Lai Mohammed, the minister of information and culture, on Sunday, November 8, 2020, in Lagos said that the Federal Government will continue to address the issue of job creation for the youth.
Mohammed said this while speaking with journalists on the sideline of the meeting of governors, ministers, and traditional rulers of South-West states following the EndSARS protest mayhem.
The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the one-day meeting was also attended by a Presidential delegation, led by the Chief of Staff, Ibrahim Gambari.
He said that the government would continue to engage the youths and address the issue of poverty alleviation.
“It is not as if the government has not been addressing the issue of unemployment. The newly launched funds by the government were actually aimed at creating job opportunities.
“What the government has done so far is to provide platforms where businesses can thrive,” the minister said.
Mohammed said that the purpose of the South-West meeting was to allow governors and other political leaders in the South-West to interact.
He also said that the federal government delegation used the moment to commiserate with the Lagos State Government following the attack it suffered recently in the EndSARS protest mayhem.
“It was a peaceful meeting and it was agreed that the state and the federal government response to the initial demand of the EndSARS protest were appropriate,” the minister said.
He said that the government would continue to invest in the development of human capacity, with more implementation of economic policies that will engender development and building of more public infrastructure that would empower the teeming youths.
Earlier at the meeting, the South-West traditional rulers blamed politicians for the EndSARS protest mayhem witnessed in the region in the last few weeks.
The monarchs expressed disappointment at the manner politicians had turned politics into money induced venture at the expense of the interest of the youth.
They opined that a high rate of unemployment among youths caused the agitation in the EndSARS protest.
“The governors have taken the right steps with this meeting. However, they have been far away from we monarchs. You should not wait till election days before you reach out to us. This type of meeting should come regularly.
“We know the good and the bad in our communities but we are under-utilized,´´ Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, said.
In his reaction, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, said the destruction had put the region in a complex situation.
“It is a complex and complicated matter. Our children are jobless and many are hungry. The problems are too much for the states.
“The states are not independent. The structure we run in Nigeria cannot allow state governors to do much for their states,” he said.
Akinruntan Obateru, the Oluigbo of Ugbo, urged the Inspector General of Police to conduct a detailed investigation into the incident and fish out those behind the protest.
Rilwan Akiolu, the Oba of Lagos, said that “truth is very bitter,” noting that majority of the problems were caused by politicians.
“The power of the federal government is too much. The security architecture of the country needs to be restructured.
“The problem we have in Lagos is security and unemployment. The youths have to be looked after. What happened is a pure case of a security breach. The entire system needs reformation,” Akiolu said.
