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Fred Itua, Abuja
Former Leader of the Senate and Army Committee chairman, Mohammed Ali Ndume, has called on heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), as well as the National Assembly, to ensure full implementation of President Muhammadu Buhari’s poverty reduction measures, as part of moves to meet the demands of #EndSARS protesters.
Ndume who hailed the President for heeding the advice of stakeholders to address Nigerians, said the various MDAs, especially Youths and Sports, and Humanitarian Affairs Ministries, must ensure that funds earmarked for youth empowerment are fully deployed for that purpose. He said with billions already budgeted for youth empowerment and more to come in the budget currently being considered by the National Assembly, Ndume said some key demands of the protesters dwelling on youth unemployment will be addressed.
Ndume particularly urged the National Assembly to ensure that funds earmarked are utilised for the purpose. He further urged his colleagues to ensure that oversight functions are carried out often. He called on prominent celebrities who took part in the last #EndSARS peaceful protests before it was hijacked by hoodlums, to represent the youths and negotiate with the Federal Government as a way of resolving the ongoing imbroglio. He urged the #EndSARS protesters to suspend their actions on the streets to prevent hoodlums from further looting. He also said the youths should organise themselves in such a way that would ensure that government implement all their five-point demands and other programmes announced for them by the President.
He appealed to the President to also raise a panel to dialogue with the celebrities who would present the demands of the youths so that government would implement them. He called on the National Assembly to expedite action on making sure that adequate compensation for the victims of police brutality is included in the 2021 national budget.
