With the growing dissatisfaction among Nigerians against the hardship in the country and calls for a nationwide protest against President Bola Tinubu’s administration, the Federal Government on Thursday pleaded with Nigerians for more time, promising to handle the protest as a ‘’family matter.”
This is as it promised to address all issues in a manner that will ensure the peace and stability of the nation.
The government’s position came on a day South-East governors advised aggrieved Nigerians not to go ahead with the nationwide protests, saying the country was too tense for such protests.
This is even as the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, asked both the federal and state governments to listen to the cries of the people and warned against the use of brute force to suppress the protest.
Similarly, the Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives called on the Federal Government to dialogue with planned protesters to address their concerns, while human rights activist, Femi Falana, SAN, warned the government against threatening organisers of the planned protests.
Speaking after a meeting of members of the Federal Executive Council, FEC, at the instance of the Secretary to Government of the Federation, SGF, George Akume, yesterday, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said in a brief interview: “We came together to discuss. You can see that this is not happening at the council chambers, it is happening in the office of the SGF and many of the ministers are here.
“We have discussed issues of national interest and all of us are working for Nigeria and we hope and believe Nigeria is going to be great again.
“No one is going to sleep. Those who are agitating and asking for protests are Nigerians, they are our brothers, they are our sisters, they are all Nigerians and those in positions of authority – the ministers, the President, everybody, we are all Nigerians too.
“So, this is a family matter. This is a Nigerian family issue and all of us are looking at this issue very well and we hope that peace will prevail at the end of the day.”
Asked if the government had been engaging with the stakeholders and organizers of the planned protest, Idris said engagement had always been an ongoing thing.
“This is not a peculiar situation, engagement has been ongoing. The President has met severally with all key stakeholders. I have also been meeting with stakeholders, other government functionaries have also been meeting with other key stakeholders.
“Engagement is going to continue and in the interest of Nigeria, we will continue to engage. We know this is the only country that all of us have and at the end of the day, Nigeria is going to be better for all of us for it,” he stated.
On alleged insistence by some top Nigerians, including a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Femi Falana, that the protests must go on, Idris said the senior lawyer is entitled to his opinion in a democracy.
“He (Falana) is an individual. This is a democracy, everyone is entitled to his opinion. The protesters are also Nigerians, this is a democratic situation. What I keep saying is that we are all Nigerians and we are all acting in the interest of Nigeria, but suffice to say that yesterday, (Tuesday) Mr President said there is no need for any protest, let us calm down.
“A lot is happening, Nigeria is going to move and march on and we believe that whatever government comes out with will be in the interest of Nigeria. We don’t think there is need for any protest, we are appealing for calm, we are appealing for a peaceful resolution or peaceful approach to any issue.
“If you have anything you want to put out there, you are free to put it out there but government is insisting that we are all Nigerians, we have to be calm, we have to be patient and suffice it to say let us give peace a chance.
“Mr President is working round the clock, his ministers are working, everyone is working, all hands are on deck.
“Like I said yesterday (Tuesday), everyone is listening; we are all listening, the President is listening and he has a message for all Nigerians. That message is that they should all calm down, they should please give the man more time. Everything they asked for, all their pleas will be answered,” he added.
Some of the ministers who attended the meeting include Nyesom Wike (FCT); Yusuf Tuggar (Foreign Affairs); Zephaniah Jisalo (Special Duties); Tahir Mamman (Education); and Abubakar Bagudu (Budget and Planning).
Others are Wale Edun (Finance); Mohammed Idris (Information); Bello Matawalle (Defence); David Umahi (Works); and the National Security Adviser, NSA, Nuhu Ribadu, among others.
