There are plans by vested interest group to mobilise Nigerian youths against the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Deizani Alison-Madueke, the National Council of Nigeria Youth (NCNY) has alleged.
Mr Henry Nwabueze, National President of a faction of the NCNY disclosed this while speaking with some reporters in Abuja.
He said the group was offered $360,000 last week to mobilise the youths to protest against the Minister for misappropriation of public funds.
According to him, certain vested interest group called him to a meeting in a hotel in Lagos and offered him $10, 000 to mobilise each state for the protest, translating to $360,000 for the 36 states of the Federation.
Nwabueze however said he rejected the offer because those people were unable to provide convincing evidence that the minister truly misappropriated public funds.
The NCNY President assured that Nigerian youths would continue to be on the side of the truth and justice, adding that the sponsors of the illegal act thought money can do everything.
He also assured that the youths would remain focussed by not allowing themselves to be used.
He said, “It was few days ago that we were offered the sum of $10, 000 to protest against the Minister of Petroleum, Deiziani Allison Madueke, but we refused to do that.
“We insisted that if the person has good intention, let him bring his son and daughters to join us in the protest.
“I will not mention his name. I will not mention the Hotel; it is $10,000 per state Council. And we say we are not going to do that before returning back to Abuja for a meeting.
“We never saw any evidence of what they wanted us to take to the street and protest against, we requested them to provide us with evidence and they could not.
“The kind of youth they are seeing now is not the kind of youth that they have seen before. We are youths who are conscious of our potentials and we want to realize our potentials,” Nwabueze said.
According to him, the era of Nigerian youths being used was over, adding that any “politician or businessman who thinks Nigerian youth is available to them for cheap blackmail and mischief may need to think again”.
Nwabueze, therefore reiterated that his group would always call out the youths to protest when there is need to do so and in the interest of the public.
