.
The President spoke Monday at State House, Abuja, while receiving in audience the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed, Nigeria’s former Minister of Environment.
In a statement later released by Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Buhari was quoted as saying “Our own generation is on the last lap, we are exiting.”
The president said this in response to the recent EndSARS protest, and the mayhem and destruction of public and private property that came in its wake.
He said, “It is in the interest of the youths to keep the peace. They want jobs, infrastructure and development. I have sent a team led by the Chief of Staff (Professor Ibrahim Gambari) to go round the country, talk to traditional rulers, who will then talk to the youths. The views of the youths have been heard.”
The current administration, he said, inherited severe infrastructural deficits, and that is what they’re fighting to correct.
“We can’t just sit, fold our hands, and do nothing. We are doing our best within the limits of resources,” the president stated.
He rued the fact that COVID-19 had shrunk the global economy, noting that “this is something you can’t see, smell, or hear,” but which has wrought devastation on lives and livelihoods round the world.
On climate change, he said Nigeria was concerned about the recharge of the Lake Chad, which has great implications on security, irregular migration, and livelihoods.
The Deputy Secretary-General said she was on a courtesy call with her team to flag interest on challenges that concern the UN, particularly COVID-19, climate change, security, and humanitarian responses to the diverse challenges.
