FG Warns Against Planned Protests
it's time now to take a look at news stories making headlines around the globe and the federal government has warned that there would be dire consequences for the stability of the country if a nationwide protest being planned by some Nigerians goes ahead from the beginning of next month secretary to the government of the Federation Senator George akum met with ministers in his office behind closed doors to try to avert the proess the protests but but Nigeria's labor Congress yesterday dismissed reports
(00:33) that it was withdrawing from the proposed National protest by some citizens over the harsh economic situation in the country saying it cannot be a part of an idea that it did not emanate from it in a similar vein minority caucus of the House of Representatives urged the federal government to dialogue with planned protesters with a view to addressing their concerns the minister of information and National orientation Muhammed Idris issued the warning against the protest yesterday when he received members of the charismatic
(01:04) Bishop's conference led by Archbishop Professor Leonard kawas who were on a courtesy visit to him at his office in Abuja Idris said government was cautious and bothered about the protest against economic hardship having seen the debilitating consequences of similar protests in other parts of the world particularly in Kenya most recently in Bangladesh let's take a listen fellow we know that it is almost impossible to hold this protest and then have peace at the end of the day you cannot do that people
(01:40) are waiting to take laws into their hands and therefore government will always protect lives and property of the people because that is why the government is there in the first place therefore the message of Mr President is that he has had all the pleas all the complaints all the suggestions all the commentaries of especially the youth and not just the Youth of all members of the Nigerian Society about some of the difficulties or the challenges that they are facing but Mr President is also putting in place a number of measures to
(02:22) elimate that some of them we have already mention for example the students long for the N front this is unprecedented um it is an attempt to ensure that every student that has the necessary credentials to go to the university or po techic or any tertiary institution has the right to do we also reacting to the planned protest as immo State Governor and chairman of the progressives Governor's Forum hope UA has cautioned against the planned Nationwide protests next month citing fragile political iCal environment and the potential of being
(03:03) hijacked by criminals drawing parallels to the nsar movement speaking with State House Correspondents after meeting with President Bola tinubu uzima urged citizens to protect the nation's stability and avoid actions that could worsen economic hardship this appeal comes amid growing public discontent and calls for Nationwide protests starting next month in response to economic hardships and policy decisions I think it is wrong time for anybody to do any protest because the implication of doing that if care is not taken is
(03:40) that it may be hijacked like the aners experience where criminals now hijacked and innocently conceived uh agitation by Young Nigerians so this is another uh kind of Temptation that I think too that those behind the pro because they have not been able to come out openly to say they behind it there is something that is a motive that is yet to be unraveled so I think that we are not in support of the protects we are not going to support any protest that has no programs that is not discussed that nobody knows what the
(04:21) problems okay if you are protesting what do you want government to do because the reason for protest is that they want an issue to be addressed what are the issues so in my view I think there's no need to overheat the poity overheat our environment and put to our people in a position that the hardship that is occasioned by economic recession all over the world is further wasn't so I advise against the protest what a ludicrous thing to say h to hear that I can imagine how many people could feel especially if they are
(04:55) suffering under these economic hardships to hear a governor say well if people are protesting they're protesting because they want an issue to be addressed so what's the problem well what what do you mean what's the problem the problem is the issue this economic hardship so I don't think at this point we've reached a stage where this is a semantic issue where we can discuss about it I think there has to be something tangible otherwise we are edging ever so close to the end of this month and the beginning of next month
(05:21) and if something uh is not done I do think that these protests will be inevitable another thing that I do think should be made clear though is that protests by the definition in Nigeria have largely started off being peaceful there have been lots of parallels drawn to the N Stars protest of 2020 and thereafter and it is important to note that those protests were peace peaceful before they were infiltrated and then of course put down in a very violent way so I do think that while while we can definitely call for peace and unity in a
(05:50) country these issues need to be addressed otherwise you will see civil discontent and civil organizations in this type of way yeah thank you ad so so why do people protest as you've um already highlighted it's when people feel like they're not being heard or one of the ways to demonstrate the fact that they want to be listened to by the powers in government especially in this case and also to be able to air their Grievances and to demonstrate just how discontent or unhappy they are with the way that things are going and that was
(06:19) what happened with the Nar and protest let me since a lot of parallel has been drawn to that why was the protest done because for years Nigerians had complained about SARS and how they had used you know the tactics they they had used and the violence and they wanted the government to listen to them and did the government listen actually they did because after that after the protest SS was disbanded it was very unfortunate that um you know that unscrupulous elements hijacked that protest and turned it violence violent I need to
(06:47) emphasize that so that people keep um don't keep focusing on misconstruing the fact that people who are protesting or Nigerians who are protesting are the ones who usually um engage in violence the word is hijack and the has also warned that there are concerns around the protests being planned for August one being hijacked by unscrupulous elements so let's get that fact clear now in terms in case um the governors for instance Governor hopus OA or the minister of information and National orientation um need to understand why
(07:17) Nigerians want to go to protest they they've quite outlined their reasons in many many areas on X in different platforms one of the hashtags simply says end bad governance it means that the people are discontent with the way that government is running currently number two is end poverty people are unhappy with the fact that they cannot go to the market and and buy goods and and and pay for services based on how much they are earning so the purchasing power has been of people in Nigeria have been eroded these are some of the
(07:46) questions things food inflation that people say they are hungry people are simply hungry and at the end of the day and we kept talking about this when you keep pushing people after a while you know to the worldall they would they would revolt and but that's what they're trying to void right now if the minister is concerned and very well within his you know he's very well to say that there are concerns around the safety of lives and property and of course as a matter of National Security they want to
(08:12) ensure that people don't go out and then provide an opportunity for it to be hijacked I hear him now if that is the case then the government the owners is on the government to provide an alternative way for people to feel like they can really speak to power and power listens effective communication is not that people are talking it is that when people speak there's you can you hear what they are saying and there's commensurate action to demonstrate that you hear what they're saying now they're
(08:37) coming out with plans which is good and I said this yesterday he's talked about the fact that nyac post nyac people you know some young people would get the opportunity to receive a styen from the government's good they've talked about the fact that CNG buses will be embedded in policies going forward so that it is when their vehicles talked about CN buses or CNG um vehicles are part of it good they've talked about the trucks of food that have gone to individual good but I don't think the people are
(09:02) satisfied with the response so far so when I say alternative Source why can't the president we've given that option here have a stakeholder meeting with some young people president Ruto did it in Kenya even though it was post the protest so it's important for the president to be able to come out and talk to his people Nigerians the young people and we said yesterday I think you said it the is a very patient very you know understanding was understanding all they want is a government that listens and for you to you know
(09:33) elaborate your economic reforms and give us a timeline we know things are difficult at the moment but X time you're going to see a difference and when they give us that timeline unlike the nnpc who gave us the timeline for um the refineries working let it actually work let the people earn the trust of the people and I just say this finally I saw the minister for youth Affairs I think she should be playing a very critical role at this time what are you doing to mobilize the young people in Nigeria to give them an alternative to
(09:58) protest not just saying that bad don't we give people an alternative to the protest what do you have on the table okay what are the key issues on the table as follows yesterday the office of the secretary to the government of the Federation met with other principal uh government officials and the objective of that meeting is to see how they can avert the protest that has been planned for August 1 to 10 labeled days of Rage in Nigeria I made a point point yesterday that no responsible government will fold its arms and allow anybody no
(10:36) matter what their right maybe uh to impose rage chaos Anarchy on the country and we have seen the extent to which this is true uh yesterday in the United States when protesters anti-et anti-israel protesters took over the Union Station and Pennsylvania Avenue over 200 persons were arrested and the you know the police were saying that look your right under the first amendment is protected the constitutional right to protest but you do not have the right to cause mayam to go beyond it was on the basis of that that 200 you know protesters were
(11:16) arrested now so in Nigeria here the minister of information who was giving us a feedback from the meeting that was heard said they decided that look you can protest but you do not have the right to be violent now where he went a bit over V was when he was quoting feal and he said oh feal is entitled to his own opinion there's nothing that Fe has has said that is counterproductive or anti-government he simply said that look the right to protest is a constitutional right and I think I must have said it on this program that in igp
(11:55) versus ampp and others uh 2007 case they Court root that what they call the public order Act is unconstitutional and illegal so you can protest but the police or the government cannot tell you you cannot protest it's a constitutional right what the government does would not allow is imposing R now the second point that we have seen is that opinion is divided about this planned protest you have the Nigerian labor Congress saying we are not part of it you have a charismatic Bishop's conference uh you know members of which the leadership of
(12:33) which visited the minister of information saying no we rather call for a truce you have Northern groups like The icpr and the raid also calling on government to negotiate and discuss with the people you have Governors like Governor abod like governor opma also saying that look the protest will be counterproductive and you have a civil Society persons like who was celebrating day in yesterday who also said president U did not cause hunger that the problem of hunger has always been there in Nigeria so the opinion is
(13:16) divided on this what is worrisome however is that who is the Nigerian government going to negotiate with who is tinu going to dialogue with because there are no known leaders and that is why perhaps uh the minister of information was making the point contextually that look what happened in Kenya what happened in Bangladesh in Bangladesh about 200 people died with students protesting over you know Kota what we call Federal character in Nigeria at the end of the day the country was shut down and that's why I made the point that no government
(13:52) will fold his arms the Kenya example has already reproduced itself in Uganda where you know m V has found himself saying yes you can protest but we will not allow Anarchy in our country now people should be reminded also of what happened in 2011 when on account of one incident in Tunisia the whole of the Middle East was thrown into Tomo so I think that at the end of the day our position should be that people can protest but there should be no violence if there is violence the state will protect itself but beyond all of
(14:32) this of course is that the tinubu administration which was what a was referring to you know via the minister of information he's saying government is taking measures to address you know the hunger in the land the difficulties with transportation and other things but the thing about this is that look in a developing country like Nigeria there are rising expectations people want results you can't come one year you you are still making promises you come back at the end of one year you are still making promises the people are impatient
(15:06) promises will not put food on the table but however we have been told all of us to go and find Space to farm and that way we will solve the problem whether that will solve the problem remains to be seen so in case you have a they call it fast smart farming okay in case you have a balcon time to farm we are going out to look for work we need well thank you very much [Applause] [Music]
Comments
Post a Comment