By Shakirudeen Bankole
Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, has disclosed that president Buhari alone cannot take 100 million Nigerian youths out of poverty in the next 10 years.
According to the presidential spokesman, the president’s earlier promise to engage about 100million youths and lift them out of the poverty net may not be fulfilled without a strong continuity vision by the subsequent administrations coming after Buhari’s.
Recall that in his last nationwide broadcast during the peak of anti-police brutality protest, also known as #EndSARS, Buhari said in addition to other poverty alleviation initiatives his administration has put in place, his government plans to lift 100 Million Nigerian youths out of poverty over the next 10 years.
However, some Nigerians saw the promise as a yet another political statement. According to them given the fact that the present administration’s tenure, is less than three years to expiration, and there appears to be no shown data suggesting that a 10 year plan to take the 100million youths out of poverty has been put in place for subsequent administrations to key into, it is still not clear how the government would achieve that goal.
Speaking on Channels Television Sunrise Daily, Thursday, Presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina said the plan is designed to allow subsequent governments to follow through, stressing that his boss alone should not be held accountable if coming administrations fail to key into the porogramme.
According to him, “Buhari has less than three years to go, yes. That goes to show that the duty of eradicating poverty in the country is not the duty of the government alone. Subsequent governments are advised to continue with it.”
“Because if there had been provisions in the past, we wouldn’t have this situation on our hands,” he added.
Adesina, said the violent disruption of the #EndSARS protest, looting, and destruction of properties were “ situation created for near anarchy” by some elements.
Disagreeing that the looting was as a result of widespread poverty in the land, Adesina said: “I do not agree it is a product of poverty. In society, there would always be the poor and hungry, and it is the job of the government to ameliorate their sufferings.
“But these people seen looting and burning police stations and other properties are not necessarily people, they are simply anarchist element looking for opportunity to wreak havoc.”
He also disagreed that the protest had been peaceful before the Lekki Toll Gate shooting by soldiers on Tuesday, October 20, saying the jailbreak in Edo State, and burning of police station at Iganmu had happened before the incident.
According to him, “anarchy had set in before Lekki Shooting. Prison had been broken open in Benin before Lekki. Orile Police station had been broken open before Lekki. So, it is wrong to say Lekki shooting precipitated the violence.”
The Presidential spokesman also disputed claims by Amnesty International that it is in possession of strong evidence that unarmed protesters were shot and killed at the Lekki Toll Gate, saying the international body needs to be more truthful in its dealings.
“The Amnesty International was wrong on this development. They can’t know more than the news reporters and watchers of development in the country, who were on ground and saw everything that happened.
“Also, many a times, the Nigerian army has come out to disown their pronouncements. Their inconsistency is not new. Amnesty international is wrong,” he added.
