ABUJA (Sundiata Post) – President Bola Tinubu has appealed to Nigerian youths to cancel their planned protest and await the government’s response to their concerns.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, disclosed this while addressing State House correspondents after a meeting with the President yesterday.
He spoke amid social media campaigns mobilising for a nationwide protest slated for between August 1 and 10 over economic hardship in the country.
According to the minister, the President is attentive to the voices of young Nigerians, and is working diligently to address their grievances.
“Mr President has asked me to inform Nigerians that he listens to them, especially the young people that are trying to protest.
“Mr President listens to them, he takes what they say seriously, and he is working assiduously to ensure that this country is good not just for today but for the future,” he said. He said the government was doing a lot of things to cushion the hardship experienced by Nigerians.
“Today, the National Assembly has expeditiously passed the bill on National Minimum Wage. You can see how the President is working, it was transmitted only yesterday, and today, it has been passed.
“A lot of other interventions that the President has put in place are also going to be looked at expeditiously in the interest of Nigerians.
“So, there is no need for protest, the young people out there should listen to the President and give him more time to see to the realisation of all the goodies he has for them.”
The minister said the highlights of other policies to cushion the effect of the hardship Nigerians are feeling include the distribution of grains and rice by the Federal Government to state governments.
“As I said at that time, it is just the necessary first step. Government is going to continue in that direction, assuring that whatever intervention the Federal Government has put in place will go to those that should benefit.
“The Federal Government is looking at strategies that every intervention will go directly to those who benefit from those interventions, not middle men intercepting them along the way,” he said.
He added that another important intervention by the Federal Government was the students’ loan.
“Mr President is very passionate about it; everyone that should go to school will have the opportunity to do so.
“It is no longer a time for our young men and women who have passed examinations to go to tertiary institutions not to be able to do that because their parents cannot pay for their fees.”
The minister government was also perfecting a scheme to support graduates of universities and polytechnics who are not able to get jobs until they get employed.
“The whole idea is that no one is left behind, it is an all inclusive government and the President is determined to ensure that no one is left behind in this attempt to march Nigeria towards progress,” he said.
In a related development, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, warned groups and individuals planning protests to abandon their plans as the police cannot fold its hands and allow hoodlums to destroy properties of innocent Nigerians and the government’s facilities.
At a meeting with commissioners of police and above in Abuja, Egbetokun noted that the country has had its fair share of violent protests with dastardly consequences over the years. He said the last EndSARS protest aggravated crime rates and insecurity in several parts of the country.
“Some groups of people, self-appointed crusaders, and influencers, have been strategising and mobilising potential protesters to unleash terror in the land under the guise of replicating the recent Kenya protests.
“While the force acknowledges the right to peaceful protest as enshrined in our constitution, we must ensure that these protests do not snowball into violence or disorder. As a nation, we have had more than our fair share of violent protests, with rather dastardly consequences. The last EndSARS protest led to one-tenth destruction of public assets, including police stations, courts, and transport infrastructure, and the loss of several lives.
“Tales of sorrow, tears and blood, followed what was supposedly intended to be a well-intentioned exercise. Rather than lead to any positive outcome, EndSARS merely aggravated crime rates and insecurity in several parts of the country. Indeed, we are yet to fully recover from the huge economic losses and deep-seated psychological and emotional trauma inflicted upon our people by these protests.”
He urged the citizens to jettison the proposed protest, adding that the police have the responsibility to protect citizens and their properties.
“Our position is that the proposed violent protests are ill-advised and should be jettisoned fortuitously. We have the responsibility to protect properties and everyone, irrespective of their race, colour, ethnicity or tribe, who are lawfully embarking on their daily activities.”
We will, therefore, not sit back and fold our arms to watch violent activities unleash violence on our peaceful communities or destroy any of our national critical infrastructure and assets again.”
Egbetokun stated that measures were in place to ensure that hoodlums attempting to disguise themselves as protesters would be apprehended.
“We have mapped out plans to ensure that no individual or group succeeds in fostering a reign of terror and anarchy on other law-abiding and deserving Nigerians.
Consequently, I want to seize this opportunity to sound the note of serious warning to hoodlums, who may want to take laws into their own hands in the name of protests. Do not worry,” he said.
•Count us out –Lagos NANS, others
However, members of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Lagos chapter, have disassociated themselves from the planned nationwide protests, urging members to join a planned solidarity walk to maintain stability and peace in the state.
At a press briefing in Ikeja after a joint meeting with student leaders from various tertiary institutions in Lagos, NANS advocated for constructive dialogue with the government to achieve collective goals.
Alli Lekan-Idris, NANS chairman, Lagos, speaking on behalf of other student leaders, said the planned nationwide protests against economic hardship was ‘absolutely uncalled for.’
“We acknowledge that the economy is tough right now, but we believe the government is doing everything to address the situation,” he said.
The students expressed support for Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration and vowed to protect Lagos from another #EndSARS-like situation.
Lekan-Idris highlighted various interventions by the Sanwo-Olu administration in education, including increased annual bursary allocations for indigent students, and payment of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) fees amounting to N1.5 billion.
The student leader promised that students would continue the “SAVE LAGOS” initiative, which stands for Students Against Violence Everywhere in Lagos, and promoted the BSC initiative (Beyond School Certificate) to foster a culture of intellectual discourse among students for a greater Lagos.
He announced that students in Lagos would stage a solidarity walk in support of the state government from August 1 to 10 to prevent the vandalisation of public infrastructure.
While acknowledging the current challenges in the country, the student leader urged Nigerians to persevere a little longer to enjoy the dividends of democracy promised by President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda.
