Governor Sani Uba of Kaduna State has provided a gift of ₦100,000 and smartphones to the #EndBadGovernance protesters who were recently released.
The governor also pledged to rehabilitate the 39 protesters and empower them if they commit to turning a new leaf.
Abdulkadir Meyere, the Secretary to the Kaduna State Government, who spoke on behalf of Governor Uba, revealed that the governor had instructed him to collect the credentials of those who have completed their tertiary education.
“The Governor promised that some of them will be given start-up capitals to commence trading, others will be taught skills and some will be given employment,” he said.
The SSG also noted that the Kaduna State Government will be tracking the activities and conduct of all 39 released #Endbadgovernance protesters to ensure they are of good behaviour “before the promised benefits are extended to them.
He said, “The state government has taken the details of the released detainees including contact addresses, telephone numbers, and names of their next of kin, for easy tracking and monitoring”.
According to him, the released #EndBadGovernance protesters were all medically examined and given psycho-social counselling on the need to change for the better to be useful to themselves and society at large.
“Both Islamic and Christian religious leaders preached to them to embrace the teachings of their faiths and to avoid bad company, so as to benefit from God’s blessings here and in the hereafter,” he said.
The protests, which occurred in August, were sparked by the harsh economic conditions in Nigeria. While the demonstration began peacefully, it eventually escalated into violence in some regions, leading to the destruction of properties.
Months later, the Federal Government charged some of the protesters with a 10-count offense. However, the move drew widespread outrage when it was revealed that some of the demonstrators were minors.
This prompted President Bola Tinubu to intervene, calling for their release.