"Distance Yourselves From Planned Protest": Coalition Sends Crucial Message to Nigerians
- A coalition led by Rising Up for a United Nigeria (RUN) and other groups has called on Nigerians to avoid participating in the planned nationwide protest
- The coalition highlighted that the protest’s sponsors remain unidentified and cautioned that it could be hijacked
- Despite the current hardships, the coalition emphasized that President Tinubu was already implementing measures to address the negative impacts
FCT, Abuja - A coalition of civil society organisations, led by Rising Up for a United Nigeria (RUN) and the Coalition of Civil Society Groups for National Stability and Cohesion, has urged Nigerians to avoid participating in the planned nationwide protest against Bola Tinubu's administration scheduled for August 1.
The call was made during a press conference on Monday, July 22, in Abuja.
Source: Original
RUN's convener Solomon Adodo, Danesi Momoh from the Empowerment for Unemployed Youth Initiative, and Igwe Ude-umanta from the Guardians of Democracy and Development cautioned Nigerians against being manipulated by "unpatriotic" individuals aiming to destabilise the country under the guise of national protests or strikes.
They claimed the protest was orchestrated by "certain people with ulterior motives, driven by bitterness and personal agendas, who are attempting to exploit the nation’s challenges to incite unrest."
The coalition said:
"These voices of opposition, bitter and disgruntled politicians and other unpatriotic interest have been on the campaign of employing sensationalism and exploiting the outcomes of the initial challenges of the visionary and bold reforms of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to instigate Nigerians, particularly the young and middle-aged citizens to go on protests against the temporary challenges in the country.
"They intend to instigate the young people using the incidents of protests and riots in Kenya, which has its own peculiarity and influences."
Protest sponsored by faceless individuals
The coalition went further to note that the sponsors of the protests were yet to be identified, urging Nigerians to steer clear.
They cautioned that the upcoming protest might be hijacked, similar to the EndSARS protest, which led to the loss of lives and property.
Despite the current difficulties caused by the poorly timed removal of the fuel subsidy, the coalition pointed out that President Tinubu was already implementing measures to tackle the negative impacts.
The group said:
"We reiterate that the proposed nationwide protests slated to begin on August 1st, 2024 is largely being sponsored by completely faceless persons, whose motives are nebulous and are therefore operating nocturnally and clandestinely to undermine national unity.
"They are only trying to exploit genuine national misgivings about the temporary implications of the reforms of Mr. President to execute their acts of treason and ultimately push for a regime change."
Coalition speaks on Tinubu's achievements
Speaking on some of the achievements of Tinubu, the coalition said:
"President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved centres for the conversion of petrol and diesel-powered vehicles to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) at no cost to the vehicle owners under the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative (P-CNGi).
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Hardship: Presidency accused of plotting Peter Obi's arrest over planned nationwide protest
"The NNPC has assured that the refineries will soon commence optimal performance.
"Further more, Mr president has established the ministry of livestock to tackle the perennial farmers and herders clashes which has hindered massive food production and animal husbandry.
"The government of Tinubu has just approved a minimum wage for workers in view of the realities of the times with a promise to review after three years. The wage award is being paid to cushion the effect of the hardship. Fertilizer and other farm inputs are deliberately being distributed by government to encourage farming."
The coalition, however, called on Nigeria to give Tinubu all the support at this critical time.
As reported by ThisDay, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) recently threw its weight behind the reported nationwide hunger protest against the harsh economic policies of President Bola Tinubu’s administration which have unleashed hardship across the country.
Meanwhile, Tinubu's government through the National Orientation Agency (NOA) says it has identified sponsors of the proposed nationwide protest, TheCable reported.
Presidency accused of plotting Obi's arrest over planned protest
Peter Obi, the flagbearer of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 presidential election, has berated one of the presidential spokespersons, Bayo Onanuga, for accusing him of being the mastermind of a planned protest against economic hardship in the country.
Obi’s spokesman, Yunusa Tanko, said in a statement on Sunday, July 21, that these unsubstantiated allegations are being orchestrated to arrest Obi, limit his freedom and association, and stop his propagation for good governance, which they find injurious to their lavish lifestyle.
Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.
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