A front line traditional ruler in the country and the Oluwo of Iwoland, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi at the weekend warned against disregarding any section of youths especially, those considered as miscreants in any given society to discourage criminal and nefarious activities in the country.
He, however, disclosed that he had commenced with the proper rehabilitation, reintegration and plan to give education to youths particularly those that are socially tagged thugs in the town and assured that, after rehabilitation, he would give scholarship to them in their different trained fields.
The monarch dropped the warning at his palace in Iwo while playing host to leaders of various youth groups in the town and environs to jaw-jaw with them on how to ensure that they all embrace peace for the good of the society.
Oba Akanbi, however, called on governments and well to do people in the society to show them love and give them the necessary supports that would transform them to become positive agents in the society.
According to him, “the society that bred miscreants over the years, has the responsibility to refine them and make them useful for themselves.”
“I consider youth engagement as part of my social contribution to ensure that youths, particularly those that are socially tagged as thugs are sensitised, rehabilitated and turned to positive agents of the society. We are going to give them scholarship, if they want to learn some trade, we will empower them.
“Most of them thrive in criminality because they either feel not being catered for, some leaders in the past disappointed them. I believe they can still be useful especially for security of this country, we have to change and rehabilitate the people we tag as thugs.”
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“The problem did not just start now. So we have to dialogue with them and we have made up our mind to invest in them. We want to change those bad eggs to become good eggs.
“We have to avert what happened during #EndSARS when property belonging to people were destroyed. You can imagine, one of the illustrious sons of this town, his property that were built over the years even before he ventured into politics were destroyed. We don’t want that to happen again” Oluwo said.
He admonished the youths to redirect their energy to sustaining the peace that lwo is known for.