Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, has assured protesting workers that the current economic hardship in the country will soon be over.
The governor disclosed this on Tuesday whe he joined the protesting members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) at Total Garden, along Secretariat Road, Agodi, Ibadan, during their two-day nationwide protest against hunger and poverty.
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The governor, while addressing the protesters, called for calm, stating that he as well was feeling the heat of the hardship as he joined the labour protesters in the state in raising alarm about the deteriorating economic situation in the country.
The governor said hardship and poverty have reached alarming levels, with many unable to feed themselves or find work to do.
He urged all parties to work together to find solutions, expressing hope that the situation can be turned around.
“There is hunger and hardship in the land,” the governor said, adding that, “We must do something about it.”
Makinde noted that the worsening economic situation was not unique to Oyo State, but rather a nationwide issue.
He called on the federal government to take action to alleviate the suffering of the people, emphasising the need for policies that promote growth and job creation.
Meanwhile, the Oyo Police Command has embarked on confidence-building patrol across the 33 local government areas of the State to prevent breakdown of law and order during the NLC protests.
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Adewale Osifeso, said the patrol would be led by the Commissioner of Police, Adebola Hamzat, the Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers and all the Tactical Commanders.
He said that in as much the Police Command respects the right of citizens to a peaceful procession, it was confident that in line with its statutory mandate, the lives and property of all will be protected from unscrupulous elements who might want to hijack the process for their own personal criminal agenda.
To this end, the Commissioner of Police has directed Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers, and all tactical commanders to personally lead confidence building patrols around every nook and cranny of Oyo State to include but not limited to critical infrastructure, media houses, government institutions, correctional facilities, banks, places of worship , recreational centers, publi spaces and even routes charted for the peaceful protest, with a view to maintaining Public order.
Also, he re-assured the residents about the Command’s readiness to tackle any possible threat from the exercise, it enjoins parents, guardians and leaders of all degrees of influence to prevail on their children, wards and protegés against being used by agents of anarchy who would want to take undue advantage of the situation to destroy the relative peace enjoyed in the State.