Tinubu Urges Students to Shelve Planned Protests, Says Concerns Being Addressed
•Promises to run all-inclusive govt, pay stipends to unemployed graduates
•Atiku supports protest, says it’s constitutional
•IG warns protest organisers to forget about it
•Obi to sue Onanuga, demands N5bn damages, APC fires back, dismisses his assessment
•UN cautions, worries rally may be hijacked
•Wike declares president not responsible for hunger, Ekpo seeks understanding
•Lagos students backout, mull solidarity walk amid more national reactions
Deji Elumoye, Chuks Okocha, Olawale Ajimotokan, Adedayo Akinwale, kechukwu Aleke in Abuja, Okon Bassey in Uyo, David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka, Segun James in Lagos and Bassey Inyang in Calabar
In a move intended to abort the planned nationwide protests by Nigerian youths set to begin August 1, President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, appealed to organisers to shelve their plans, assuring them that he had listened to their concerns and already working to address them.
The protest, billed to hold across the country from August 1 to 10, is the way Nigerian youths have elected to register the impact of food scarcity and the inability to afford common needs by the citizenry.
The president, who urged the youths to exercise patience, however, promised to run all-inclusive government, and also pay stipends to unemployed graduates.
This was as former Vice-President Atiku Abubukar, hasthrown his support behind the proposed national protest against bad governance and hunger, stating that such protests were constitutional.
But the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, hasasked organisers of the protest to perish the idea because the Police would not condone any form of breakdown of law and order arising from such democratic adventure.
In similar breath, presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Mr Peter Obi, has threatened to sue the special adviser to Tinubu on Communications and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, for accusing him of being one of the brains behind the protest.
However, responding to Obi, the All Progressives Congress (APC) said the assessment of the state of Nigeria’s economy by him was based on half truth and misinformation.
Conversely, the United Nations (UN) Department of Safety and Security, has expressed worries that the planned protests could be hijacked by groups with ulterior motives and turn out a violent adventure.
The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, while reacting to the development, slammed organisers of the protest, saying Tinubu was not the architect of hunger in the country.
His counterpart in the Ministry of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, however, urged Nigerians to be patient with the Tinubu-led federal government, saying greater effort was being put into addressing the economic challenges occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy.
This, nonetheless, students of various tertiary institutions in Lagos State, have distanced themselves from the protest, and instead, proposed a solidarity walk with the government of the state.
Briefing newsmen after a routine meeting with the President at the State House, Abuja, Information and National Orientation Minister, Mohammed Idris, said, “Mr President has asked me to again inform Nigerians that he listens to them especially the young people that are trying to protest.
“Mr President listens to them, he takes what they say seriously and he is working assiduously to ensure that this country is good, not just for today but also for the future.
“On the issue of the planned protest, Mr President does not see any need for that. He has asked them to shelve the plan and asked them to await government’s response to all their pleas. He has listened to them like I said.”
The Minister further disclosed that intervention measures had been taken by the Tinubu administration, including the new minimum wage of N70,000 already passed by the National Assembly, trucks of rice already dispatched to all the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory as well as the Student Loans Fund launched recently by the President.
“A lot is happening. Only today, the National Assembly, has expediously passed the bill on National minimum wage. You can see how the President is working. It was transmitted only yesterday, today it has been passed.
“A lot of other interventions that the President has also put in place are also going to be looked at expediously in the interest of Nigerians. So, there is no need for strike.
“The young people out there should listen to the president and allow him more time to see to the realisation of all the goodies he has for them,” he said.
Highlighting other policies to cushion the effect of the hardship, he said, “For example, you saw that the federal government approved grains and rice for state governments. It was delivered to them expeditiously.
“Also, the federal government, like I said that time, it is just the necessary first step. Government is going to continue in that direction, supporting them and assuring that whatever intervention the federal government has put in place goes to those that should benefit. It is very important that is being put out.
“The federal government is looking at strategies that every intervention would go directly to those who benefit from those interventions not middle men intervening along the way.
“You heard about the student loans board launched by Mr President? Mr President is very passionate about the fact that everyone will have the opportunity to go to school.
“It is no longer a time for all of us to stay back and see our able bodied young men and women that have passed the examinations to go to tertiary institutions that have not been able to do that because their parents are not able to pay for their fees.
“This is now a thing of the past. Government is very very desirous to ensure that happens. You know the provision that was made to the NELFUND? Already, we have in excess what is required today and the more that people are requiring, the more the president will also give.”
Idris also disclosed that government would soon come up with a scheme that will accommodate all unemployed graduates nationwide, stressing that Tinubu was committed to running an all-inclusive government.
According to him, “There is also the intervention the President is making for young men and women, who have finished school and who are yet to get employed post-NYSC.
“For example, there is a scheme the government is perfecting now and that will be pushed very fast so that all those young men and women who have finished school, graduates of universities and polytechnics that are not able to get jobs, will continue to be supported by the government until such a time that those jobs are offered to them.
“The whole idea is that no one is left behind, everybody will be in. It is an all-inclusive government and the president is determined to ensure that no one is left behind in this attempt to march Nigeria towards progress.”
Atiku: Right to Protest Constitutional
Supporting the protest, Atiku took to his verified X account to offer support for the Protest.
Accounting to the former vice president, “For the avoidance of doubt, the rights of citizens to protest are enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution and affirmed by our courts. Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution (as altered) unequivocally guarantees the right to peaceful assembly and association.
“Chasing shadows and contriving purported persons behind the planned protests is an exercise in futility when it is obvious that Nigerians, including supporters of Tinubu and the ruling APC, are caught up in the hunger, anger, and hopelessness brought about by the incompetence and cluelessness of this government.
“It is deeply ironic that those who now seek to stifle these rights were themselves leading protests in 2012.
“A responsible government must ensure a safe and secure environment for citizens to exercise their constitutionally guaranteed rights to peaceful protest. Any attempt to suppress these rights is not only unconstitutional but a direct affront to our democracy,” Atiku stressed.
Perish Protest Idea, IGP Tells Organisers
Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has asked organisers of the planned protest to perish the idea because the police would not condone any form of breakdown of law and order as a result.
He assured the people that the police would provide security for the protesters if they conducted themselves well in pursuing their rights as guaranteed by the legal instruments.
He however, added that the police would also not hesitate to carry out its constitutional duty of protecting life and property if the protest turned violent or was hijacked by hoodlums to cause mayhem on innocent and law-abiding citizens.
Speaking at a conference with strategic police managers, in Abuja, he said the position of the police was that the proposed protest was ill advised and should be jettisoned forthwith.
“We have the responsibility to protect properties and everyone, irrespective of their race, colour, ethnic, or tribe, who are lawfully embarking on their daily activities.
“We will, therefore, not sit back and fold our arms to watch violent extremists unleash violence on our peaceful communities, and/or destroy any of our national critical infrastructures and assets again.
“We have mapped out plans to ensure that no individual or group succeeds in fostering a reign of terror and or anarchy on other law abiding and peace loving Nigerians.”
Obi to Sue Onanuga, Wants N5bn Damages
Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi, has threatened to sue the special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Communications and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, for alleging he was one of the organisers of the protest.
Onanuga had recently alleged that Obi was responsible for the plan to hold a protest against the Tinubu-led government, over the hardship in the country.
In a letter by Obi’s lawyer, Mr Alex Ejesieme (SAN) to Onanuga, the presidential hopeful demanded N5 billion as damages for the allegation of being responsible for the impending protest.
Ejesieme stated in the letter thus: “The said statements are in every sense malicious and convey with them, the potentiality of an ostracisation of our client by well-meaning citizens of Nigeria.
“It should be stated without any form of equivocation, that our client is an elder statesman, a diplomat and an unwavering democrat. He has always tailored his affairs according to the dictates of the Nigerian law.
“Where there has been any dissatisfaction with any process or procedure, our client’s first and only resort has been to invoke the appropriate legal mechanisms to ventilate his grievances.
“It is our client’s conviction that the publication was a calculated plot to demean, ridicule, humiliate and embarrass him by the estimation of every right thinking member of the society.
“It appears you have achieved your insipid motive as well-wishers from all around the globe have inundated him with calls to register their shock.
“Consequently, we have our client’s mandate to demand that you retract the statement made in the publication and tender an unreserved apology to him within 72 hours of the receipt of this letter in not less than 4 National Dailies to wit: Vanguard, This Day, Punch and the Cable, including your verified “X”.
“Our client also is making an unequivocal demand for monetary damage of N5,000,000,000 (Five Billion Naira) only for the embarrassment your defamatory publication has caused him and his family.”
Ejesieme said failure to meet the demands set out, he would be constrained to approach a court of competent jurisdiction and take legal action against Onanuga for defamation and libel.
Obi’s Opinion on Economic Situation Based on Half Truth, Misinformation, APC Says
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said the assessment of the state of Nigeria’s economy by Obi was based on half truth and misinformation.
National Publicity Secretary of the party, Felix Morka, in a statement, said Obi has once again showcased his obsessive devotion to self-promotion against the best interest of Nigeria.
He noted that Obi’s warped conclusion that Nigeria’s economic crisis was caused by nine years of APC-led administration was highly revisionist and dishonest.
“Mr. Obi’s latest statement on the country’s economic situation is an admixture of half truths, blatant distortions and misinformation calculated to mobilise outrage against the All Progressives Congress (APC) government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“His warped conclusion that Nigeria’s economic crisis was caused by nine years of APC-led administration is a highly revisionist, dishonest, distorted and deliberately misleading assessment of the country’s economic trajectory in the last decade.
“He opined, rather mischievously, that no efforts were being made by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to tackle poverty and unemployment in the country,” Morka noted, noting that the facts told a far more complex and different story.
Also, the Rivers State chapter of the APC, has alleged that ‘failed politicians’ who were planning to wrest power from the ruling party through the backdoor were behind the planned nationwide protest.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja, Chairman of Rivers State Caretaker Committee, Mr. Tony Okocha, wondered why Nigerians were not protesting against their state governors in spite of the increased monthly allocation.
He emphasised that the ‘failed politicians’ who want to get into power through the backdoor should wait till 2027 to wrest power from the APC if they could.
UN: Protest May Be Hijacked, Turn Violent
The United Nations (UN) Department of Safety and Security, in a threat and risk assessment finding dated July 19, expressed concerns about the possibility of violence, citing past instances where similar protests in Nigeria escalated.
“Recall that in the 13-16 February 2023 interval, tensions generated by the paucity of new Naira currency (financial crisis) reached high levels amongst the civilian population, which materialised in violent protests in the South-East and South-South regions of Nigeria, in the states of Akwa Ibom, Delta, Edo, Imo, Kwara, Lagos, Ondo, Ogun, Oyo, and Rivers,” the assessment read.
It further stated: “During the civil unrest in the different states, several bank branches and ATM points were vandalised, and major roads were blocked.
“As the turnout for the ’10 days of rage’ protest is expected to be high, large-scale disruptions to normal economic and social activities cannot be discounted.”
The assessment further showed that confrontations between groups supporting the government and those disagreeing with its policies could not be ruled out from the end of July towards August 10-15.
“While acknowledging the economic hardship in the country, some organisations and leaders of ethnic groups (especially in South-South and South-East) were discouraging participation in any of the 1-10 August protests.
“This highlights the possibility of the events being hijacked by other interest groups/detractors, thus complicating the security landscape of different areas.”
Wike: Tinubu Not Responsible for Hunger
The FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, has slammed organisers of the protest, saying Tinubu was not the architect of hunger in the country.
Speaking during an inspection of the Apo- Kashi Road, which was yet to be completed 13 years after the contract was awarded, he also berated the planned protest as a politically masterminded protest.
Wike, therefore, appealed to the people not to be in a haste, saying the administration of Tinubu was just one year in office and was handed a country that was not in good shape.
“If we are playing politics, know we are playing politics. But if we want to be sincere to ourselves, let be sincere by helping our country. The country was rotten. You know the country was rotten and then government has come in to see what they can do to move from where we were to a certain level.
“And now we are too much in a haste that it must be done now, now. The protest is a political protest. Who is happy that there’s hunger, that there’s is unemployment? Unemployment was not started or created by this administration.
“Tinubu is just trying to put things together and it will take some time. I agree with Nigerians that when you are hungry you don’t want to listen to anything again. But we must understand that somebody is trying to solve that problem of hunger. Let’s us not listen to political protest or jobbers who just want to be popular,” Wike said.
He said some of the backers of the protest believed that if they didn’t criticise, they won’t be popular, adding: “We are going to election very soon and these are political gimmicks. A serious government is working to see that some of these things get solved. We believe that things will turn around.So, let’s be patient.”
Be Patient with Tinubu, Ekpo Pleads
Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, has urged Nigerians to be patient with the President Bola Tinubu-led federal government as greater effort was being put into addressing the economic challenges occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy.
Ekpo stated this during a courtesy visit to his office at the NNPC Towers Abuja by the national leadership of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) led by its President, Dr. Christopher Isiguzo.
Ekpo, in a statement by his media aide, said some businessmen took advantage of the low cost of subsidised fuel in Nigeria to divert large volumes to neighbouring countries where they make huge profits, while target beneficiaries in Nigeria groan in acute scarcity.
The minister highlighted the huge gas deposits in Nigeria which at present stood at about 209 trillion cubic feet proven reserves with potential reserves increase opportunity to 600trillion cubic feet.
He said Tinubu meant well in ending fuel subsidy as the decision has allowed increased focus and investments in the gas sector, and the utilisation of gas as an appropriate, more cost-effective, and cleaner alternative to petrol and diesel as vehicular fuels.
Lagos Students Backout from Protest, to Hold Solidarity Walk, Hail Sanwo-Olu
Following reports of possible nationwide protest, students of various tertiary institutions in Lagos State, have distanced themselves from the move, and instead, mooted a solidarity walk with the state government under Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
The students, under the aegis of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), said rather than join the planned protest, they would embark on a “Solidarity Walk” on the said dates to support and encourage Sanwo-Olu, who they said has been of great support to them.
Speaking to journalists at a press conference at the Lagos State University College of Medicine (LASUCOM), Ikeja, after a joint meeting, student leaders across tertiary institutions in Lagos State said their solidarity walk would also be held from August 1 to 10 to drum for peace, especially to ensure that the ugly incident of #EndSARS” of 2020 did not repeat itself.
Chairman, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Lagos axis, Comrade Lekan Alimi, who addressed journalists on behalf of the students of various tertiary institutions in Lagos State, described the planned nationwide protests against the current hardship in the country as “absolutely uncalled for.”
He said rather than join the protest, students would prefer constructive dialogue with governments in achieving collective goals.
While noting that the trying times in the country would soon fade out, he appealed to Nigerians to persevere a little more to enjoy the dividends of democracy of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
C’River Places Security on High Alert
The Cross River State Government, has disclosed that it has placed security on high alert to counter any form of protest in the state.
Sounding a note of warning, the state government in a press statement by its Commissioner for Information, Dr. Erasmus Ekpang, warned that government would not fold its arms and watch a section of youths destroy public and private property, and cause social and economic disorder in the guise of protesting against the harsh economic situation in the country.
The statement read in part: “The Government of Cross River State has uncovered plans by some aggrieved youths in the state to join forces with their colleagues in other states of the federation to protest massively from 1st August, 2024 over the current general hardship being experienced by citizens across the Nation.
“Government sympathises with the people over this untold hardship which has brought huge sufferings to many families due to the high level of inflation and sky-rocketing prices of goods and services but with less disposable income.
“We sincerely apologise to all residents of our dear state even as government appreciates the enormity of the challenges. Be that as it may, the Government of Cross River State wishes to advise all residents of the state to drop any idea to join the planned protest as protesting has never been the best solution to resolving any problem including the current hardship in the land.”
