Youth organizations in Edo State, including the Edo Youth League, Take it Back Nigeria, Project Action-Up, and the South South-Youth Solidarity Forum, have called for a public apology from Adams Oshiomhole, accusing him of making insensitive remarks intended to undermine legitimate protests.
The demand was made in a joint statement signed by their leaders—Solomon Ehimare (Edo Youth League), Ogbeide Agbonavbare-Ayin (Take it Back Nigeria), Egharevba Nosa (Project Action-Up), and Abhulimhen Festus (South South-Youth Solidarity Forum)—and shared with journalists on Thursday.
Since August 1, Nigerians have been protesting under the banner of #EndBadGovernance, urging the government to address the soaring food prices, high unemployment rates, and the devaluation of the Naira.
In response to these protests, former labor leader Comrade Adams Oshiomhole appeared on ARISE TV on Wednesday, where he dismissed the ongoing protests as being led by a “faceless mob” with the aim of overthrowing the government.
Although the TV hosts challenged his views, pointing out that the protesters are young Nigerians frustrated with the current state of the country and demanding better governance, Oshiomhole insisted that he did not recognize the protesters and called for their arrest and prosecution for treason.
Reacting, the youth organizations demanded a public apology from Oshiomhole and warned that Oshiomhole’s comments on national television could incite security forces against the peaceful protesters.
The statement reads in part, “On Wednesday, 7th August 2024, Edo people and Nigerians in general woke up to see Comrade Adams Oshiomhole on ARISE TV struggling hard to discredit the ongoing Hunger protests and labelling the organizers a faceless mob who are just out fo force a regime change.
“Many Nigerians were shocked by the brazen and shameless show of hypocrisy by the former labour leader, a past President of the Nigerian Labour Congress, who literally built a professional career out of protests.
“Even when the TV Hosts pointed out to him that the protesters are not faceless but young Gen Z youths who were disenchanted and dissatisfied with the present situation in the Country and were fighting to have their voices heard in the quest for good governance and an end to the unnecessary sufferings of Nigerians, Oshiomhole insisted that he does not know them and that they should be arrested and prosecuted for treason.
“The whole world witnessed how peaceful the Edo protests have been. Even the Edo Commissioner of Police attended the protests alongside the Governor and commended the protesters for their peaceful conduct but Oshiomhole went on National TV to gaslight young people and set them up for possible attacks by security agencies.
“Everything is not Politics. Adams Oshiomhole went too far to launch such a callous and insensitive propaganda attack against peaceful protesters in that manner. We demand that he should immediately tender a public apology to all Edo Youths and Nigerian Youths in general for the lies and unfounded allegations against them over hunger protests caused by the maladministration, insensitivity, ineptitude and cruelty of his Party, the APC.
“Nigerians have never had it this bad with food inflation, high cost of living, massive unemployment, unprecedented inflation and a massive slump in the value of our Naira.”
