FG Convenes Emergency Meeting Amid Planned Nationwide Protest

The Federal Government holds an urgent meeting today to address the planned nationwide protest, aiming to defuse tensions and find solutions to the rising public discontent.

In reaction to a nationwide protest slated for August 1st, the Federal Government (FG) has arranged an urgent meeting for Wednesday morning.

After President Bola Tinubu pleaded with the protest organizers to hold off on their actions, he requested additional time for his administration to put in place programs that catered more towards the needs of the people.

According to a circular released on Tuesday and shared with Obasanjonews.com, an invitation was extended to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) George Akume as well as all ministers including Special Advisers Hadiza Bala-Usman and Bayo Onanuga, along with former Minister of Youth and Sports Sunday Dare.

On July 23, 2024, a circular entitled “Planned Nationwide Protest” was issued and signed by Richard Pheelangwah, the Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Affairs Office.

You are cordially invited to attend a meeting regarding the aforementioned subject with the Secretary to the Government of Nigeria on July 24th, 2024 at precisely 10 am. The conference will take place in their office’s Conference Room.

It is required to attend. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation sends warm regards for your acceptance.”

The scheduled session will occur amidst the uproar for nationwide demonstrations commencing on August 1st due to escalating living expenses and financial struggles in the nation, attributed to fuel subsidy elimination, naira floatation, and other economic policies instituted by the Tinubu government.

The upcoming protest, which took its inspiration from the recent protests in Kenya, is now getting attention on social media and trending with hashtags like “EndBadGovernance,” “TinubuMustGo” and “#Revolution2024.”

The Presidency and police officials urged young individuals to forego their plan, citing it as unwise.

On Tuesday, after a meeting with Tinubu, the President’s plea to Nigerians was conveyed by Mohammed Idris, who is the Minister of Information and National Orientation. This statement was made in an interview conducted with State House correspondents.

He conveyed that the President regards no necessity for the intended protest. Instead, he urged them to forsake their plan and wait for a response from the government regarding all their appeals.

Therefore, striking is unnecessary. The youth should heed the President’s advice and grant him sufficient time to actualize all the benefits he intends for them.

Read Also: No Support for Hardship Protest, Say Lagos Students

According to Idris, the President acknowledges the concerns of protestors and is dedicated to securing a brighter future for Nigeria.

As proof of the President’s dedication to Nigerians’ well-being, he cited both the swift approval by the National Assembly of the National Minimum Wage Bill and the recent distribution of grains to state governments.

Idris stated that they also talked about the general situation of the country and Mr. President requested him to reiterate to Nigerians that he hears them, specifically the youth who are engaged in protesting.

An instance of this is when the Federal Government sanctioned grains and rice for state governments, which were subsequently delivered with great efficiency.

As I mentioned before, this is merely the essential initial phase. The authorities will persist in backing them and guaranteeing that all interventions implemented by the Federal Government are directed towards those who deserve it. It’s crucial to emphasize this point.

The focus of the Federal Government is on devising approaches that ensure interventions reach their intended beneficiaries directly without interference from intermediaries.

According to the minister, President Tinubu demonstrated a strong commitment towards the recently established Student Loan Board that strives to enable all qualified students to pursue higher education.

We cannot continue to sit back and watch as capable young people who have successfully passed their exams are unable to pursue tertiary education due to financial barriers faced by their families.

The government is keen on making sure that this becomes a thing of the past. The provision for NELFUND has already yielded an excess amount which satisfies current needs and as people demand more, the President will continue to provide accordingly.

The Federal Government announced that it is currently developing a program to assist recent graduates who have not yet obtained employment upon finishing their National Youth Service.

As per the statement, this initiative is a testament to the administration’s pledge of inclusive development where no individual would be left behind.

The President is currently devising an intervention for young adults who have completed their education and are still seeking employment after completing the NYSC program.

As an illustration, the government is currently refining a program that will be rapidly implemented in order to provide assistance for young men and women who have completed their studies at universities or polytechnics but are unable to secure employment. The government intends to support them until such time as suitable jobs become available.

Idris reassured that the President is committed to a fully inclusive government, with the aim of propelling Nigeria towards progress without leaving anyone behind.

Moreover, Kayode Egbetokun, the Inspector-General of Police stated that Nigeria is still reeling from the aftermath of the #EndSARS protests in 2020 which led to widespread loss of lives and properties throughout the nation.

Egbetokun spoke on Tuesday to a meeting of police commissioners in Abuja, remarking that the country has experienced violent protests with negative outcomes.

According to the IG, crime rates and insecurity in certain areas increased due to the recent #EndSARS demonstrations.

Prior to concluding this speech, it is vital that I address an urgent national concern which has gained traction lately, especially on social media platforms.

Under the pretense of emulating recent protests in Kenya, certain groups have been organizing and encouraging potential demonstrators to engage in destructive behavior, labeling themselves as self-appointed advocates and influencers.

“As stipulated in our constitution, the Force recognizes and respects the right to peaceful assembly. However, we must prevent these gatherings from escalating into chaos or aggression as previous violent protests have had detrimental effects on our country.”

Several lives were lost and public assets such as police stations, courts, and transport infrastructure were destroyed during the latest #EndSars protest.

According to him, instead of achieving its purpose, the supposed well-intentioned exercise resulted in stories filled with sadness and anguish. Rather than yielding any favorable results, #EndSars only worsened the levels of crime and insecurity witnessed across various regions within the country.

It is true that we have not completely bounced back from the significant financial setbacks and profound mental and emotional distress caused by these demonstrations.

He implored the citizens to abandon their proposed protest, emphasizing that it is the duty of the police force to safeguard both the well-being and possessions of civilians.

Egbetokun stated that they strongly advise against the proposed violent protests and believe it would be unwise to pursue them. As part of their duty, they are committed to safeguarding all individuals including those from different races, colors, ethnicities or tribes who engage in lawful activities on a daily basis.

Henceforth, we shall not remain passive spectators while brutal acts bring harm to our tranquil neighborhoods or devastate vital national infrastructure and resources.

The IG asserted that strategies had been implemented to guarantee the arrest of any miscreants trying to conceal their identities as protesters.

There are different ways to rewrite this sentence depending on the intended context and purpose. Here are some possible options: – Egbetokun issued a warning. – A warning was given by Egbetokun. – “Watch out!” said Egbetokun, offering a word of caution. Note: As an AI language model designed for natural language processing tasks such as text completion, writing assistance or answering questions in everyday conversation contexts; I don’t have access to external information about who is “Egnotokay” nor what he/she/it could be possibly referring to with that ‘warning’. Can you clarify it?

Our plans have been formulated to prevent any individual or group from establishing a state of terror and chaos among peaceful Nigerians who follow the law.

He cautioned that he wanted to take this opportunity to issue a serious warning to any hoodlums who might attempt to violate the law under the guise of protests.

Describing the calls for nationwide protests as treasonable, Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy expressed his opinion.

Accusing Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, and his followers of orchestrating the upcoming demonstrations, he claimed that “they are not democrats but rather anarchists.”

According to the presidential aide, if individuals comprehend the significance of their hashtags, they will come to recognize that such labels are essentially urging acts of treason. In fact, desiring an end to a democratically-elected government constitutes high-level treason; likewise, advocating for revolution is tantamount to instigating a coup d’état – another form of treacherous behavior.

The allegation that Obi and his supporters were behind the planned nationwide anti-government protests was refuted by the Labour Party.

In a statement, Obiora Ifoh who serves as the National Publicity Secretary of LP expressed disagreement with Onanuga’s act of associating the protest with both the national leader and party.

Ifoh cautioned in an interview with Obasanjonews.com that the Presidency and security forces must exercise caution, as any attempt to suppress citizens could have negative consequences.

A legal proceeding aimed at preventing violence.

He stated that their party does not condone violent protests. However, they believe peaceful demonstrations are acceptable as it is crucial to allow individuals the freedom to express themselves in a democratic society.

The law of the land supports demonstration, while freedom of expression and assembly is protected globally in places such as United States, UK, Kenya and other countries.

A few weeks ago, we witnessed peaceful expression of opinions in Kenya and commend the Kenyan government for doing their part. We do not condone violence and believe that anyone who engages in aggressive protests should be held accountable. However, our stance remains to allow Nigerians to peacefully voice their thoughts without fear or intimidation.

Our stance is that violence, even from the government, cannot be a part of any plan introduced by anyone.

Peaceful protests are the constitutional right of Nigerian citizens, as described by Atiku Abubakar, a former Vice-President and his political party, the Peoples Democratic Party.

On Tuesday, Atiku – the PDP’s Presidential hopeful for 2023 – highlighted on X the legal foundation of public demonstrations. He stated that “the right of citizens to protest is firmly entrenched in Nigeria’s Constitution and has been corroborated by our courts.”

The right to peaceful assembly and association is unequivocally guaranteed by Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution, according to his citation.

Attempts to discourage or prevent the protests were criticized by the ex-Vice President.

In his statement, he expressed that attempting to attribute the planned protests to imaginary individuals and futilely chasing non-existent leads is pointless given that both supporters of Tinubu and the ruling APC party in Nigeria are presently overwhelmed by a sense of despair, frustration, and grim prospects which stem from this government’s ineptitude.

Those who were at the forefront of protests in 2012 are now paradoxically attempting to suppress these rights.

The statement also urged the government to fulfill its obligation of protecting the rights of its citizens.

Atiku emphasized that it is the duty of a responsible government to provide citizens with a safe and secure environment in which they can freely exercise their constitutionally protected rights to peaceful protest.

He declared that any effort to stifle these rights is not only against the constitution but also a direct insult to our democratic system.

Timothy Osadolor, the Deputy National Youth Leader of PDP, cautioned authorities against preventing youths from protesting and attributed their protests to inadequate governance.

During an interview with Obasanjonews.com on Tuesday, Osadolor clarified that the PDP had not taken a position regarding the upcoming protests. He also advised Tinubu to step down if he could not find solutions to Nigeria’s issues.

The leader of the opposing political party relayed that during President Goodluck Jonathan’s time, President Bola Tinubu was able to peacefully protest with Save Nigeria groups without hindrance due to a lack of laws. They implore him to take note of this fact.

If there were effective governance, protests wouldn’t occur. Nigerian youths are infuriated by the lack of good governance as evidenced by a failing economy that is causing numerous job losses and widespread hunger and discontent. Despite removing fuel subsidies some time ago, the government has yet to present any alleviating mechanisms or responses.

The Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike dismissed the proposed demonstration as a mere “political stunt” aimed at garnering attention.

During an inspection of the Apo-Karshi Road project on Tuesday, Wike expressed that with a corrupt system in place, it was unrealistic to expect significant progress within just one year from any government attempting to improve the state. He emphasized that efforts must be made regardless and applauded current initiatives taken towards development.

Similarly, the government of Cross River State has advised inhabitants not to engage in the forthcoming August 1 demonstration due to concerns regarding violence that followed previous #EndSARS protests.

In a statement released on Tuesday in Calabar, Dr. Erasmus Ekpang, the State Commissioner for Information expressed that despite the challenging phase being faced by Nigerians presently, there remains an unwavering dedication from all levels of government to prioritize and ensure the health and welfare of its citizens.

Yinka Kufile, a businessman as well as an Egba High Chief, advised against any form of violent protest. He cautioned that such actions would only worsen the existing challenge by causing unnecessary destruction of property and loss of life. This statement was made during a press conference held in Abeokuta.