Shettima: Violent protest in north result of poverty, poor leadership

Vice-President Kashim Shettima says the violence witnessed in the north during the #EndBadGovernance protest is the result of widespread poverty and leadership failure.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony on Sunday, Shettima said the prevalence of social vices in the north is breeding a culture of lawlessness among the youth.

The vice-president, who was represented by Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, his special adviser on political matters, said President Bola Tinubu’s administration will turn the economy around.

Nigerians held a 10-day protest dubbed ’10 Days of Rage’ against economic hardship.

The protest turned violent in some parts of the country, especially in the northern region, with hoodlums looting and vandalising public and private properties.

Shettima attributed disregard for authority during the protests to prolonged tolerance of societal ills.

“For too long we have tolerated poverty, corruption, poor leadership and we can see the result, a generation that has come up that has no respect for God, for the law of the land, for the leadership and our values,” he said.

“In the last two weeks, the country has gone through difficult times mostly led by the youth, young people who are angry because they are hungry, young people who are angry because they do not see any prospects in becoming better than they are, young people who think the government does not care about them, young people who have no respect for any authority in this country because they think every authority has let them down.

“Young people who are not afraid of hunger, not afraid of their parents, they are not afraid of the police, the army or anybody because they believe this country belongs to those who can drag and run, young Nigerians believe Nigeria is free for all.

“We created this situation, generations like ours, but we did not inherit it. The people who built Nigeria before our lives worked very hard and made sacrifices and tried to build a country through honesty and hard work.”

Shettima condemned the looting and vandalism that marred the protest.

“No matter what, there is no justification for stealing or looting someone else’s property,” he said.

“We have to work hard for this country and we have to believe that Nigeria can be fixed because if you do not believe the country can be fixed, then there is nowhere else to go.

“We have to begin to rebuild the country by showing our children that they can work the way Sardauna and his team worked so that people like me could go to school almost free and we can become something.

“If the politics we are running is not conducive, change it, if the system we are operating is not producing good leadership, peace and security, change it but do not walk away from the service of people who have no other people to look up to.

“For you by the grace of God, we will make Nigeria work so you can go to school and go to your farms without fear or hindrance.”

Ahmad Gumi, the Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, described the protest as “a wake-up call to leaders”.

Abdulsalami Nasidi, chairman of the occasion, asked northern leaders to educate the youths.

“We are facing social up time in the North and one of the major ways out is by empowering, educating and ensuring children are groomed to become respectable members of society,” he said.