Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives Wednesday called on the federal government to dialogue with organisers of the planned protest with a bid to addressing their concerns.
This was part of the caucus’ resolution at the end of session dinner it held in Abuja.
Speaking with reporters after the dinner, chairman of the caucus, Kingsley Chinda, discouraged the planned protest, especially against the background of insecurity in parts of the country.
“We also appealed to the government to dialogue with the planned protesters and also look at some of the messages they are raising, the critical areas that need government intervention. Government should intervene and ensure that issues are resolved amicably.
“We are not going to encourage any protesters because in the past, we have observed in most cases that even peaceful protests have been overtaken by hoodlums and with the insecurity situation in some parts of the country, you may not have the control of the gathering of people. So some unscrupulous people may use the opportunity to create chaos.
“So, we are discouraging any protest. But we appeal to government to dialogue and also look at critical areas that are necessary and address them amicably.
“We acknowledge and observe the insecurity situation in the country and we call on the government to use carrot and stick by ensuring that the result is seen by all. Let all the security chiefs do what is right to ensure that Nigerians are protected,” he said.
The caucus also called on the federal government to create means to ensure citizens are self reliant in a bid to tackle the economic downturn in the country.
“We also acknowledged in our discussion that there is hunger in the land and we appeal to the government not only to be giving palliatives but create ways and means whereby people can be self-reliant,” he added.