The National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), on Thursday appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to assemble a comprehensive stakeholders’ national dialogue as a necessary stride towards dousing ethnic and insecurity tensions in the country.
Vice President, Southwest of the council, Mr Dotun Omoleye, in a statement in Abuja, said that the plea became necessary in view of the need to strengthen peace, mutual coexistence and unity in the country.
“We view the growing tensions across the nation along tribal, ethnic as religious lines as potential threats to the continued peace, mutual coexistence and unity of our nation.
“There is no other time to demand proportional response to the yearnings and aspirations of all citizens to be addressed at a roundtable than now.
“As the leader of our country, destiny has today placed it in the hand of President Muhammadu Buhari to reverse this ugly trend.
“So, we passionately appeal to Mr President to immediately create a national platform through which eminent citizens could be brought together to a forum where agitations and grievances could be tabled and addressed once and for all.
“A situation where once friendly, tolerant and accommodating compatriots suddenly began to expand each other’s fault lines is unfortunate, unacceptable.
“And, the government must be decisive to deal peacefully to restore order through dialogue,” Omoleye said.
The youth leader condemned recent declarations for the breakup of the country and ejection notice against citizens residing in different parts of the country by non-state actors.
He said that such utterances contravened the law and must not be allowed to gain tractions.
“There is no doubting the grievances nursed by each ethnic nationality; everyone has its pains and questions but we have gone too far together; we have mingled too well to adopt breaking up as an option.
“The NYCN views these uproars as reactions to decades of leadership vacuum but we also believe that these cracks are not irredeemable if stakeholders can put the nation at the front burner in charting a fresh page for the nation.
“We, therefore, strongly align with voice of wisdom, particularly from our traditional rulers and leaders of opinion cautioning against extreme positions, as it is important to seek a melting point through dialogue where our nation could be repositioned through a forum where everyone can give and take,” the NYCN chieftain stressed.
The youth leader restated that the challenges facing the country are not beyond redemption and appealed to aggrieved Nigerians to sheath their sword by giving peace a chance.
He similarly urged the youths which constitute largest Nigerian population to embrace peace through which development and security could be guaranteed. (NAN)
