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| Bethrand Onuoha - Commissioner of Police |
In light of the growing economic frustrations across the nation, the Kogi State Commissioner of Police, Bethrand Onuoha, has appealed to youths planning an October 1 protest to reconsider their stance. He’s urging them to exercise patience while the government works on resolving Nigeria’s economic issues.
Now, I get it people are pissed about the state of the economy. Jobs are hard to come by, prices are rising and it feels like we're all just watching the clock tick and waiting for God knows what. But Onuoha is asking citizens to cool their jets…temporarily. His message? Give the government a little more time.
The commissioner has stressed that protests can be powerful, but they're hardly ever helpful, especially when emotions are already running so high. Fear is that things will turn nasty and the mob will take over – which would only make things worse. And to be fair, when emotions are this heated, you can hardly blame them.
Instead of rushing to protest, Onuoha is suggesting that the youth look to other means of engaging the government, like dialogue and discussions. It’s not that he’s against speaking up—far from it—but he believes that waiting a bit longer could prevent unnecessary chaos and, potentially, offer the government some breathing room to deliver solutions.
Whether or not this advice resonates is up for debate. People have their breaking points, and for some, that threshold’s been crossed. But for others, there’s still a glimmer of hope that things can turn around without the need for protests.