TheCable

Mohammed Buba Marwa, chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Elimination of Drug Abuse (PACEDA), has called on the youth to embrace dialogue and constructive engagement with authorities to achieve the demands of the #EndSARS campaign against police brutality.

Marwa, in a statement issued on Monday, expressed concern about the way the #EndSARS protests were hijacked by suspected hoodlums, looters and arsonists.

He condemned the shooting of protesters at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos, and urged the youth to restrategise in order to ensure that their demands are met.

“As a former military administrator of Lagos with great bonds and cherished affinity with the good people of the state, I was deeply troubled and worried by the news reports I got about the ugly turn of events at the Lekki toll plaza on Tuesday, October 20, 2020 and the subsequent wanton destruction of public and private assets,” he said.

“This should never have been if peaceful protesters had not been confronted with live bullets and innocent lives lost in the process. The chain reaction that followed and the hijack of that by some other elements, motivated by other motives should serve as a great lesson to all stakeholders in the Nigerian project.

“No doubt, the demands of the youths have caught the attention of government at all levels and even the international community. As such, I want to implore them that now that their statement had been made loud and clear, they should modify their strategy; embrace the dialogue option, so as to deny fifth columnists the chance to change the narrative of their struggle and tarnish their unblemished agenda.”

He added that the spate of violent attacks, mindless destruction, looting and arson across the country, brings to the fore the urgent need to address substance abuse.

Marwa explained that the prevalent cases of substance abuse by some hoodlums have also aggravated mayhem in some parts of the country

“More than ever before, the recent events have again shown that there is the urgent need to expedite all pending actions by the government to tackle and make decisive moves against substance and drug abuse in the country,” he said.

He called on well-meaning Nigerians, particularly traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society organisations, women associations, and youth groups to rally round the federal and state governments to restore peace and order.