By Cross Udo and Nathaniel Zacchaeus, Abuja
South-East governors yesterday advised aggrieved Nigerians not to go ahead with the nationwide protests against President Bola Tinubu’s government over the cost of living and hunger.
Addressing State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Chairman of the South-East Governors Forum and Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma, said it was too early to start agitating against the Tinubu administration over the economic downturn that is also affecting other parts of the world.
This came as the Oba of Benin, Ewaure II, the North Youth Leaders’ Forums, and the Nigerian Forum for the Sustenance of Democracy (NFSD) also called on Nigerian youths to cancel the demonstration.
There had been heightened tension nationwide over the planned protest by youths scheduled to take place on August 1.
Uzodimma, who was at the State House to present the newest defector to the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Pius Anyim to President Tinubu, contended that no tenable reasons are being proffered by the organisers of the protests.
He also said that given the fragile state of the nation right now, such actions could be hijacked by unscrupulous persons to cause mayhem, as was experienced during the #EndSARS protests.
Anyim was a former President of the Senate and also Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) to President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.
Uzodinma said, “Democracy is about the 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 our advice, well-meaning Nigerians, citizens of this country who are making sacrifices, 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 wrong time for anybody to do any protests 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.
“So, this is another kind of temptation that I think those behind the protests because they have not been able to come out openly to say they’re behind it, there is a motive that is yet to be unravelled.
“So, I think that we are not in support of the protest, we are not going to support any protest that has no programme 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, overheat our environment, and put our people in a position where the hardship that is occasioned by economic recession all over the world is further worsened. So I advise against the protests.”
*NFSD, Northern Youth Forum’s position
Similarly, the NFSD yesterday appealed to the organisers of the August 1 to engage in constructive dialogue with the Federal Government instead of taking to the streets.
The NFSD President, Abdulrahman Buba Kwaccham, appealed at a press conference in Abuja.
He emphasised the importance of maintaining order.
“We must recognize that any disruption of law and order will worsen our already challenging economic situation, further intensifying the suffering endured by our people,” he said.
Kwaccham said, “We must engage in constructive dialogue and seek lasting solutions to the socio-economic issues that plague our nation.”
He appealed to parents, community leaders, and influencers, to guide the youth away from destructive paths and towards constructive engagement for the betterment of our beloved Nigeria.
He said, “Together, we must unite to protect the peace and stability of our nation, for there is no other land but Nigeria that we call our own.
“I implore all our leaders – political, religious, and traditional – to collaborate effectively with the government and devise a comprehensive blueprint for dialogue that addresses the pressing issues facing our country, ensuring a brighter future for all Nigerians.
“Let us face the truth, however uncomfortable it may be, and use our wisdom and unity to guide the next generation in building a stronger, more united Nigeria.”
President of the North Youth Leaders’ Forums, Alfa Nma, echoed Kwaccham’s sentiment against protests.
He said, “There’s no country that doesn’t have internal issues. Protests are not the solution. We should come together for a roundtable discussion with the federal government to resolve this hardship internally.
“We know there are people who want to destabilise our country. They should understand that what happened in another country cannot happen in Nigeria. We need to be realistic.”
He claimed the North Central region will not participate in the forthcoming protest, adding that, “The population of one million cannot be compared to 250 million. We should be aware of this.”
Similarly, Comrade Okpokwu Ogenyi, National Coordinator of the Coalition for Good Governance and Change Initiative, argued against the protest. “Nigerians are not ready for this planned protest.
“We all know the state of the economy when it was handed over to President Tinubu. We should remember that many things have improved under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.”
The Forum Welfare Director, Ruth Isa, who represented the women, urged mothers to discourage their children from participating in the protest.
Isa said, “Protests are not the only solution to our problems and those sponsoring the protest should send their children to protest, not the common man on the streets.”
*Cancel your demonstration, Oba of Benin tells youths
Also, the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewaure II, has called on Nigerian youths to cancel the demonstration.
In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Osaigbovo Iguobaro, the monarch emphasized the necessity for patience, noting that improvement in economic conditions takes time.
The Oba of Benin acknowledged the current hardships faced by many Nigerians but urged citizens to give President Bola Tinubu’s administration more time to implement policies designed to alleviate these difficulties.
“For things to get better, it has to be tough for a while,” the Oba remarked, underscoring the challenging but necessary period of transition.
The Oba also appealed to the Federal Government to expedite the implementation of its economic and security policies to address the prevailing challenges.
His message comes at a critical juncture, with mounting frustrations over economic hardships prompting a call for a 10-day nationwide hunger and hardship protest.
*Foreign interests’ taking advantage of hunger, suffering– ex-Atiku’s spokesman, Bwala
Meanwhile, a former spokesperson of the Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign Organisation, Daniel Bwala yesterday hinted at the possibility of foreign interest cashing in on the poor political climate to sponsor the planned national protest scheduled to be held on August 1.
Bwala dropped the hint while speaking with State House correspondents after he met behind closed doors with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
But Bwala also called for caution and appealed that Nigerians should rally around the President in his efforts to take the country out of the economic doldrums.
Fielding questions on the allegation that the looming protest may have political connotation, the ex-PDP spokesman, said there was an element of politics as well as foreign interest in the planned strike.
He said, “I honestly believe that there is to a large extent the element of politics and my belief that it even transcends the country there. There would have been foreign interest taking advantage of the poor political climate because of the fact of hunger and suffering.
“We know that everybody in Nigeria acknowledges that there is suffering and the suffering did not start last year. We’ve been dealing with that issue of suffering, and lack of employment we’re talking about entrepreneurship, virtually every aspect of the economy, and security is what we have always been pushing … to see how we can attain a better place.
“But suddenly, the conversation if you see the mainstream and social media is all about, they want to bring the government down, President Bola Tinubu must resign. Once you hear that kind of talk and language, then you don’t need somebody to interpret that there is a political connotation.
“You must be aware that people have been holding meetings saying they want to unseat the President. By our Constitution, he has four years and it’s renewable for another term or four years. And he’s doing everything possible in these four years to deliver on the promise to the Nigerian people.
“There is no easy reform. Go to Brazil, or any part of the world if you’re going to do reform, it is not going to be easy. It means that all of us will have to re-adjust, but the government’s role when you are initiating reform is to bring about intervention, which is what the President is doing, like the release of truckloads of food and then giving monies.
“Remember the increased allocation to the governor’s additional money to the governor’s. He even committed to helping the organized private sector to meet up with the minimum wage. So this is my immediate reaction to the question.”
Bwala, who said he had formerly left the PDP and was on his way back to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, said, he was at the seat of power “to salute the President and to show solidarity for what the President is doing at this difficult time in addressing some of the concerns of the Nigerian people, especially those items or issues for which people are saying they want to go on a protest.”
He said some of the concerns raised by the planned protest like the issues of hunger in the land, transportation, and minimum wage for the workers in Nigeria were being addressed by the President.
“We have seen the release of the truckloads of food to the Nigerian people, the local government autonomy is the masterstroke because now it has taken governance to the locality, the grassroots where the Nigerian people are.”
He said that economic activities take place at the local level where resources are deployed to take care of primary health care.
“So I came to celebrate, encourage and show our solidarity and encourage the Nigerian people to rally around the president.”
