The Federal Government says it is open to talks with the leaders of the planned nationwide protests slated for August 1-10.

At an emergency meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, all the federal ministers were also directed to visit their respective states between Wednesday (July 24) and Thursday August 1, when the protests are scheduled to begin.

This is as select ministers will also meet with state governors at the 143rd session of the National Economic Council at the Council Chamber of the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, on Thursday (today).

This formed part of the action points from the emergency meeting between the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, and all ministers in Abuja on Wednesday morning.

A circular sighted by The PUNCH on Tuesday evening showed that Special Advisers to the President on Policy and Coordination, Ms. Hadiza Bala-Usman; Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga and former Minister of Youth and Sports, Sunday Dare, were among those invited for the meeting convened to discuss the ‘Planned Nationwide Protest.’

The circular read, “I am directed to invite you to attend a meeting with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation on the above subject slated as follows:

“July 24, 2024, Time: 10 am Prompt, Venue: Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation Conference Room. Attendance is mandatory. Please accept the warm regards of the Secretary to The Government of the Federation.”

The meeting came amid calls for nationwide protests from August 1-10 against the rising cost of living and the harsh conditions as Africa’s most populous country faces what has been described as its worst economic headwinds in a generation.

The protest tagged ‘EndBadGovernance’ has gained traction on social media and has been scheduled to hold across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. However, its organisers have remained largely anonymous as no group has come forward to take responsibility.

Upon assuming office 14 months ago, President Tinubu announced an end to petrol subsidies, which he said would save the government monies for infrastructural expansion. He also unified the foreign exchange rates to curb currency arbitrage.

However, these moves sparked collateral slump in the value of the Naira as food prices soared. More so, widespread insecurity in many farming communities has displaced farmers, contributing to higher food prices.

Although journalists were not granted access to the SGF Conference Room, the venue of Wednesday’s meeting, sources privy to the discussions told one of our correspondents that a planned nationwide broadcast by President Bola Tinubu was part of the issues discussed.

The source said, “All ministers were present. They suggested that there should be a national address. It was suggested that the President himself should do it. But the suggestion will have to reach the President first.

“They also asked ministers to put together three key achievements they have made in the past year. They will compile these achievements and present them to Nigerians.

“In fact, tomorrow (today), the Minister of Finance will be briefing the media on the state of the economy. But those achievements will be compiled for a separate presentation.”

Our source added, “The government stands for dialogue. They will get the leaders (of the protest) to meet with the government for discussions.

“All the ministers will also go back to their states to engage their people so they won’t be misled into joining the protests. That is between now and the protest date.

“Some have been engaging their people before. But this time, everyone has been asked to go back there.”

Another source privy to Wednesday’s meeting outcome, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, told The PUNCH that some ministers—such as those of Finance and Budget and Economic Planning— who sit on the National Economic Council, will attend its 143rd meeting on Thursday to appeal to state governors to dialogue with their constituents.

NEC, a statutory body mandated to advise the President on the nation’s economic affairs, comprises the Vice President, Governors of the 36 states of the federation, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Minister of Finance, and other stakeholders.

“There will be a NEC meeting tomorrow (today). So, they will be going there to get the buy-in of the governors. They will use NEC to get the governors’ support for the plan.

“The government is extending the dialogue to NEC to allow governors to join what it is trying to do.

“The way the government sees this protest is that it is not just a protest against hardship or Tinubu. Some people want to use it to undermine the Nigerian state and bring it down and target some class of people entirely,” said the source.

The August 1 protest comes on the heels of similar demonstrations in Kenya, from which experts say Nigerians may have drawn inspiration.

Kenyan youths staged massive protests for weeks, forcing President William Ruto’s government to backtrack on tax hikes. Organisers used social media platforms like X and Instagram to mobilise millions of young Kenyans for protests—a similar strategy deployed on Nigerian social media space.

In October 2020, Nigeria experienced massive protests nationwide when thousands of young people demonstrated against police brutality.

The protests, which were later hijacked, turned violent, with billions of naira worth of property destroyed amid bloodshed, which organisers blamed on security forces, who denied using live rounds.

Reps preach dialogue

Meanwhile, the minority caucus of the House of Representatives on Wednesday advised the Federal Government to interface with the intending protesters in order to find a lasting solution to the issues raised by the latter.

The caucus made the demand as part of its resolution at the end of its special meeting/dinner in Abuja on Monday night.

A statement on Wednesday by the media team of the caucus quoted the chairman, Kingsley Chinda, as saying, “We appeal 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.

“We are not going to encourage the protesters because in the past we observed in most cases that even peaceful protests were overtaken by hoodlums and with the insecurity 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.”

The group also called on the government to create means to ensure citizens were self-reliant in a bid to tackle the economic challenges in the country.

“We acknowledged in our discussion that there is hunger in the land and we appeal to the government not only to be giving palliatives but to create ways and means whereby people can be self-reliant,” Chinda added.

Govs condemn rally

Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun and his Imo State counterpart Hope Uzodimma on Wednesday appealed to the youths to shun the planned nationwide anti-hunger protest.

Abiodun made the appeal during a meeting with a coalition of youth organisations in the state at the Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

The governor, who recalled the destruction of lives and property occasioned by the EndSARS protests across the country in 2020, said, “And yet again, there are calls for mass protests across the country, and the first thing that agitates one’s mind is, is that the way to present our case to government?

“Young men and women, you have no other country than this country. Let me assure you that I have travelled far and wide. I am sure, like many of you, that there is no country in the world where you can walk like your own, and that country is Nigeria.

“There is a Yoruba proverb that says ‘beheading is not the solution to a headache.’ If there are issues, let us discuss them, let us find a way around them, let us manage and correct them. Let us not cut off the head or attempt to cut off the head because of a headache. That will amount to decapitation.”

On his part, Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, Uzodimma, said the planned nationwide protests were coming at the wrong time.

Uzodimma also cited the EndSARS movement of 2020, and emphasised the planned protest hijack by criminals.

Speaking with State House correspondents on Wednesday after meeting with President Bola Tinubu, the governor urged Nigerians to protect the nation’s stability and avoid actions that could worsen the economic hardships.

“I think it is the wrong time for anybody to protest because the implication of doing that, if care is not taken, is that it may be hijacked, like the #EndSARS experience, where criminals hijacked an innocently conceived agitation by young Nigerians.

“So, this is another kind of temptation that I think those behind the protests because they have not been able to come out openly to say they’re behind it, there is a motive that is yet to be unravelled.

“I think that we are not in support of the protest; we are not going to support any protest that has no programme, that is not discussed, that nobody knows what the problem is. Okay, if you are protesting, what do you want the government to do because the reason for protests is that they want an issue to be addressed. What are the issues?” he said.

Uzodimma said the protest could “overheat the polity and put our people in a position that the hardship is further worsened.”

“So, I advise against the protests,” he added.

Also, the Bauchi State Government says it won’t allow the protest hold in the state.

The Secretary to the Bauchi State Government, Ibrahim Kashim, made the disclosure at a press conference at the Banquet Hall of the Government House on Wednesday.

Kashim said, “Anybody planning any protest in Bauchi should better think twice. If he must protest, then he must be ready to go and organise it somewhere else but not in this state.

“The government has completely disassociated itself from any protest. Bauchi is not aware of it and it’s not going to happen in Bauchi State.”

In Edo State, the Oba of Benin, Ewuare II, urged organisers of the planned protest to shelve the idea, urging them to give the Federal Government enough time to implement its economic policies.

The Oba stated this in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Osaigbovo Iguobaro, on Wednesday.

He stated, “I appeal to aggrieved Nigerians to give the Federal Government enough time to implement its economic policy, which is expected to alleviate the present hardships being experienced by Nigerians.

“For things to get better, it has to be tough for a while. I appeal to the Federal Government to intensify efforts in the implementation of its economic and security policies.”

Tinubu reacts

Reacting to the planned protest on Wednesday, President Tinubu said he was unopposed to protests, but added that he was against violence and anything that could negatively impact the well-being of Nigerians.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, who disclosed this on Wednesday, assured that the Federal Government would uphold the right to protest while ensuring public order.

Idris, in a statement by his Special Assistant Media, Rabiu Ibrahim, on Wednesday said, “While the government of President Tinubu acknowledges the rights of every Nigerian to engage in protests, it is equally committed to ensuring that these activities do not disrupt public order or violate the rights of others.”

The minister, while also speaking during a courtesy visit from the Charismatic Bishop Conference to his office in Abuja, said the government was aware that some individuals might attempt to hijack the planned protest and inflict violence on innocent Nigerians.

“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 completed their mandatory NYSC programme 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 added.

Idris 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, the President sustained his engagement with the Organised Labour Unions until an amicable resolution was reached, which gave birth to the N70,000 national minimum wage.

He added that the introduction of the Compressed National Gas policy by the President was a game changer in the country’s economy because of its ability to bring down the cost of transportation by about 60 per cent, thereby providing a viable alternative for petrol and diesel. (The PUNCH)

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