Dialogue with protest organisers, opposition Reps tell FG

Demonstration may compromise peace – Govt

Tinubu needs more time – Oba of Benin, governors

Opposition federal lawmakers have urged the federal government to engage in dialogue with the organisers of the planned nationwide protest and address their demands constructively.

Various groups have been calling for the demonstration starting from August 1, against the country’s economic situation.

The protesters are demanding, among others, the reversal of some policies believed to have caused hardship, including the abolition of fuel subsidy.

But the federal government and other notable figures, some governors and the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, voiced their opposition to the demonstration, calling for restraint.

The appeal came a day after President Bola Tinubu urged Nigerian youths to cancel the planned protest, emphasizing that measures were already being taken to tackle Nigeria’s challenges.

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The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, on Wednesday, expressed the government’s opposition to the planned protests, citing concerns that some individuals may hijack the demonstration to incite trouble.

Reps minority caucus advocates dialogue with proponents

The Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives, at the end of its special meeting/dinner in Abuja on Monday night, urged the government to interface with proponents of planned protests to address their grievances.

Speaking with reporters after the dinner, Chairman of the caucus, Kingsley Chinda, appealed to those behind the protest to shelve it given current security challenges in parts of the country.

“We appeal to the government to dialogue with the planned protesters and also look at some of the messages they are raising, the critical areas that need government intervention. The government should intervene and ensure that issues are resolved amicably.

“We are not going to encourage any protesters because in the past, we observed in most cases that even peaceful protests have been overtaken by hoodlums, and with the insecurity situation in some parts of the country, you may not have the control of the gathering of people. So, some unscrupulous people may use the opportunity to create chaos,” he said.

He called on the government to adopt the carrot-and-stick method in addressing the problem of insecurity in the country.

The caucus also called on the government to create means to ensure citizens are self-reliant in a bid to tackle the economic challenges in the country.

“We also acknowledged in our discussion that there is hunger in the land and we appeal to the government not only to be giving palliatives but to create ways and means whereby people can be self-reliant,” he said.

SGF, NSA, ministers meet

Also as part of efforts to avert the impending protest, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, met with ministers on Wednesday to discuss the proposed nationwide protest against economic hardship by Nigerian youths.

The meeting was held behind closed doors, with over 40 ministers in the president’s cabinet in attendance.

Ministers spotted at the meeting included Nyesom Wike (FCT), Yusuf Tuggar (Foreign Affairs), Zephaniah Jisalo (Special Duties), Tahir Mamman (Education), and Abubakar Bagudu (Budget and Planning). Others present were Wale Edun (Finance), Mohammed Idris (Information), Bello Matawalle (Defence), David Umahi (Works), and National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu, among others.

The information minister who briefed the media after meeting, pleaded with Nigerians to give the government more time to address the economic challenges in the country.

Idris said that the federal government was not sleeping on duty and begged for more time from Nigerians.

“The planned protest is a family matter. All issues will be resolved. No one is going to sleep. Those who are agitating and asking for protests are Nigerians, they are our brothers, they are our sisters, they are all Nigerians, and those in positions of authority; the ministers, the President, everybody, we are all Nigerians too.

“So, this is a family matter. This is a Nigerian family issue and all of us are looking at this issue very well and we hope that peace will prevail at the end of the day,” Idris said. Asked whether the government has been engaging with the stakeholders and organisers of the planned protest, the minister said engagement has always been an ongoing thing.

“Engagement is going to continue and in the interest of Nigeria, we will continue to engage. We know this is the only country that all of us have and at the end of the day, Nigeria is going to be better for all of us for it,” he added.

Protest may compromise peace – Govt

Speaking during a meeting with the Charismatic Bishops Conference, the information minister once again acknowledged Nigerians’ constitutionally guaranteed right to protest but stressed that the government is committed to ensuring the demonstrations do not disrupt public order or violate the rights of others.

He said the government was aware that some people would want to hijack the planned protest and unleash violence on innocent Nigerians.

“You see, the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu believes in everyone’s freedom within the laws to do what he thinks is right for him. Therefore, the President is not an opponent of protest of any kind but the President is an opponent of violence and anything that will negatively hamper the wellbeing of Nigerians. He believes and he has always been saying that within the tenets of democracy, you have every right to do whatever you want to do provided that right does not infringe on another person’s right.

“Why everybody is very cautious and very weary of this national protest is because we have seen what has happened around the world. We know that it’s almost impossible to hold this protest and then have peace at the end of the day. We cannot do that because some people are waiting to take the laws into their own hands,” the minister was quoted as saying in a statement by his spokesperson, Rabiu Ibrahim.

The minister said President Tinubu was fully aware of the genuine concerns and complaints expressed by Nigerians across the nation and he was actively working to implement effective policies aimed at alleviating the challenges faced by the citizenry and bringing relief to all Nigerians.

He also said President Tinubu was fashioning out a policy of paying stipends to all young university and polytechnic unemployed graduates in the country pending their formal employment in any sector of the economy.

He highlighted the significant improvement in the security situation in the country, saying since the advent of the Tinubu administration, there has been a remarkable improvement in most of the flashpoints in the country, especially the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway, which used to be a nightmare for motorists.

Tinubu’s govt needs more time – Oba of Benin

The Oba of Benin, Oba Ewaure II, has appealed to the Nigerian youths to shelve the planned protest.

In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Osaigbovo Iguobaro, the first-class monarch noted it takes a while for things to get better.

He appealed to aggrieved Nigerians to give the federal government enough time to implement its economic policies which are expected to alleviate the present hardship.

“For things to get better, it has to be tough for a while.”

The monarch also appealed to the federal government to intensify efforts in the implementation of its economic and security policies.

It’s too early to protest against Tinubu – Uzodimma

Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State also advised those planning to protest against the President Bola Tinubu administration to shelve the idea, saying it is too early for such.

Addressing State House Reporters after presenting the former Senate President Pius Anyim to President Tinubu, on Wednesday, Uzodimma said the South East Governors were against the protest because it can be hijacked.

He also said those planning the protest have failed to come out and tell Nigerians why they want to take to the streets.

He said: “Democracy is about the opinion of the people, and protest is allowed in a democratic setting. Every protest must be reasonably conceived to be able to make political sense. I think it’s too early at this time in the life of this government for anybody to come out to say he wants to protest.

“First of all, there has not been any engagement where those who are sponsoring the protest were able to tell us the reasons for the protests. Secondly, given the global situation today and the insecurity in the country, we have a very fragile political environment that if not managed and protected very well, may collapse the entire country.

“So those who are going to protest, what is the reason for the protests, and if they have no reason for the protests, I think our advice is for them to shelve it,” he said.

He also said that it was the wrong time for anybody to protest “because the implication of doing that, if care is not taken, is that it may be hijacked, like the #EndSARS experience where criminals now hijacked an innocently conceived agitation by young Nigerians.”

Also, Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, appealed to Nigerian youths to constructively engage the government in finding lasting solutions to Nigeria’s problems rather than engaging in protests that could cause more harm to the country. Abiodun spoke when he met with the coalition of youth organizations in the state at the Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

The governor, who recalled the destruction of lives and properties occasioned by the EndSARS protests across the country in 2020, said protests could only aggravate issues without necessarily finding solutions to them.

By Abbas Jimoh, Itodo D. Sule, Maureen Onochie, Baba Martins (Abuja), Usman A. Bello (Benin) & Peter Moses (Lagos)