Isoko leaders urge calm amid nationwide hunger protests

An appeal has been made to Nigerian youths  to be calm and cautious amidst the  nationwide hunger protests across the country.

Presidents-General of the Isoko Ethnic Nation made the appeal at a press conference in Ozoro, Isoko north council area of Delta state on Thursday.

President of the Isoko Nation Ethnic Nationalities Forum, Chief Alloy Okpelogbo at the conference  demanded patience from the Youths while  the administration of President Tinubu should  revisit  some of the policies that are vexing Nigerians.

He said: “As fathers and mothers of the Isoko Ethnic Nationality Youths, we understand the challenges of providing for our children during tough economic times.

“The downturn of the economy, inherited from the previous administration by the current administration, has caused much hardship and insecurity in our nation.

“This is compounded by some economic and social policies enacted by the federal government that are yet to take effect or incubating for hatching.

“While the new government under President Bola Amed Tinubu is only one year old, we recognize the fact that policies take time to be implemented and fully realized.

“As President Generals of our various clans, we have witnessed the hardship on our people, particularly parents struggling to feed their children.

“We urge our young people to exercise caution and refrain from participating in the destruction of government properties and national assets, as this will only lead to negative consequences.

“As PGs of the Isoko Nation, we have never been called by any organizers of such protests and we are not aware of the modalities for its implementation.

“We urge our children to avoid participating in the protest, which we fear will be hijacked by hoodlums from nearby states and those exported into our state hiding in the bushes of our communities to cause mayhem and looting of shops belonging to your fathers, mothers and other relatives even your friends.

“We are concerned about who will bear the brunt of such actions in the long run. Be wise and take caution not fall into the wrong portion of life.

“While the government’s policies, such as the removal of oil subsidies, are causing widespread hardship, we appeal for patience and ask the government to revisit their other policy decisions.

“We also urge the government to check extravagant expenditures, reduce salaries, and unnecessary renovations of government buildings during this time of economic crisis.

“We plead with the government to reduce the number of bloated ministries and formulated political offices competing for resources that ought to be used to alleviate the hardship in the nation.

“We put our trust in our governor, His Excellency Rt. Hon. Sharriff Oborevwori, who is working diligently to ensure that Delta State experiences development that engenders change and growth under M.O.R.E Agenda.

“As elders and President Generals of our Clans, we are worried that the EndSARS protests of 2020 did not end well and did not achieve its goal, so we urge our young people to consider this carefully before joining similar protests.

“We ask that they exercise patience and let the government continue with its efforts to improve the well-being of our nation.

“We urge our children to listen to us, as we care for them and want them to be safe. We express our gratitude to them.”