IMO (Sundiata Post) – Governor Hope Uzodimma has described the proposed nationwide protest scheduled for August 1 to 10 as ill-timed and potentially dangerous and urged citizens not to participate in it.
Responding to questions from State House after he presented former Senate President Pius Anyim Pius, who recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to All Progressive Congress (APC), to President Bola Tinubu, he emphasised that the motivation behind the protests stemmed from individuals with ill intentions who are exploiting the country’s economic challenges.
The governor argued that it was too early in the life of the administration for anyone to protest, as there has been no engagement where the protest organisers could explain their reasons.
He also expressed concerns about the fragile political environment and the potential for the protests to be hijacked, similar to the EndSARS experience.
Uzodimma advised well-meaning Nigerians to guide the country jealously as some persons have paid the supreme price for its existence noting that the government was not in support of any protest that lacks a clear programme and defined issues to be addressed.
“Democracy is about opinion of the people and the 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 I’ll advise well-meaning citizens of this country who are making sacrifices to shun the protest. Some of us have paid the supreme price for the existence of this country. We should guide our country very jealously. I think it is a wrong time for anybody to do any protest, because the implication of doing that, if care is not taken, is that it may be hijacked like the EndSARS, where criminals now hijacked an innocently conceived agitation by young Nigerians.
“So, I think we are not in support of the protest. We are not going to support any protest that has no programmes, that is not discussed, that nobody knows what the problem is. Okay, if you are protesting, what do you want the government to do? Because the reason for protests is that they want an issue to be addressed. What are the issues?
“So, in my view, I think there is no need to overheat the polity and put our people in a position that the hardship that is occasioned by economic recession all over the world is further worsened. I advise against the protest.”
