•We’re not for protest, our businesses ‘ll be targets —Igbo
Five days to the commencement of the 10-day nationwide protest against economic hardship and pervasive hunger, passionate appeals have been made to the organizers of the protest by religious organizations, ethnic groups and other stakeholders across the country to shelve the planned protest and engage in dialogue. The Igbos in Lagos, on their part however said they would not be part of the protest as their businesses would be targets of attacks and looting by the hoodlums.
Those who appealed that the planned protest should be suspended included the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI); Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN; Pan Niger Delta Elders Forum, PANDEF; Ijaw National Congress (INC); Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People, MOSOP and Enugu Innovative Youths.
They all argued the protest could be hijacked by miscreants, leading to chaos and violence.
Protest not the panacea — JNI
The Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) in a statement issued in Kaduna yesterday by its Secretary General, Prof. Khalid Aliyu, said although Nigerians were passing through difficult challenges, protest might not be the panacea.
According to the statement,”The calls for protest in Nigeria, occasioned by food insecurity, inflation, abject poverty and escalating national security challenges became worrisome and required immediate attention. However, the JNI under the leadership of Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, with all sense of responsibility appeals to the protest convener, their covert and overt benefactors as well as other critical stakeholders and the Federal Government of Nigeria to urgently engage in critical and realistic dialogue before the situation degenerates or snowballs into an uncontrollable scenario.
Nigerians no doubt are passing through difficult challenges, but protest might not be the panacea. We should learn from the bad experiences of protests in other climes and we should avoid the bobby traps they had fallen into.
Therefore, the JNI is compelled to make this clarion call and passionate plea to all concerned parties. The Federal Government should make more frantic efforts to secure the country so that the citizens would have access to their lands”.
CAN seeks peaceful solutions to economic hardship
Similarly, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) called on citizens to exercise caution and consider alternative means of expressing their grievances. CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, in a statement on Friday, warned that the protests could be hijacked by miscreants, leading to chaos and violence, as seen in previous protests.
The apex Christian body said, “We recognize and deeply empathize with the pain, anger, and frustration that many of our fellow Nigerians are experiencing. Peaceful protests are a powerful tool for civic engagement, allowing the populace to communicate their concerns and hold leaders accountable. However, the anxiety related to the impending protests is heightening, especially given the volatile experiences in countries like Kenya and Pakistan. We urge all Nigerians to consider alternative means of expressing their grievances. Dialogue, petitions, and town hall meetings are viable options that can yield positive results without the risk of disorder.
We call on the government to cut the cost of governance and expedite its efforts to alleviate the hardships in the land. The government must implement the newly approved national minimum wage to provide immediate relief to struggling families. Specific measures must be taken to put an end to kidnappings, banditry, and mass killings that have plagued various parts of our country”.
INC urges caution to avert anarchy
THE apex socio-political group of the Ijaw worldwide, the Ijaw National Congress (INC) urged the Federal Government and security agencies to exercise extreme caution in their response to the planned nationwide protest, warning against inflammatory rhetoric and heavy-handed tactics that could exacerbate tensions and plunge the country into chaos.
President of the Ijaw National Congress, Prof Benjamin Okaba, in a statement, titled, “What the President Tinubu led Federal Government should do to avert the impending doom,” described the current state of the Nigerian nation as one of great concern faced with challenges threatening its peace, stability and prosperity. He said: “From political instability to economic hardship, security threats, social inequality, environmental degradation, infrastructure deficits, corruption, and governance issues, Nigeria is facing a myriad of complex problems that require immediate attention, pragmatic policies and actions by all, in and out of government.
A peace protest is not criminal in as much as we all play according to the rules and regulations guiding such civil demonstrations. This proposed protest and its consequences are avoidable, if only the government takes urgent steps to faithfully address the root causes of the multifarious challenges we face as a nation that centered around bad governance. The root causes are principally that of energy scarcity and expensiveness and the astronomical hike in the cost of basic amenities i.e. foods, housing, transportation, security, health care services and water.”
Call off proposed hardship protest, Tompolo begs organizers
Chairman of the Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, TSSNL, and ex-militant leader, Dr. Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, has appealed to the organizers of the planned hardship protest to put the demonstration on hold.
He said in a statement on Friday: I wish to add my voice to all well-meaning Nigerians, including our revered traditional rulers, on the call to shelve the proposed hardship protest billed to start on August 1, 2024. There is indeed hunger and hardship in the country.
However, it must be pointed out that hunger and hardship did not start today. But obviously, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is working hard to revamp the economy with well-thought-out policies and programs to address the issues of the economy and security, which are the basis of other problems in the country. I am aware of Mr. President’s efforts to get things right in the country, and things are improving.
For instance, there has been a great improvement in the oil and gas sector in the last year, which is still the main source of our economy. The citizenry has the right to protest government policies and programs in any country.
It is one sure way for the citizens to participate effectively in governance, by checking the excesses of any government. However, the organizers of this proposed hardship protest must know that the timing is wrong.
The protest may cause more harm than good, as security reports indicated that unscrupulous elements could hijack it. It is against this background, that I have joined other patriotic Nigerians to appeal to prospective protesters to call off the proposed protest and engage governments at all levels to find lasting solutions to the country’s problems”.
Protest should not be destructive —MOSOP
Also reacting to the planned protest, the President of movement for the survival of Ogoni people, MOSOP, Fegalo Nsuke said “protest is the constitutional right of every citizen, but that right does not offer you the license to be destructive in the course of exercising that same right. We can express our displeasure about anything that does not go the right way, at the same time, we should be considerate. We should know that where our right stops, others begin. We don’t need to put extra pleasure on the citizens. People can express their rights but we should be cautious that the situation is not hijacked to score cheap political points against government”, he cautioned.
Igbos not for protest, hoodlums will target our businesses
The Igbos in Lagos have however vowed not to participate in the protest. At a Town Hall Meeting held in Ifelodun LCDA in Lagos, attended by youth leaders from various tribes and backgrounds, they said that they didn’t want their property to be targets of attacks during the protest. They therefore pleaded with the residents in the council area to shun the protest.
According to the President of the Building Materials Dealers Association in Ifelodun LCDA, Mr Dennis Martins Igboanugo, “It is people who do not have a tangible investment in Lagos that can sponsor protests. With our huge resources and our business which could be vulnerable during protests, no single Ndigbo can pray for any protest.
The consequences and scars of the Endsars protest are still very fresh in our memories as Odun Ade Traders in Ifelodun LCDA of Lagos state. We are therefore pleading with the youths to continue to cooperate with governments at all levels and embrace dialogue”.
