- Tinubu Seeks Traditional Rulers, Others Help To Stop Protest
- We’ve Identified Sponsors Of Protest, Funding Line-DSS
- Kenya-Like Outcome Looms, Warns DHQ, TUC Calls For Protection For Protesters
- National Youth Council Puts 104 Affiliate Members On Standby
With five days to go, the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led Federal Government is in a race against time to stop the nationwide #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests scheduled to begin on August 1, 2024.
To show it’s desperation and effort at stopping the protest from happening, President Tinubu on Thursday held series of crucial meetings with different stakeholders in the country to persuade Nigerians against embarking on the protest.
Some of those that the President met with include state governors from the ruling All-Progressives Congress (APC), top traditional rulers like the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi Enitan, Sultan of Sokoto, Abubakar Saad III, key security officials like the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, the Inspector General of Police Kayode Egbetokun amongst others.
Rising from the meeting, the Traditional Rulers called for calm over the planned nationwide protest to demonstrate against the prevailing economic hardship in Nigeria.
Addressing the press, the Emir of Zazzau, Ahmed Bamalli said the country’s leaders are worried about the planned protest but called “on our people to exercise patience and to listen to the words of wisdom”.
“Well, the message we are taking back to our people is to be calm, to exercise patience, and also to listen to the words of wisdom coming from the traditional rulers and from the governors because we have spoken to the President and he has given us the blueprint of what he has been doing over time,” he said.
The Ooni of Ife also toed a similar line but called for caution so the protest would not be hijacked.
“We traditional rulers are going to engage the people, especially the youth coming out to start looting, to start breaking down law and order. We are parents, we are traditional rulers, we are closer to them,” he said.
“We are going to go back home and continue to engage them. It is very difficult to build, but it is the easiest to destroy. We are all stakeholders in this country. We should be stronger as a nation together, than stronger individually.”
Meanwhile, the Department of State Services (DSS) is asking persons and groups yet to identify themselves in the public as leaders of the plot to stage a nationwide protest to shelve their plans and eschew any form of proposed rage, anarchy, and spoliation.
In a statement signed by the Director of Public Relations and Strategic Communications, Peter Afunaya, the Service says that while peaceful protest is a democratic right of citizens, it has confirmed a sinister plan by some elements to infiltrate the protest and use it to cause chaos and extreme violence in the land.
The statement added that the Service has identified the reason behind the protest to be political as the plotters desire to use the intended violent outcome to smear the federal and sub-national governments; make them unpopular and pit them against the masses with a long-term objective of achieving a regime change, especially at the centre.
“While peaceful protest is a democratic right of citizens, the Service has confirmed a sinister plan by some elements to infiltrate the protest and use it to cause chaos and extreme violence in the land,” the statement read.
The Service also disclosed that it has identified the funding lines, sponsors, and collaborators of the plot and is therefore asking parents, guardians, and heads of traditional and academic institutions to advise their children, wards, subjects, and students not to take part in the planned protest.
“The Service has also identified, among others, the funding lines, sponsors, and collaborators of the plot. However, it does not think that aggression should be the first line of action in the instance, in handling the emerging scenario,” the DSS said.
The statement further said the Service will work with other sister security and law enforcement agencies to maintain peace and where necessary, will apply all legitimate methods to achieve this.
Similarly, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ), on Thursday, said it has uncovered a plot by mischief-makers to attack car owners, landlords and smartphone users during the planned ‘EndBadGovernance’ protest slated for next month.
“Already, we have detected some unscrupulous elements bent on hijacking the planned protest to make it violent. Many are therefore following in ignorance,” said Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Edward Buba, at a press briefing in Abuja.
“For instance, there are indications that if you possess a smartphone, if you possess a car, if you possess a shop, if you own a house or even use air conditioning in your house, you have been labelled a target.”
He warned against any form of violence during the planned nationwide demonstration and hinted that the organisers of the planned protest intend to replicate the recent protest-turn-anarchy demonstration in the East African country Kenya.
General Buba said although citizens have a right to ventilate their grievances, the military won’t condone any form of violent gatherings or protests.
The police had also warned against violent protests come next month.
In a related development, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) has asked the IGP Egbetokun, to provide security cover for the demonstrators.
Briefing journalists on Thursday in Abuja, the TUC President, Festus Osifo, said the Police are mandated by the Police Act and the constitution to provide adequate security for protesters. He said adequate protection is necessary to ensure that the planned protest is not hijacked by hoodlums.
“As Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, we have been involved in several protests. We are also happy with some of the comments that we are hearing from different quarters assuring that when the protests do take place, these people will be protected,” he said.
“We don’t want a situation whereby the protest goes on and at the end of the day, it leads to violence. We want to hereby call on the Inspector General of Police and the entire security agencies to do everything possible to provide security for whoever intends to carry out protests so such protests do not degenerate into chaos.”
“The Police Act also mandates the police that when there is a protest, you should ensure that there is law and order, ensure that those that are protesting are also protected.”
Similarly, the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) has directed its 104 affiliate organisations to remain on standby.
The directive was given in a communique released on Thursday by the NYCN President Sukubo Sara-Igbe Sukubo.
This followed an emergency meeting of the National Executive, 36 state chairmen, and other stakeholders held via Zoom from Wednesday into the early hours of Thursday.
The group expressed deep concern over the severe socio-economic challenges and widespread hardship faced by citizens, especially the youth.
We recognise the challenges faced by our country and the need for urgent action to address these issues. As we prepare to address the nation, we call on all stakeholders to support our efforts and to work together towards a better Nigeria,” the statement read.
“The meeting was held via Zoom and lasted for several hours, addressing the urgent concerns of Nigerian youths and the overall socio-economic and political climate of the country.
“NYCN leaders acknowledged that the current socio-economic challenges facing Nigeria, including rising inflation, insecurity, unemployment, and the general hardship experienced by citizens, particularly the youth, have reached alarming levels.
“These issues have sparked widespread agitation and calls for a nationwide protest. The NYCN, as the umbrella body representing over 100 youth organisations across the country, recognizes the urgency of these matters and the need for a coordinated response.”
