By Nathaniel Zaccheaus, Abuja
The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has summoned an emergency plenary session of the upper legislative chambers ahead of the nationwide protest billed to kick off on August 1.
This is according to an internal memorandum from the Senate Clerk, Mr Chinedu Akubueze.
He said the Senate emergency session would be held on Wednesday, 31 July.
The memo read, “Dear Distinguished Senators, the President of the Senate, His Excellency, Senator Godswill Akpabio, GCON, has directed that an emergency plenary sitting of the Senate be convened on Wednesday 31 at noon.
“Distinguished Senators are requested to make all necessary arrangements to attend as issues of national importance will be discussed. We regret all the inconveniences that this interruption of the recess will cause. Thanks for your usual understanding.”
The Senate and House of Representatives had on July 23, 2024, embarked on the recess which will end on September 17, 2024.
*Barau, Kalu urge restraints
Meanwhile, Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Jibrin Barau, has appealed to the organisers of the planned nationwide protest to reconsider their decision and shelve the idea so that the fragile peace in the country would not be disrupted.
Barau, who is the First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, said President Bola Tinubu was making genuine efforts to address the country’s challenges.
The promoters of the protest have scheduled a nationwide demonstration for Thursday, August 1.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ismail Mudashir, the Deputy President of the Senate, urged the promoters to give the government more time to implement lofty programmes and policies of the administration as captured in the Renewed Hope Agenda for the country’s socio-economic development.
He said that since the government was inaugurated on May 29, 2023, it has diligently worked hard to restore the country’s glory and return it to the path of progress and prosperity for the benefit of all.
He said, “As we all know, one year is not enough to address the challenges facing the country for decades. Various interventions have been rolled out, and more are being conceived by this administration. Short, medium, and long-term measures are being put in place to tackle the challenges that have been with us for decades.”
He said the signing of the North West and South East Development Commissions bills into law by President Tinubu was one of the measures to address the challenges facing all parts of the country.
He drew the attention of the promoters of the protest of how what started as peaceful demonstrations in Syria, Yemen, Libya, and Sudan, turned bloody and took the countries backward.
“Against this backdrop, l urge everyone to reflect deeply on the problem and reconsider the idea of a protest. There is a risk that the protest could be hijacked. This is our country; we have no place to go other than the Federal Republic of Nigeria bequeathed on us by our forefathers.
“Exercise more patience and allow for more time. We will get it right. The efforts of the new Government will yield the desired results, by the grace of God,” he said.
Also, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Privatisation, Senator Orji Kalu, has urged Nigerians to exercise restraint over the proposed nationwide protests.
Kalu said, “I stand with you, but with peace through conversations and dialogue without going the path of violence to resolve whatever issues we have. This is a great country, and we are not going to bring it down with any act of violence where discourse can win and bring all of us together.
“The quest to make Nigeria greater and better for all is a collective responsibility. Having travelled extensively, I have seen what can be considered ideal or visionary in other countries. With our country’s potential, we should not just aspire to these ideals – we should have already achieved them. But what is holding us back?
“We are the problem, starting from the grassroots to the top. We the led and leading, yet we are still searching for solutions. I write this with a heavy heart, knowing we are gearing up for another protest. How long will this continue? It has become a tradition to take to the streets at every political turn.
“Is the August protest justified? Yes, it is. Not just because it is our constitutional right or a democratic norm, but because we need to express our dissatisfaction.
“However, we must consider our approach. Are we asking questions from a place of hopelessness, frustration, disappointment, and anger, or are we asking with a burning love in our hearts, seeking a better country?”
“The protest is right, but is it timely? Even the wealthy are struggling, and the administration is still in its early days. Some economic policies may be harsh, but they are not intended to punish Nigerians.
“In my opinion, the planned protest should be reconsidered, and if the reconsideration does not happen, it should be done with our humanity intact, rather than letting anger, frustration, and disappointment consume us.
