One-man Protester Demonstrates In Imo Over Agony Of Nigerian Youths

 
There was a mild drama at the
Government House/ Whetheral Road Round-about in Owerri, the Imo State capital, yesterday,
when a youth, Chikezie Erege carried placards in protest against the horrible
plight of Nigerian youths all over the world.
 
He
stirred up the passers-by and motorists, momentarily causing traffic gridlock
as he moved from end to end of the round-about to draw attention to the
misfortune of the youths in the country.
 
Dressed in green-white-green
robes depicting the country’s flag, Erege, who is the national president of
Youth Mountain of Hope, carried placards in his hands and body with
inscriptions: Let our leaders give us hope to live. Let our great leaders, our
president, vice president, governors and national and state legislators give
our youths hope to live
 
Speaking with journalists,
the youth leader said he came to the state to demonstrate in order to draw the
attention of the state and federal governments to the plight of the youths.
 
According
to him, Nigerian youths had now become the easiest tool used for modern slavery
all over the world with unemployment increasing geometrically due mainly to
corruption.
 
“Our
youths run out of this country at all cost, abandoning their home country. Many
of them have nationalized in other countries just to make ends meet. Many of
them die in the seas, deserts and wilderness of Morocco
and Tunisia
while trying to leave our dear country.
 
“Beyond
the shores of Nigeria,
there are plenty of them doing very petty jobs under harshest conditions with
many of the youths indulging in various crimes such as drug pushing, robbery as
well as selling part of their kidneys for money”.
 
Erege
recalled with sadness several instances where thousands of Nigerian youths were
falsely accused of criminal activities and dumped in prison custodies in the
United Kingdom, Germany, China, Brasil and even in lesser African countries
like Kenya, Benin Republic, Togo and others.
 
The
one-man protester appealed to the government to help stop the embarrassment
unemployment was bringing to the country around the world by encouraging
entrepreneurial developments and creating high standard of skills acquisition
in all local government areas in the country.
 
The
youth leader called the attention of the federal government to the perennial problem
in the power sector, saying despite the efforts of the government, there was no
significant progress in the sector.
 
He said the sector when put optimal condition, would get many
youths out of the unemployment market.
 
“We are begging the government to give us hope to live by
encouraging agricultural productivities to reach the less-privileged people.
Most of us have very fertile soil but lack the resources to get the farm inputs
and equipment to farm. Please help us by making modern agricultural equipment
available to the less privileged people. This will help the economy grow and
thereby reducing unemployment and high level of hunger in the country”, he
said.