I rejected $360,000 Bribe to Protest Against Petroleum Minister, Says Youth Leader

Posted by African Examiner Latest Headlines, News Friday, March 28th, 2014

Patrick Osadebamwen, Abuja

National President of the National Council of Nigeria Youth (NCNY), Comrade, Henry Nwabueze, Thursday alleged that the Council last week rejected $360,000 bribe to protest against the Minister of Petroleum, Dieziani Allison Madueke.

Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum Diezani Allison-Madueke

He said certain vested interest group invited him to a hotel in Lagos and offered him $10,000 per state council of the NCNY to stage a protest against the petroleum Minister for mismanagement of public funds.

He said following the failure of the sponsors to provide incontrovertible evidence to back up their claims which he demanded he rejected their offer.

Henry said this in Abuja in an interview to some reporters.

Henry who leads a faction of the NCNY said the sponsors of the illegal act thought that they were dealing with youth without a vision but realized that those days were gone and such kind of youth leadership has ended.

According to him, the set of Nigerian youth under his leadership are youth who are focused and consumed with the desire to make meaningful contributions to the development of the country.

His words: “Was it few days ago that we were offered the sum of $10, 000 to protest against the Minister of Petroleum, Deiziani Allison Madueke. We refused to do that. We insisted that if the person has a 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 youth who are conscious of our potentials and we want to realize our potentials, he stated

Henry stressed that any politicians or businessman who thinks Nigerian youths are available to them for cheap blackmail and mischief may need to think again.

He said they should know that the present generation of youth are versed due to the opportunity of it’s global linkage.

The factional leader of the youth body said the nation the youth will protest only issues That will make the country better especially issues that guarantee youth survival and development in the country.