PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu has asked Nigerians to shelve the nationwide protests they plan for the first week of August, saying ‘No need for protest.’
The President also called on the citizens to await his administration’s response to all their demands..
Tinubu’s appeal was conveyed by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, while speaking with the State House Correspondents after closed-door talks with Tinubu on Tuesday, July 23.
“On the issue of the planned protest, Mr. President does not see any need for that. He asked them to shelve that plan and he has asked them to await government’s response to all their pleas.
“So, there is no need for strike. The young people out there should listen to the President and allow the President more time to see to the realisation of all the goodies he has for them,” Idris said.
The ICIR reports that some Nigerians, along with a group led by former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, have been mobilising for nationwide protests scheduled for the first week of August.
The posts and tweets on the protest carry different hashtags, ranging from #RevolutionNow, #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria, #TakeItBack, #DaysofRage and #TinubuMustGo.
The ICIR reported earlier that the Nigeria Labour Congress warned the Nigerian government against engaging in a “war-war” situation with Nigerians by trying to suppress citizens’ fundamental right to protest.
The union in a statement, on Monday, July 22, noted that it was condescending and dismissive to label the daily harsh struggles faced by Nigerians as a politically-motivated dissent.
It urged the government to negotiate with the protesters instead of taking actions that could undermine citizens’ rights to express their grievances.
The union’s reaction trailed a post made by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Saturday, July 20, who accused the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, of planning to cause mayhem in the country.
Onanuga wrote, “Don’t be fooled: the malcontents planning to stage nationwide protests are supporters of Peter Obi, the failed presidential candidate of the Labour Party. And he should be held responsible for whatever crisis emanates from the action.
“The protest planners are also the same people who were instigated by IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu to launch the destructive ENDSARS protest in Nigeria in October 2020. ENDSARS began as a genuine protest by youths against the Police Special Anti-Robbery Squad, notorious for its high-handedness”.
Many of Tinubu’s economic reforms have worsened inflation, as food prices and the cost of living generally soared within his one year in office.
The economic situation is fuelling frustration and anger against the government across the country, with many citizens calling for protests.
In the past couple of days, some governors and regional groups have publicly warned the youth in their states not to join any protest against the federal government.
As a measure to appease the citizens, the members of the House of Representatives resolved to slash their salaries by half. However, the lawmakers only slashed a fraction of their earnings, as their allowances far outweigh their salaries.
The planned protests in Nigeria are an escalation of a wave of anger against hardship and corruption among public office holders spreading across Africa.
The ICIR reported how Kenyans, for weeks, took to the streets to protest against the Finance Bill, putting pressure on the President, William Ruto, to decline signing it into law.
The protests also led to the President dissolving his cabinet.
In Uganda, protesters are being hounded and detained by state agents as protests raged in the country’s capital, Kampala.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: umustapha@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M