President Bola Tinubu has appealed to Nigerian youths to shelve a planned protest slated for next month, August.
This was disclosed by Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris while addressing State House correspondents after a meeting with the President on Tuesday.
He said this following social media campaigns and posts facilitating a nationwide protest to commence between August 1 and 10 over economic hardship in the country.
“Mr President has asked me to 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 for the future,” he said. He said the government was doing a lot of things to cushion the hardship experienced by Nigerians.
“Today, the National Assembly has expeditiously passed the bill on National Minimum Wage. You can see how the President is working, it was transmitted only yesterday, and today, it has been passed.
“A lot of other interventions that the President has put in place are also going to be looked at expeditiously in the interest of Nigerians.
“So, there is no need for protest, the young people out there should listen to the President and give him more time to see to the realisation of all the goodies he has for them.” The Minister said.
According to the Minister, the President has set up interventions and policies to cushion the effect of the hardship faced by the populace, adding that Federal Government has already implemented the students’ loan.
“Mr President is very passionate about it; everyone that should go to school will have the opportunity to do so.
“It is no longer a time for our young men and women who have passed examinations to go to tertiary institutions not to be able to do that because their parents cannot pay for their fees.
“The whole idea is that no one is left behind, 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,” He said.
Also in another development, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun at a meeting with commissioners of police in Abuja warned that the force cannot permit and allow hoodlums to destroy properties of innocent Nigerians and the government’s facilities, noting that the nation has experienced a fair share of violent protests over the years, highlighting the negative results of the 2020 EndSARS.
“Some groups of people, self-appointed crusaders, and influencers, have been strategising and mobilising potential protesters to unleash terror in the land under the guise of replicating the recent Kenya protests.
“While the force acknowledges the right to peaceful protest as enshrined in our constitution, we must ensure that these protests do not snowball into violence or disorder. As a nation, we have had more than our fair share of violent protests, with rather dastardly consequences. The last EndSARS protest led to one-tenth destruction of public assets, including police stations, courts, and transport infrastructure, and the loss of several lives.
“Tales of sorrow, tears and blood, followed what was supposedly intended to be a well-intentioned exercise. Rather than lead to any positive outcome, EndSARS merely aggravated crime rates and insecurity in several parts of the country. Indeed, we are yet to fully recover from the huge economic losses and deep-seated psychological and emotional trauma inflicted upon our people by these protests.” He said.