Scores of young Nigerians under the aegis of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) today staged a protest at the headquarters of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in Abuja over the Commission’s recent deregistration of the council.
The demonstration, led by NYCN President, Ambassador Sukubo Sara-Igbe Sukubo, marked the launch of a 30-day continuous protest demanding the reversal of the deregistration and the removal of CAC Registrar-General, Hussaini Ishaq Magaji (SAN).
The protesters accused Magaji of acting while a legal case on the matter was still pending in court, reports Vanguard.
The protest followed an announcement by the Federal Ministry of Youth that the CAC had withdrawn NYCN’s certificate of registration and appointed a caretaker committee to manage its affairs, despite ongoing proceedings at the Court of Appeal.
Carrying placards with inscriptions such as ‘Registrar-General Must Go,’ ‘Respect Court Orders,’ and’Deregistration of NYCN is a Security Concern,’ the protesters blocked access roads to the CAC headquarters while chanting solidarity songs.
Addressing journalists, Sukubo said the deregistration raised serious concerns about respect for the judicial process.
“This matter has already been addressed by the Federal High Court and is currently pending before the Court of Appeal in Abuja. We believe it should be resolved through the court process before any further administrative action,” he stated.
Sukubo added that the protest would continue nationwide for 30 days until the NYCN was reinstated.
“We will maintain peaceful demonstrations until the Council is reinstated. We are also appealing to relevant authorities to review this matter because of its significance to Nigerian youth,” he said.
Also speaking, NYCN National Secretary, Comrade Gara Nongha, described the deregistration as troubling and called for an immediate resolution.
“We are here to express our concerns over the deregistration of NYCN by the CAC. The NYCN is the recognised umbrella body for Nigerian youth, and we seek an outcome that restores its full operational status,” Nongha said.
Former NYCN Secretary-General, Barrister Abubakar Suleiman, emphasised that the matter was sub judice and urged that due process be respected.
“A Federal High Court ruling had previously addressed aspects of this issue. We believe that any further steps should follow the judicial process currently under way,” he said.
Responding to the protest, Acting Registrar-General and Director of Customer Service at CAC, Julius Hanga, explained that the deregistration was temporary and aimed at allowing time for all pending issues to be resolved.
He added that the Commission was working to address the matter and that the NYCN would be reinstated on the CAC portal once all legal and administrative concerns had been fully settled
