The #EndSARS protests by the Nigerian youths against police brutality started on a peaceful note and gained international attention. The government acceded to their five-point demand and immediately set machinery in motion towards achieving them. But few days into the protest, miscreants sponsored by vested interests attacked the protesters in a bid to break the protest which further fueled the protesters’ resolve to continue with the protest. However, hoodlums eventually hijacked the protest, extorting the residents, which culminated into killing, maiming, looting and destruction of property across the country. The worsening economic situation, unemployment and frustration obviously fuelled the bizarre acts of the hoodlums. There is an urgent need for the country to a deep look into youth development and immediately address challenges of education and unemployment. Lady Barbara Negbejie sought the opinions of some Nigerians in this perspective.
‘Schooling should be the right of every citizen’
The idle mind, they say, is the devil’s workshop. Our government should make school to be a right of every citizen irrespective of one’s economic background. Government should create jobs for the people, whereby they cannot, at least create enabling environment for businesses to thrive. Not using taxes and bad policies to kill companies and keep people out of jobs. When you go to school, you become reasonable. When you begin to work, you become responsible. Why then will the so called hoodlums not disappear from our society?
• Lady Ijeoma Agoha
‘Give youths opportunity to go to school or trade’
To get them engaged and busy, if they are working or schooling they will be facing the challenges of the day rather than become hoodlums. An idle hand is a devil’s workshop. Give the people opportunity to learn a trade or go to school and then give them work, then the dynamics will change. • Adeola Ekinne, Chairperson, National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Lagos.
‘Good governance; good infrastructures’
Government can address the escalating menace of hoodlums through these four means: • Child birth control (family planning) • Government should build more school and make them affordable to its citizens. • Job creation at all levels. • Good governance, in all good infrastructures, good security system should be put in place etc. • Margaret Egbe Odok
‘Government should engage the youths’
Mobsters, arsontists and hoodlums’ action has led to loss of human lives, sexual violence, attacks on correctional facilities as well as public and private properties which were completely vandalized or destroyed pulling the nation a decade backward. The following steps have to be taken by the Government to stop the reoccurrence of the action of the hoodlums: 1. The youths should be given the chance to speak up and make demand for a better life and secured future. With this, both the Government and youths will rule the country together and there will be a smooth continuation of the lay down pattern of administration. 2. Call an open sitting with all the aggrieved parties with the press covering the outcome of their discussion and ensure full implementation of the outcome and not being bias of the situation. 3. The Government has to ensure decentralization of the security outfit that will comprise mostly the youths; this will in a long way engage the youths giving them the sense of belonging. Security outfits such as state policing, street/estate policing, vigilante group etc. 4. The government has to ensure safety 24/7 in the following areas a. Safety/Security at Home b. Safety/Security away from Home c. Safety/Security for valuables d. Personal safety/security for all and all places 5. The government should also discard the idea of favouritism in the following a. Tribal sentiment such as some tribes being above the law (Fulani …) b. Federal character in terms of appointment and jobs (Not taking side) c. Reduce overage and tired men in government, engage the youths d. The faith belief Christian, Muslim etc, Equity treatment at all levels Let us prevent community crime by changing the social conditions that are believed to sustain crime in residential communities. Different approaches have evolved, which can be best understood as a succession of policy paradigms emerging as responses to changing urban conditions: community organizing; tenant involvement; resource mobilization; community defense (both intentional organizing and environmental modification); preserving order; and protecting the vulnerable. Prevention in high-crime areas presents particular difficulties for community approaches. Community approaches have foundered mostly because of insufficient understanding of the nature of social relations within residential areas and of how community crime careers are shaped by the wider urban market. • Mr. Celestine Ijeh
“Every homeless person should be picked off the streets”
menace of hoodlums is being perpetuated by street urchins, out-ofschool children and youths. I believe these challenges are not impossible for government to address. Addressing the menace is one that would require short and long term measures. The short term measures would involve: 1. Avoid in its entirety, ill treatment of known or identifiable participants in the #EndSARS protest. This would avert any other form of restiveness, aggression by legitimate protesters. The contrary will in turn, forestall further breakdown of public peace and order. 2. Having acceded to the glaring evidences on human right violations on Nigerians, government should tender public apology to Nigerians and by extension, #EndSARS protesters. This will help calm frailer nerves. 3. Government should immediately order and ensure that all street urchins – every homeless person be picked off the streets. Then, resettle them in a resettlement camp. Those who have identifiable families, reunite them. Then, adopt, train and empower the vagabonds among them. Long term: a. Government should without delay, commence the review of earning of public office holders -beginning with the Presidency, Federation Legislature, State Executive and Legislature. b. Government at all tiers should deploy every measure to reduce overhead cost to the bearest minimum. This can be achieved by cutting down number of government aides and avoiding unnecessary overseas tourism/tours. c. Government must address growing unemployment. d. End every form of industrial action, particularly, the one affecting the academic sector which keeps students at home -as a number of students are involved in cultism. This category of students is capable of unleashing terrible mayhem on society. Government should make primary and secondary schooling free in all States of the Federation. 3. Free Skills Acquisition centre should be established in every Ward across the country. This way, Nigeria will have less number of street children who would grow into hoodlums to terrorise citizens. • Onyemachi Jet Madu
