The monarch of Idjerhe Kingdom in Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State, His Majesty King Monday Whiskey has appealed to Nigerian youth to halt the ongoing nationwide protest and embrace dialogue.

The Udurhie 1 of Idjerhe Kingdom made the appeal on Tuesday in a statement made available to journalists in Warri, Delta State.

He said that the youth had made their points and urged them to embrace dialogue with the government in the interest of peace.

The royal father said that the core messages of hunger, insecurity, inflation, and the noticeable disconnect between the ruling class and the ordinary Nigerian have been well passed by the protesters.

He said: “It is now time for true reflections and frank talk in the interest of our country.

“In the last five days, I have watched and followed the hunger and #EndBadGovernance protests across our motherland with keen interest. The protests have recorded mixed feelings.

“I commend the protesters who peacefully made their demands to the Nigerian government.

“I am also bewildered to watch the destruction of private and public property by some elements who hijacked the protest to loot our people.

“The core messages of hunger, insecurity, inflation, and the noticeable disconnect between the ruling class and the ordinary Nigerian have been well passed”.

The monarch said that the avoidable deaths, destruction of properties and outright looting of businesses in the course of the protests would not bring the solutions.

He admitted that there was hardship in the country and commended the protesters who conducted themselves peacefully during the period of the protest.

The king averred that peaceful protest, as enshrined in the nation’s constitution does not give room for wanton destructions of private and public properties.

“No doubt, there is hardship on the land. Our people are hungry, but the government has assured they are doing everything to lift Nigerians out of this present phase.

“We should redirect our energy and human resources towards using dialogue and alternative dispute resolutions to address issues of national interest,” he said.

The royal father urged President Bola Tinubu to adopt a more people-oriented approach to resolving this national uprising.

He also urged the president to look critically into the issues raised by the protesters and addressed them using the “father-and-son relationship approach”.

The Ovie of Idjerhe Kingdom called on government at all levels to urgently design policies and programmes, especially in the areas of security and agriculture, to tackle the nation’s multifaceted problems.

He, however, noted that the federal government cannot do it alone, and urged the states and local governments to collaborate with the government at the centre irrespective of their political leanings.

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