The Federal Capital Territory FCT Youth Taskforce and Response Team on COVID-19 in collaboration with the National Youth Council of Nigeria NYCN has threatened to mobilize youths across the six area councils of the FCT to shutdown the operations of some private companies in Abuja.
Mr Ango Abdullahi, Chairman NYCN FCT Chapter with other youth leaders, made the threat during a joint press briefing of the task team in Abuja on Monday.
He said the threat was due to the failure of the said companies to exercising their corporate social responsibilities in the form of provision of relief materials or financial support to the FCT administration.
According to him, the such support would have enabled the FCT administration to carryout that its responsibilities, effectively, to the masses during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Abdulahi said that with effect from Wednesday April 9, 2020, the youth task team would shutdown operations of some corporate organizations operating in Abuja when the lockdown is eventually lifted by the Federal government
He said that in Lagos, many, construction companies, production outfits and estate developers had been collaborating with the government in making donations and provision of relief materials but regretted that the reverse was the case in the FCT
Also speaking,another member of team, Comrade Akoshile Muktar Vice President of NYCN (north central) urged business organizations operating in Abuja to urgently contact the FCT Minister and announce their donations publicly or have their business shutdown by the task team.
He also urged the Federal government to announce its palliative measures to the FCT residents, particularly the masses of the territory, to cushion the effects of the lockdown
He noted with concern that this was necessary because the masses observing lockdown in their various homes were” suffering and dying of hunger.”
Muktar said that the N20,000 being shared to the most vulnerable by the Ministry of Humanitarian Afffairs in the area councils could only get to few beneficiaries.
He added that the youth groups currently working independently were ready to partner with the FCT administration to distribute relief materials to the people in dare need of help in the communities.
The youth leader said that since the declaration of COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria, they had been on the street of FCT sensitizing residents and preaching to them on the imperative of staying at home.
He promised that the youths ” will never leave the street until the end of the pandemic Coronavrus.”
He advised FCT residents to obey medical experts’ advice by staying at home, observe social distancing and use sanitizers.
They spokesperson FCT native Comrade Inusa Yusuf said that the pandemic was imported into the country by the elite but the poor are suffering the resultant effect of lockdown and hunger.
He advice the elite to provide palliative to enable the poor masses observe the lockdown with lesser pains.
