The federal government Wednesday revealed alleged plot by some elements to hijack the planned August 1 nationwide protest by an unknown group, and in the process unleash mayhem on the nation.
It also said while the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration acknowledges the rights of every Nigerian to engage in protests, the authorities would ensure the public order rights of others were not violated.
Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris said this in a statement by his media aide, Rabiu Ibrahim.
The statement quoted the minister as saying this when he received in audience the Charismatic Bishop Conference on a courtesy visit to his office in Abuja.
He said the government was aware that some people would want to hijack the planned protest and unleash violence on innocent Nigerians.
“You see, the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu believes in the freedom of everyone within the confines of the law to do what he thinks is right for him. Therefore, the President is not an opponent of protest of any kind but the President is an opponent of violence and anything that will negatively hamper the wellbeing of Nigerians.
“He believes and he has always been saying that within the tenets of democracy, you have every right to do whatever you want to do provided that right does not infringe on another person’s right.
“Why everybody is very cautious and very wary of this national protest is because we have seen what has happened around the world. We know that it’s almost impossible to hold this protest and then have peace at the end of the day. We cannot do that because some people are waiting to take the laws into their own hands,” the minister said.
Idris said Tinubu was fully aware of the genuine concerns and complaints expressed by Nigerians across the nation, and actively working to implement effective policies aimed at alleviating the challenges faced by the citizenry and bringing relief to all Nigerians.
…Stipends for unemployed graduates
The minister said in an unprecedented move, President Tinubu was fashioning out a policy of paying stipends to all young university and polytechnic unemployed graduates in the country pending their formal employment in any sector of the economy.
“But beyond that, there is also another new policy that the President has formulated, which will begin to be seen very soon and that is that all young men and women who have finished universities and polytechnics and have certificates and have done their mandatory NYSC and have not been able to get jobs, will have something from the government to keep them afloat until the time they get jobs,” he said.
He explained that because of the president’s commitment to the welfare of Nigerian workers, even after the Tripartite Committee on the National Minimum Wage concluded its assignment and submitted its report, he sustained his engagement with the Organised Labour Unions until an amicable resolution was reached, which gave birth to the N70,000 national minimum wage.
Idris said “the introduction of the Compressed National Gas (CNG) policy by the president is a game changer in the country’s economy because of its ability to bring down the cost of transportation by about 60% thereby providing a viable alternative for petrol and diesel.”
The minister also highlighted the significant improvement in the security situation in the country, saying “since the advent of the Tinubu administration, there has been a remarkable improvement in most of the flashpoints in the country, especially the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway, which used to be a nightmare for motorists.”
…Bishops disown protest
In his remarks, President General of the Charismatic Bishops Conference, Archbishop Leonard Kawas, dissociated the conference from the planned national protest, saying they had been approached by some groups to join the protest.
“Your Excellency, recently, we received some calls from some other religious organizations and other organizations asking us to join in preparation for a nationwide protest, which would start from 1st August 2024. We are here to let you know that we do not think the same. That we have rather decided to go all out and call for a truce.
” We have decided to sue for peace and humbly request that our brothers and sisters who are aggrieved in one way or the other, that they should give us some time while we continue to communicate and negotiate with this government on areas that are pertinent to them,” he said.