A Lagos APC chieftain, Taofeek Adaranijo, on Saturday, urged Nigerian youths to reconsider the proposed nationwide protest to avoid its hijack by hoodlums to cause violence.

The APC chieftain said that Lagos could not afford to have an experience similar to the 2020 EndSARS protest hijacked by hoodlums to cause destruction.

Mr Adaranijo, also the commissioner, Local Government Service Commission, Lagos state, urged the protest organisers to allow the federal government’s economic policies to materialise.

The former member of the House of Representatives (Agege Federal Constituency) made the appeal while addressing a group of youths in his office in Ikeja.

The former chairman of Orile Agege Local Council Development Area acknowledged that citizens had the right to protest against policies they were dissatisfied with but said that the planned protest was premature.

“We all know that there is hardship in the land; even President Bola Tinubu is aware of this and has said it on various occasions.

“Yet the president has not folded his arms since he assumed office; he has been rolling out palliatives to ameliorate the suffering while implementing various policies.

“More allocations have been given to state governments, and now local governments will be more buoyant as a result of the local government autonomy,” he said.

The politician said that the N70,000 minimum wage approval, the CNG bus initiative and other interventions were part of efforts to cushion the effects of the petrol subsidy removal.

“It is just a matter of a short time; everything will be fine,” he said.

Expressing fear about the outcome of the protest in view of the sad experience of the 2020 EndSARS protest, Mr Adaranijo said that the country was too volatile to embark on any protest.

“As good as the protest is to tell the government of the hardship in the country, you can’t predict the outcome.

“EndSARS protest paved the way for arson in Lagos and other parts of the country.

“We have had protests in the past that were peaceful but the EndSARS protest outcome taught us a lot of lessons.

“Peaceful protest was hijacked by those with hidden agenda and hoodlums, and it resulted in arson in various areas in the state,” he said.

Recounting some of the havoc of the EndSARS protest, Mr Adaranijo said that police stations, public buses and courts were vandalised and burnt.

The former lawmaker urged the organisers of the protest to give the government time to improve the economy.

He appealed to the youth to avoid the protest.

“Don’t allow a repeat of EndSARS arson in Lagos and other parts of the country.

“Leaders in various capacities should persuade people under their care to give the government a little time to make things work.

“Violence will take us steps backwards,” Mr Adaranijo said.

He called for more support and prayers for the government to improve the economy.

Mr Adaranijo said, “Let us have hope and trust his leadership, and Nigeria shall rise again.”

There have been reports that some Nigerians are planning a nationwide protest from August 1 to August 10 over economic hardship.

(NAN)