Mr. Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has pledged to discuss with President Bola Tinubu the calls for creating a Youth Secretariat within the FCT Administration (FCTA).
Wike made this commitment during a town hall meeting in Abuja on Saturday, organized by the FCTA to dissuade residents from participating in the planned nationwide protest on August 1 over hunger and hardship.
The call for a Youth Secretariat was made by youth representatives at the meeting, emphasizing the need to address issues related to youth development and empowerment.
“I know that if I send a memo to him to create a Youth Secretariat, Mr. President will create it,” Wike said. “As youths, I suggest you write and send the memo to us, and I will forward it to Mr. President. By the time Mr. President approves the Youth Secretariat, we will sit and work out how the youth empowerment should go and what sort of empowerment.”
The minister explained that the meeting was necessary for stakeholders in the FCT to agree on the need for peace and order, which could not be guaranteed if residents joined the protest.
He emphasized that President Bola Tinubu had ensured youth inclusion in the FCT Administration, evident by the appointments of young people serving in various capacities within the FCTA, including the Coordinator of the Satellite Development Department and Mandate Secretaries of Area Councils and Legal Services.
“I am not saying that this is enough, but know that we cannot abandon the youths,” he added.
Wike stressed the need for the youths to ensure lasting peace in the FCT, adding that “protest does not solve any problem, but creates more problems. There is nothing wrong with a protest, but it must be done within the ambit of the law.”
Regarding women’s inclusion, the minister mentioned that a similar initiative led to the establishment of the Women Affairs Secretariat in the FCTA, with a woman as the Mandate Secretary. He noted that another woman is heading the Health Services and Environment Secretariat, while four out of the ten recently appointed Permanent Secretaries in the FCTA were women.
The minister also commended religious and traditional leaders for supporting the FCTA in maintaining peace, which he described as critical for sustainable development. He thanked the chairmen of the six area councils in the FCT for their partnership in keeping the FCT and its rural communities safe.
In a related development, the Abuja Aborigines Network has condemned the planned protest and expressed readiness to resist it. Its President, Dr. Donald Amagbo, said at a press conference in Abuja on Saturday that the decision to shun the protest was not to promote anarchy in the country.
“We hereby condemn in totality and we are ready to resist the planned protests in some cities across Nigeria, including the FCT. Our decision was based on a confirmed investigation that was aimed at causing anarchy and making Nigeria look ungovernable and a failed state. Hence, we, the Abuja Aborigines Network, hereby pledge to support the security agencies to fish out the undesirable elements living in Abuja,” Amagbo said.
The president added that the group “does not want unrest but peace.” He further stressed that the network also feels the pains of President Tinubu’s reforms, “but we can see the progress being recorded in FCT by Nyesom Wike.”
