Don’t allow social media contents set Nigeria ablaze, Olawande tells youth
The Minister of State for Youth Development, Mr. Olawande Ayodele has urged Nigerian youths not to allow contents they see on social media push them into setting the country ablaze.
The minister gave the advice in Abuja when the Renewed Hope Ambassadors of Nigeria led by veteran Nollywood actor, Zark Orji, paid him a courtesy visit in his office over the weekend.
He observed that most of the contents in social media are lies being peddled by politicians to give President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration a bad name.
“We are pleading, begging and appealing to everybody; this country is in safe hands. We should not allow politicians to tell us things that are not correct. We should make sure that these five applications that we are using: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, are not used as tools to destabilise the Nigeria.
“I also want the traders to know that if this thing happens, it will first get to them before anybody. We don’t want people to use this avenue to disrupt the government and the citizens of this country.
“Yes, you have the right to protest, you have the right to express your displeasure but we are saying that it is time to make research and talk to ourselves and know where these things are affecting us and have a roundtable with the government because this is a listening government.”
Ayodele pleaded with Nigerians to rethink their decision and shelve plans to embark on a nationwide protest, assuring the youths that the president means well for the country.
He noted that a lot of things have been put in place, including the new minimum, approval of the disbursement of N10 billionto 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for the procurement of CNG buses to reduce transportation costs across the country among others.
Speaking earlier, Orji who noted that the planned protest is directionless, warned that it may lead to widespread unrest and instability, deterring investments and stifling economic growth in various sectors, including disruption of production and events as well as impacting the livelihoods of many.
