Character assassination and destruction of some investments of National Leader of All Progressive Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, during the #EndSARS protests in Lagos, have been described as an action taken too far to damage the reputation of a man who has done a lot for the unity of Nigeria.

This is the position of the African Youth for Change Forum (AYFCF), a non-political group, which says the youths should refrain from acting the script that would amount to stabbing the back of a leader who loves Nigeria down to heart.

President of the AYFCF, Prince Hammed Olanrewaju Mohammed, said in an interview in Lagos on Wednesday that his group, which has members across nations of Africa, including Nigeria, was sad watching with dismay how the #EndSARS protests, which began peacefully across the country, was hijacked by some anti-progress elements in the society.

“How could we explain the destruction of property and lives of innocent people during this protest? Most surprising was how some hoodlums went after Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in a bid to damage his highly respected reputations and destroying some investments of this great man in Lagos where a lot of Nigerian youths are gainfully employed and earning their daily living. This so sad and the African Youth for Change Forum condemned this act in iyt entirety,” said Prince Mohammed.

“We were however happy with the way and manner Tinubu responded to the whole situation. He appealed for peace instead. His action goes a long way to show the leadership characters in this man. He told the world that he could not descend so low to order the soldiers to kill Nigerian youths who were protesting peacefully at the Lekki toll plaza, we believe him because we know the kind of man he is.

“We see in Tinubu a pan Nigerian, who loves every Nigerian regardless of his or her tribe, and religious. This is a man who ruled Lagos for eight years and laid a sustainable blueprint which successive governments in the state have been building on. Under Tinubu’s leadership, Lagos politics embraces every Nigerian as an important stakeholder where you can become whatever you want to be.

“The African Youth for Change Forum wants to tell Nigerian youths that Tinubu deserves our sympathy now than what happened during the protest. He cannot be destroyed. He is a leader we should encourage to lead us after President Muhammadu Buhari might have left office in 2023 because he has the qualities to turn this great nation around,” Mohammed said.

Prince Mohammed enjoyed the youths to embrace dialogue as a way out of the present logjam, adding that Nigerians should beware of fake news coming out of various social media platforms.

“It is so sad that we failed as a people to manage fake news on the social media. I think journalists have a very important role to play in information management during crisis period like this and I believe we have all learnt our different lessons,” he said

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